3295/The First Move

The First Move
Date of Scene:	02 December 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Talia al Ghul, Batman

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Talia al Ghul has posed:
The anti-mutant movement is keeping not only the GCPD busy, but also the local vigilantes. So it really comes as no surprise when the alert comes out: fighting in Central Gotham, near Old Town. The heart of where Gotham's mutant population lives.

This action isn't an attack against a Mutant Center by some unorganized, angry mob, however. The Center is still boarded up from recent riots, but the attackers are professionals. Or at least they're not of the torch-and-pitchfork variety. A dozen men armed with clubs and improvised riot shields close on the building.

Batman has posed:
    After the riots Gotham was no less dangerous. Oh the crowds are smaller and the number of events are fewer. But it just means that those who still hold anger in their hearts are simply gone to ground, planning. And it's during those times that matters are their most chaotic and volatile.
    In Old Town, however, the place had remained a burbling cauldron of anger and disdain. Small fights had been reported, clashes, but this one came about across the dispatch freq for the GCPD, a group of armed men with intent, a group of men seeking to cause mayhem and push the already bending police force and defenders of Gotham further towards the breaking point.
    On the comms for the Bat Family, the older man's voice rumbles in a low growl. "I'm in the area. I'll handle it." It's enough to handle, the other vigilantes are all off on their own corners of the world dealing with the events of the recent assassination, and that leaves the Bat to action on his own for now.
    Across the skyline, his silhouette is barely visible as little more than a shadow against the dimness of those rooftops. He darts across the way, leaping to the next rooftop. It will take him some small time to get there, enough time that those men might be able to set to their task before he can intervene. He'll pause at the edge of a rooftop, gaze focusing on them from afar as he touches a fingertip to the side of his head and increases the range of the HUD of his mask, letting him zoom in on those figures with their weapons. He frowns.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
    The group of men is fanned out in a semi-circle, and the one on the farthest right of the arc gives military hand signals. Arm raised in a fist, the group stops. Without taking his eyes off of the prize, he signals again and the assembly splits into four groups of three. One remains; one goes around to the left side with the third group going around the right. The fourth group follows the third, heading for the rear of the building.
    This group has discipline and training, which makes them a whole lot more dangerous than a mob with four times their number. Once all twelve are in place they attack as a group in a synchronized attack. Boards are smashed through and gas cannisters are tossed inside before they step back to wait.
    Across the street, a third party observes the action from a darkened room on the top floor. He's using advanced night vision optics, and seems mostly interested in avoiding detection.

Batman has posed:
    That brief window of observation made by the Batman gives him just enough intel as he closes the distance, his footsteps silent along the rooftop as he runs towards the group of men, his path shadowing them in part along the line of buildings until he's in line with the Mutant Center.
    There's no hesitation in the approach. One moment the Batman is rushing along the edge of the rooftop, and then the next he's dropping off the side, cloak flaring about him like the great sweep of a bat's wing. A single metal sphere is thrown down to shatter with the force of the impact at the feet of that second group, the one most isolated as the others deploy. It's only a moment after their own gas cannisters begin to spew forth that the sphere impacts and erupts with its own smoke screen, perhaps giving them a moment of surprise that one of them missed their throw or another may have ruptured.
    But it's only a moment of introspection before the observer with the night vision optics will see the Batman's heat signature drop amongst those men and for them to suddenly be set upon by the Bat.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
    It's almost like the men were expecting something like this. They don't panic when the smoke screen engulfs them, moving immediately back-to-back-to-back without a word spoken between them. Clubs and shields are out and ready, as if somehow they've trained for this. The others pull on gas masks and enter the building through the broken boards, unaware of the party-crasher.
    The observer across the way has technically seen enough, but he watches the encounter all the same. Passively, although a professional-grade sniper rifle rests upon a bed nearby.

Batman has posed:
    His own rebreather in place, the Batman rises in that haze of the smoke, his silhouette eerie and to some terrifying as he gains his feet. But these men react entirely too cleanly, entirely too well trained and in control. It changes his tactics instantly.
    One arm snaps forwards from beneath the cowl, sending a heavy batarang to whirl off towards the men... and past, only to ricochet off the wall and towards one of those beshielded men from an unexpected angle. Just enough of a lead before he rushes forwards, leaping up into what would seem like a flying kick but instead has him hold the leg until he lands for a low and rough sweep aimed at shattering a knee and taking a man down as he whirls.
    It's a perfect moment for one of the men to lash out with their club at his seemingly vulnerable position, though his arms come up, forearms crossed to make the block needed and to try and twist one of the weapons free even as he regains stance.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
    The man attempts to deflect the batarang, but his reflexes are no match for the Bat. His partner takes the ricocheted missile in the back of the head and crumples. The third goes down when his knee is shattered, and that's that point when the Caped Crusader might realize that his opponents are NOT crying out as they're hit. The attack with the club comes as expected, hard and vertical to try and crash down on the Bat. At least until it's blocked by armored forearms.
    Apparently there isn't anyone inside the building, whether by accident or by design. That leaves the others free to handle whatever business they intended here tonight. With precision, locked files are forced open and then rifled. The task is made more difficult by the smoke, but small, focused lights are helpful.

Batman has posed:
    The first two down, Batman spins with the man's wrist still in his grip between the crossed forearms, then twists to the side smoothly, raises a fist and then shatters the man's elbow with one short sharp thrust. The crack is louder than the men, no cries of pain, no exclamations. It's enough to make the vigilante to scowl to himself even as he secures those fallen with a speed of long practiced movement.
    Once their wrists are bound he'll leap through the window that they shattered and makes his way into the building of the Mutant Center proper. The optics in his mask shift instantly to thermographic display to allow him to trace their heat signatures. They're trained and trained well, he'll have to move fast but warily.
    A fingertip touches the data display on his arm as he keys a status update for Oracle, letting her know he's made contact and escalated the possible threat of this encounter. Then he breaks into a run into the building further, seeking out the targets.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
    The third man goes down as well, and dispite these three handling themselves like professionals there isn't a single gun between them. Or at least nobody is shooting. There is moderate resistance to being bound, but one is out cold and the other two are in significant pain.
    Inside the Center, the remaining nine have spread out and are systematically raiding files. One turns on a computer, inserting a flash drive with its own set of automated protocols. They are all focused on their jobs.

Batman has posed:
    With a quick sweep of his gaze he's able to at least partially place most of them. His scowl remains in place as he plots the most likely and efficient route in dealing with them. In his own thoughts it's a mechanic, a simple equation that must be solved. He strives to control himself, to keep himself in check, but the anger is always there just hovering close to the surface.
    But for now he's able to set to his plan without any hesitation. One of the men is moving to a stairwell and making sure that nobody is ascending to the floor where his team is operating from. He's the first. When he leans over to cast his gaze downwards there's a short snap-hiss as from the shadows a grapple line fires and catches the man's shoulder, letting the Bat yank the man down that one floor to fall heavily onto his back where his consciousness is stolen by a heavy /slam/ of a fist to his jaw.
    Once that one is secured he ascends and makes his approach on the rest of that team. It's all methodical, remorseless, and at times vicious as he removes these men as threats. And that observer from so far off will be able to watch the heat signature of the Batman as he takes out operative after operative.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
    One by one the invaders are systematically disabled, all observed quietly on infrared from the vantage across the way. The heat signatures go static until only one remains standing, and then the only thing left is the clean-up.
    The group was apparently after personnel files, for those are the only documents found in their possession. The little program on the flash drive had time to perform its task before discovery, however.
    On the screen is an image, a symbol in red and black upon a white field. At first glance it is reminiscent of the Jerusalem Cross, with some important exceptions. The body is an inverted triangle within two circles within a square. The outer circle looks like the sun's flames, or perhaps a sunflower. The hard drive isn't wiped clean, but the data was somehow uploaded.
    The observer begins disassembling his rifle and packing up. He sends a quick text. 'Bait left for Detective'

Batman has posed:
    Evidence is acquired, copied, the original left for the police to conduct their own investigation. But each of the assailants are delved into, their profiles, their identities, whatever could be gained from facial recognition and any information at hand. It's all shifted into the network even as the Batman moves amongst the fallen. The police may well take some time getting here, being stretched so thin. But that allows him the time he needs.
    But it's that image on the screen with the cross that the Dark Knight frowns. Not a symbol he recognizes, possibly... several different things. He'll have to review this night, to look deeply into the data.
    He makes the judgement and keeps the original drive, gathering it carefully and storing it in a small capsule that he connects to his belt. A hand lifts to his ear as he addresses the comm. "Oracle. Situation resolved. Uploading some data to you. I need to know what this is yesterday."
    And with that he lifts a hand to fire a grapple line through the shattered window. The winch whirs as the line plays out, then snaps taut and launches him up and towards the Gotham Skyline, even as he leaves the madness behind him for now... just as the police vehicles pull up.