Summary:Batgirl and Samurai are baited into a trap. They have to ride for their lives Log Info:Storyteller: {$storyteller} |
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Criminals do not take nights off, generally. Well, individual criminals take lots of nights off but as a group there is something horribly wrong more or less every night. It is the job of the Bats to combat it and they do so every night. Night after night. Three hundred and sixty five days a year, more or less. If the criminals don't take a holiday, they can't either.
Tonight its a bad one. Literal fighting in the streets. There have been actual honest to god explosions.
"Batgirl, Samurai is responding." Oracle says in that way of hers that says 'he's doing it again.' "I have eyes on the scene. Two dozen, automatic weapons and grenades. No sign of any of the Special List. No clear reason why they should be fighting."
It's been a long night already for Batgirl, there must be a full moon soon or something. "On my way, Oracle. Let the Samurai know that I'm coming in and I'd appreciate not being cleaved in two when I get there. Do you have anything on any of the combatants? Facial scans, cars, anything?"
It's entirely possible, Batgirl acknowledges to herself, that the Samurai started this fight. If he did, she's *sure* he's got a reason, and even thinks its a good one.
Perching on the rooftop nearby, the female Bat watches the action. She can't get into the frey - that's not usually her way - but that group of there? Two batarangs fly out to knock weapons away as the black clad woman somersaults through the air to the next building. "Where is he, Oracle?"
"Incoming from the north in three, two, one…"
A motorcycle roars onto the scene. The rider isn't holding the handlebars. Instead he is shooting a bow which he uses to put arrows into three people before seizing control of the bike to throw it into an alley with the precision of a practiced rider. That leaves the combat in disarray, neither side sure what just happened and there is a short lull in the firing. Before they start again.
"One of the gangs is affiliated with the local Tong. The others are Maggia. Italian crime syndicate." Batgirl is familiar with both.
"Batgirl I have no listed activity leading me to believe these two organizations should be in conflict. Something is wrong."
The shouting starts up again when the Samurai emerges on foot, blade in hand and beats the stuffing out of the nearest three people with it.
Of course Oracle doesn't. If they did, Batgirl would have too. "Get into the comms networks, Oracle, and see what you can find. Someone set this up, probably …" She sighs as the Samurai roars onto the scene. "I'm sure that man has a death wish. I really hope you're getting the footage of this."
The break in the fighting is all that she needs, ziplining down behind two who were distracted by the bike.
When she lands, her escrima stick is drawn and rounds on the two. They should go down easily enough and let her duck away, again.
"Can you patch the Samurai into the conversation?"
"Of course I am." The Oracle says. "I presume you will want a copy?"
The VI patches Samurai in smoothly as he dives for cover and then comes up with his bow again. He's very fluid switching between what are really rather unwieldy ancient two handed weapons.
"Batgirl? Your partner just called me." There the Samurai she knows.
A bit further away a group of thugs start to spray the area the two heroes are in down with gunfire. Two of them throw grenades.
"Batgirl I am not picking anything up on the Maggia or Tong communications lines. There is no evidence their leadership is involved in this fight or even aware of it. Are we being played?"
"That was an impressive entrance. I'm wondering if you have a death wish." The black clad woman says by way of greeting. She was ziplining up and away as the gunfire starts and grenades go off. There's an 'oof' as she's slammed against the wall of the building. Winded, it takes long moments for her to get her wits again, just as Oracle shares that information.
"It's a setup, fall back and reassess." Oracle will send her location to the Samurai if he wants to find her. "Unless you know something about this."
"I do not. I came because there were explosions." The Samurai says. He dives out of the way of the explosions but that's the moment that Oracle pipes up.
"Batgirl I am detecting something large moving your w-"
It crashes through a barricade of cars whatever it is. It's big and grey and it goes right for Batgirl, missing her by a hair. She can feel the wind as it passes by, just missing its rush thanks to her being slammed against a wall.
"Batgirl, it's Rhino."
There's a strangled sound as Batgirl twists to avoid the rush further. That hurt her back … but she'll survive. "Setup. They lured me … us … out. Oracle, find what you can. There has to be trace of this planning. And this was planned. While you're at it, blow every hydrant in this street. Samurai, beware, it's about to get soggy."
Spinning around the redhead is able to find the grey blur and launches herself up to tumble onto a landing. "Rhino. How nice of you to come and visit. Did you get sick of Uncle Sams hospitality?" A batarang flings out, aimed at the mans feet - and explodes.
"Batgirl, someone has overriden the traffic control system. The barriers are going up in a three block radius. Getting out on the street level will be difficult." Not impossible for someone on a bike but it requires very skilled riding. Of course Batgirl is a very skilled rider.
"What on earth is that?!" That's the Samurai. The gunmen scattered when the Rhino arrived. They were simply waiting for him. Rhino slides to a halt, finding it difficult on the slick streets. Samurai looses an arrow at him but it just bounces off his rather thick synthetic hide.
"Batgirl. You're starting to become an annoyance to certain people. Guess that was enough to have me take care of you. Stay still and I'll make sure it don't hurt…"
He charges again but now the streets are slick.
——
And of course, Batgirl is a veteran of the thieves highway as well. She's considering the options and knows that Samurai doesn't have a grapnel gun. She'll have to fix that, but now is not the time.
"Plot our way out of here, Oracle. Samurai, I hope you're in for more trick riding." The redhead falls back carefully to where her bike is parked. "We're getting out of here."
"And that is Rhino. An old acquaintance of ours. Now would probably be the time for you use that gift of yours - his hide is tough enough to resist most blunt force and low calibre attacks."
With the streets slick with water, she and Samurai will have to be careful as well but she can use this to her advantage. The Rhino charges and Batgirl calls out "Tora Tora … oh wait, you're a Rhino not a Bull." When he gets near to her, she tumbles to the side - letting the man rush past her into the side of the building.
[Ken Harada]
It is impossible for Rhino to turn enough to get Batgirl as she tumbles out of the way on the slick street but boy does he try anyway. All that happens is he winds up tumbling and skidding into a shopfront which he absolutely demolishes. Samurai darts in behind him and cuts him across the back as he goes by. It's clearly a painful cut but it also clearly didn't have the force or angle necessary to go in further. Why?
Well because of what happens next. Rhino gets up and throws a metal shelf at Batgirl as she retreats.
"Aw. Gettin' tired of playin' already? Ya think you're gonna get away that easy?"
Samurai has already made his bike. "I'll follow." He says. Oracle has plotted a course out but as Batgirl revs she notes: "Batgirl, I'm getting a lot of motion on side streets. Whomever has set this up may be preparing an interception."
Whatever call she makes has to be quick. Rhino charges out of the storefront again, exploding it a second time on the way out and he is moving fast.
[Barbara Gordon]
Batgirls mind is working double time, trying to see the possibilities. "We're going to have to be quick, Samurai, and this is going to get uncomfortable. If you want we can stand and fight." Mounting her bike and keying the engine, the redhead looks as Rhino starts to move. That shelf had been way too close for comfort but … she can't let him get away."
Pulling a batarang from her utility, the wily hacker attaches a tracker to it. This should, embed itself on impact and let them follow the Rhino later.
She's already moving out, prepared to stop if Samurai says he wants to fight.
[Ken Harada]
Fighting Rhino is possible but the Samurai doesn't want to fight in what has been revealed to be a trap. Rhino might not be the only surprise.
As the two peel out shots ring out around them. The gunmen have scattered to vantage points and are firing on them as they pass. Rhino won't need any tracking for a little bit because he is in hot pursuit. And two blocks ahead the barriers loom. The gap between them is barely wide enough to fit a bike. There is no margin for error or someone will get sent flying.
"Batgirl." Oracle brings up a picture in picture feed on Barbara's HUD and shows what certainly appears to be people running. But they're running at vehicle speeds. They've got obvious cybernetic augmentations in their legs.
"They're closing in on your escape route. Shall I reroute you?"
It's go. Batgirl gets that and guns her engine - letting her cape billow out about her. It's not bulletproof, exactly, but like her suit it's resistant to small calibre fire - she'll be bruised from the shots that ping off her.
Rhino won't need tracking now but later, when they get away, they're going to want to find the man. "Run it." The woman says to Samurai "And watch for the augments coming in. I can't see how else they are modified - but I suspect they harbour weapons.
"Reroute us, Oracle, but I want to know where the hell they came from and how you didn't see them to start with." Batgirl knows her systems are excellent and cover a lot of the city - a force this large would be hard to just slip in.
There's no fancy riding from the redhead, just speed and precision. She'll make that gap and pray the Samurai does too - or cut his way through. Then they'll try to lose their pursuers in the back streets.
"They emerged from the underground." Oracle answers, sounding almost affronted at the suggestion that she didn't see them. "Our coverage down there is incomplete." Which is an understatement. The underground is difficult to cover. Not impossible but it would require extensive infiltration of city services and a lot of money.
Samurai doesn't cut his way through mostly because he can't. He doesn't have the reach or the time. So he shoots the gap too.
"Oracle they are rerouting to intercept. I theorize that they have access to the city's traffic camera grid. ETA Fifteen seconds."
That short? They're quite fast. Behind them there is a boom as Rhino bursts through the barriers, keeping up the pressure but falling behind as they get onto a straight and open up the taps.
As they approach an intersection, a man running at easily seventy miles an hour appears from the left and tries to clothesline Batgirl off her bike.
Sirens sound. "The Police have been activated against you." Oracle announces.
"Then shut the damn grid down, Oracle. Turn the cameras off or mess the feeds. You know how to do that." Damn VI - it's good but it doesn't think for itself.
"I don't care we don't have coverage down here, Oracle. This many people, those augments have to have bought in somehow…. Nevermind. Just get us out of here." Batgirl is thinking furiously. If it were just her, she could hope to lose the group and head to the Batcave. But with Ken in tow - the elder Bat would get all frowny.
With the clotheshanger incoming, Batgirl lays her bike to the side and slides … the paint job will be a mess but that's ok she can fix that. "Samurai, we're heading to Tottenville. I hope you've got one of those charms with you."
"Possibly." Samurai says. He weaves around one thrown punch and then lops off a metal arm with the flat of his hand from a second assailant. The Samurai slows when Batgirl goes into a slide, waiting to see if she recovers which… it looks like she will.
There's a momentary rippling of lights. All up and down the street the street lamps and traffic signals flicker. And then they all go dead at once. Bedlam ensues as traffic does not smoothly grind to a halt. Several accidents can be heard if not seen occurring.
Behind Ken and Babs the police emerge. There's still four cyborgs on their tail and two blocks ahead there are officers setting up a spike strip.
"Grid down Batgirl. The city is attempting to reboot. Shall I delay them? Estimated time to grid reboot without intervention is two minutes."
One of the cybernetic speedsters sprints a little harder and tries to knock Batgirls rear wheel out from under her.
Batgirls bike snaps upright and the redhead glances over her shoulder, just in time to see the cyborg head for her. The sound of accidents has the woman wincing "Yes, delay them. I need to get us clear."
Her back wheel wobbles as the speedster knocks it. It slows her down as she tries to recover. "If not, where do you think we should go?" We. She thinks on that. "Maybe you should seperate - I don't think it's you they're after." Or the police for that matter. Tottenville is still a way aways and they've got to get clear from here.
"Oracle, I want to know why the police activated against us. Where did the order come from? Get me the data to review when we're clear."
"Risk it." Samurai says. "If I don't have one on me you'll just have to drag me clear when we're done hiding. Shouldn't be too hard for someone like you, right?" A police cruiser closes on his bike and he turns to stick his blade into the engine, causing it to throw EVERY rod. The engine explodes inside the hood and the cruiser skids to a halt. Then he has to fence a little bit with a cyborg on either side. They're trying to box him in.
The one by Batgirl appears to be trying to herd her into those spikes. He's lost her for the moment but he's closing in on her again. He might try to grab her off the bike.
One of the officers ahead is readying a shotgun. This is about to get tricky.
Samurai DID just ignore her when she suggested separating.
"Acknowledged Batgirl. Working on it."
Batgirl rolls her eyes when Samurai causes the cruiser to screech to a halt. "Well, if they didn't want you before now, they do now." She says dryly. Not that he'll hear the tone but he might imagine it.
"I hope you learnt some defensive riding, Samurai …" Batgirl lets the cyborg think he's herding her and just before she closes on the spikes, she sits up and leans back, gunning the engine of her bike.
The front wheel pops up, and comes down on the hood of a parked cruiser - she's going to use that as ramp.
She doesn't need the maps of the city from Oracle, she's an eidetic memory. "And I'm not going to try and drag you out anywhere, Samurai. I've seen how dangerous you are - even inside the barrier and I won't have any of my tricks."
Samurai blows out a breath in exasperation. He also guns the bike into a wheelie and follows Batgirl up, relieving the officer of his shotgun as he does. The surprised officer doesn't even get a chance to react before he's knocked on his butt. Then the shotgun goes off. Twice. Two cyborgs fall away from him and then he aims forward at the last one who is desperately trying to keep pace with Batgirl.
"Honestly, I don't think you'd need to drag. Just flip your hair over your shoulder and ask me nicely." Oh. Yes. Well…
"Now lose him! You're in the line of fire!"
There's a helicopter up but it hasn't spotlighted them yet. If they can get off grid while the police are still going around the spikes they can disappear.
"What?" Batgirl asks when she hears the exasperated sigh. The bike sails over the car, startling the officer inside. "Oh. Huh? I … " It's a good thing she's got the hood on - her face is bright red. She hadn't even considered that as a possibility. "Would you really?"
The engine of her bike guns and it looks like the redhead is going to go straight. Right at the last moment, she slides the back wheel around - ninety degrees to her right and shoots off down a sidestreet.
Samurai loses his visual on her when she does.
"There is a very good chance I think." The shotgun goes off one more and the cyborg goes tumbling. Whether or not it is incapacitated, Ken makes the turn after Batgirl and guns his engine. Now. Where is she. They've got a limited window before the cops reacquire them.
"Batgirl can you hear me? I think we're clear but I am not sure how long that will last."
"Take the next right, Samurai." Batgirl answers, still blushing under her hood. No, she hadn't considered that as an option, at all. The sidestreet she's led them into is narrow and the next right is narrower still. Batgirl is waiting for Samurai as he turns that corner.
"Tottenville? Or shall we try one of my safe houses? I don't want to return home until we're sure we're clear."
Oracle is quiet at the moment. Gathering the data that Batgirl has requested.
"Tottenville. We don't want to compromise one of your safehouses and we don't want to be caught there if it is." Also it would be bad if it were the POLICE who caught them there and not these cyborgs.
"Did you recognize them by the way? I've never seen anything like them before, not even in Japan." The augments weren't sleek. But they did work and so calling them 'crude' is probably a little bit of a stretch. After all how many 'crude' things let you keep pace with a racing bike?
"Tottenville it is then. Stay close and hope we don't hit more trouble." With the grid rebooting, they've scant minutes to be sure they can't be seen. Slowly she pulls away and heads towards the barrier.
"I did not. Not that I got a good look at them. I'm hoping Oracle got some footage before they crashed the grid. When we get back in touch with them, we can do some research. But this is bad. They cracked the traffic system and the police." And made her, and the Samurai, even more wanted than they were before.
It won't take long to get to Tottenville.
"They may have just phoned it into the police." Ken points out. "They'd have to respond to something so obvious. Though they'll probably be unhappy that I wrecked a cruiser." They won't be happy with either vigilante.
Soon they make Tottenville and as they pass through Samurai transforms and blinks.
"Come. Let us get to the inn." Nope. He didn't have a charm after all.
"That's possible, but I doubt it. Anyway, we won't know till I can speak with Oracle." She's worried though. She had a workable relationship with the police. Now … that's just made it more difficult.
When they pass through the barrier, the bikes become horses and Batgirl is dressed all in sherwood greens, that cloth bandana covering her face. "Do you remember who I am, Samurai?" That armour of his … it's so shiny.
The Samurai looks over at Batgirl. "I do. You joined me on our travels two days ago." Nooooo he doesn't remember. Well that IS what happens when someone gets rewritten. It looks like the magic that used to cover Staten Island is still in full force here. As a nice touch, their horses are even panting. Like they'd been running a race.
Two days ago. More like two months ago or more.
Batgirl sighs and looks towards the village they can see in the distance. Flip her hair and he'll follow? "Let's get to the inn and get something to drink and eat." She needs to give them time to ensure they lost their tail. Or is it better they slip back through the barrier now?
She … really doesn't know. She doesn't have the information she needs.
Babs horse is even bleeding from a graze on its shoulder.