10554/Robbery at the Museum!

Robbery at the Museum!
Date of Scene:	27 December 2019
Location:	American Museum Nat. His.
Synopsis:	A bunch of cultists try to steal some artifacts. Scene incomplete
Cast of Characters:	Superboy, Lara Croft

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Superboy has posed:
The chilly winter had barely slowed down the number of New Yorkers and tourists visiting one of the city's largest, best museums. Not until today.

For some weird reason people started leaving the museum early today, and no, half an hour before closing, the massive building is almost empty. It is a bit odd, but where there should scores of visitors now there are only scattered handfuls. The place has gone quiet too.

One visitor has just arrived, however. Dark-haired, blue-eyed Conner needed some information to get some extra credit come January and instead checking the webs like most normal college students would, he decided to come in person.

Because, really, when one is half-kryptonian, there is very little extra effort involved in crossing the city.

Except once he is here, well... it is not normal to see the museum like this. Conner has been here half a dozen times the past couple years, and this empty is almost creepy. But it is only going to take him fifteen minutes to check what he wants to check, so he walks in anyway.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is taking some time away from SHIELD to help directly at the Natural History Museum. The artifacts that she recovers that are of no real interest to SHIELD, tend to end up here, Lara donates them to the Natural History Museum and though she's not directly under their employ (because she doesn't need the money or the job) she still works closely with those here to deal with what she brings in as well as many other things that the Museum acquires through other means.

Lara is no college student, she'd graduated five years ago and five years ago she'd set out on her first real adventure... the one that set the rest of her life on its course that has lead her to where she is now. In fact, she turns 27 in just a matter of weeks, come Valentine's Day.

Today, however, Lara is in the same part of the museum as Conner is. She's wearing a dark blue jacket over a light gray tanktop and a pair of dark army green trousers, with leather boots on her feet... she looks very... urban exploration-like. Her dark brown hair is tied back behind her head and she's looking down at a tablet computer that she's reading some information off of with regard to what she's been doing for the Museum today.

Lara isn't far away from where Conner is, one of the few people visibly here in the otherwise quiet Museum moment.

Superboy has posed:
Conner has just entered the Hall of Central America, where he is quite sure he saw before what he needs for his extra credit work when he spots Lara. Of course he pauses briefly to watch, but not long enough to be rude.

Most New Yorkers don't try to start conversations with random women in museums, right?

Well, Conner is technically from Metropolis. At least that is where he hang out for a while after escaping the mad scientists that cloned him. Therefore, he decides, he can talk anyone he damn wants.

Flashing his best smile, he takes a few steps towards Lara, and the lights go out. Weird.

A second later emergence lights turn on. Good. Two seconds later, they also go out. "Well, hrm. I don't think this is normal," because he is a master of the obvious, he had to point it out. It is also rather dark, even for his enhanced senses. "I guess we should wait for the security to find us?"

Lara Croft has posed:
If Lara's experience with New Yorkers at Museums has proven anything, then its that very few of them have issues with approaching her and speaking to her. Most generally any time she's in here standing about in public by herself, someone will approach her for one reason or another.

She's lost in what she's reading about the Central America exhibit, because its related to a lost city that was found using modern satellite technology that 'cut away' the dense jungle to locate the city, then explorers went in to retrieve the items that are on display before her...

When the lights flicker, she looks up though, her own eyes start to flicker eyelids and eyelashes as she looks about, then lets her gaze settle upon Conner. "That is... unusual." the British woman says, her voice accented quite differently to most in this part of the world.

Lara reaches for her pocket to pull out her cell phone, to call someone else here at the Museum. "I'll see whats going on." She assures the Museum visitor in Conner.

Superboy has posed:
Cellphone? Good idea. Conner pulls his own, too. It is an expensive Starkphone that has proven to be able to survive some super-brawls, sometimes. "Eh, no coverage, in the middle of the city?" But that could means the power is out in the closest towers. Which would mean a major blackout.

"At least we got some light," he decides, turning on his 'flashlight' app. Which also means Lara and him can see the robed figures sneaking into the room. Sneaky, but not so sneaky. They definitely do not look like helpful security guards.

Lara Croft has posed:
The lack of cell phone reception perplexes the young woman, to be sure. So much so that she narrows her eyes looks up and around again while Conner pulls up his flashlight app.

"This city, I swear..." Lara calmly states, though there is a clear hint of frustration in her voice. She puts her phone away and pulls out her own light, but its not a flashlight app, its a silver cylindrical flashlight, almost like a lightsaber but smaller. She flicks it on and it BURSTS a bright beam of light, because when it comes to flashlights... Lara Croft doesn't screw around. 1000 lumens of focused LED light beam pours out into the darkness, aimed at the floor.

But the shifting view of people... in robes...? That catches Croft's eye. "What the hell?" Lara says, narrowing her gaze and openly shining her light in their direction...

"Stay here." Lara tells Conner, thinking he's just a Museum patron after all, and she starts to walk in the direction the robed ones were headed to try to catch up.

Superboy has posed:
The robed figures turn, revealing six men and two women with unfriendly expressions. "Get rid of them," growls one of the men, a tall middle-aged gentleman wearing an odd black and white skullcap. "You two with me," he adds, gesturing at the pair closer to him.

The other five pull long daggers from their robes and form a semi-circle around Lara. And Conner, since he did not 'stay there'. "Knives instead of guns? Aren't you a little too fancy for thieves?" Asks Conner with a smirk.

Of course ninjas do as ninjas would do, which is jumping in and trying to stab with a few acrobatic backflips along the way.

Lara Croft has posed:
As Lara steps up to the robed ones who turn around to regard them with their bright beamed flashlights, she can over-hear the tail-end of what they're ordered to do and it makes her tense up. "Great." She says before she reaches into her jacket with her free hand...

As they come near to she and Conner and brandish knives... she pulls out her SHIELD-issued handgun. Lara brings it up and shines her light right at the face of the closest hooded one.

"I'm an Agent of SHIELD and you're to put down your weapons immediately!" She only received a few days of training for this kind of 'police enforcement' stuff. Though she took it completely seriously, she's only had to use it a few times since and... well... it still feels a BIT awkward for the archaeologist and world traveler.

Superboy has posed:
Conner grabs one of the robbed robbers by the wrist when it is about to stab him, and casually tosses him against one of his partners, sending both thugs crashing through a Plexiglas display, likely damaging some priceless exhibits. "Ah, damn... we better be careful," he comments, looking somewhat guilty.

Meanwhile a couple dagger-wielding robbers closing on Lara react quickly to the handgun, showing some degree of caution, throwing themselves aside to attempt to avoid incoming bullets.

And the fifth cultists stabs Conner on the back. Something that doesn't seem to worry the young man the least until he realizes the dagger went in several inches and he is bleeding. "Ow, the hell! That shouldn't have happened!" He protests. To avoid another cut, he moves -really- fast. But he is also bleeding quite a bit.

Lara Croft has posed:
These types of events often unfold far faster than one can be ready for, but they've happened to Lara so frequently in the past half decade of her life that she's come to... be ready for it. At least for her part in it, she's really overwhelmed and unable to help Conner as much as she might like.

"Look out!" She shouts to Conner as he's about to be stabbed, but the young man seems to handle himself... and she'd take note of that.

But those rushing her are shown the bright eye-blinding beam of her flashlight as well as her handgun aimed for them!

"Stop!" Lara shouts when they try to run. She considers a shot, but its not yet worth it... so she deems, not here, in a place like this... not unless she has NO choice.

Quickly, Lara's aiming averts from them upward to a large banner and wooden sign hanging from the ceiling, she takes three shots, POP POP POP, each one aimed at an individual support anchor that attaches the huge drape of cloth and wooden to the hallway ceiling.

The sign and banner come sweep down, left only on a single remaining support cord, that turns the sign into a swinging pendulum that will collide right into the robed figures!

Superboy has posed:
The thieves were already charging Lara, thinking she had the worst aim, when the improvised pendulum swings at them, and smashes them against a wall. Judging by the sounds, some bones got broken, and the felled thugs seems far less able to put a fight, or do more ninja backflips.

Conner is not doing backflips either; he is leaning against one of the columns, trying to stem the flow of blood from his back. Surprisingly it seems to be working, but the young man is nevertheless looking pale and in pain. He manages a weak smile at Lara when she does her shooting trick. "Heh, pretty good. Ow. Damn... I am supposed to be invulnerable, y'know?"

Lara Croft has posed:
With the swinging sign and banner having rushed the attackers into a state of disabled, Lara watches a moment longer before she steps over to one of the fire-alarms and uses her keycode to enter in the emergency signal. This should activate emergency lighting, contact authorities as well as the Museum security itself.

She then turns to Conner and rushes over to him, light and handgun aimed downward now. "You're hurt." Lara says to him in an anxious tone of voice. "I've no idea who these people are, or if there's more of them or not." Her flashlight is attached to her belt on her hip, looped through a little strap designed for it and she moves to inspect his wound.

"Help is on the way." She assures him. "Whats your name?" She asks him. "I'm Lara and I certainly don't expect anyone to be able to tank a knife like they're impervious to such an attack, no." She knows a few 'super heroes' but in the grand scheme of things they're still rare.