10571/Knightfall: Won't Someone Think Of The Children

Knightfall: Won't Someone Think Of The Children
Date of Scene:	24 December 2019
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Hostages are taken at an orphanage on Christmas Eve. Catwoman comes to their rescue. Emits by Red Robin.
Cast of Characters:	Red Robin, Catwoman
Tinyplot:	Knightfall

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Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy Three Fingers and Tommy Bang were amongst some of the criminals who got out of Blackgate. They have have gotten a couple flunkies at the local goons-r-us, and have decided they want the rest of their gang free. Jimmy, Tommy and their buddies once lived at Falcone Home and School for Orphans. Tonight they have decided they will take over the orphanage and hold the kids hostage till their demands are met. They have no love for the orphanage for the things they went through there. With the chaos of the breakout they have sent out word on lextub that their friends need to be released, and a helicopter brought to them by morning, or they start killing people. If Batman is seen any where near they will also start killing the hostages.

Catwoman has posed:
Chaos and insanity around Gotham City on Christmas Eve. It wasn't even for certain yet what lit the spark that set off the inferno, proverbial or otherwise. There were probably places in the city on fire right now. Nothing she could do about that.

Things weren't great in South Hinkley either, with the sound of gunfire breaking out, shattered glass, cars being damaged with baseball bats, crowbars, and other weapons. People screamed.

Inside, the lights were out in the apartment. It wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself, but the odds weren't on her side alone. She had nobody else to count on but herself, and she was no hero.

Or was she?

She'd had it in her in the past to do good, but ever since the Battle of Metropolis she'd been adrift without an anchor, struggling to find something to live for. The old crimes hadn't filled her with anything meaningful. Donating to the needy for Thanksgiving brought a sliver of warmth to her heart, but it was fleeting. She didn't share the holiday with anyone else. Christmas was shaping up to be the same until now.

In her apartment, with those lights off, it didn't mean she wasn't following what was going on. She flipped channels as the news reported on the problems. A phone had video feeds up, then a notification over LexTube led to a frown settling in. A deep frown. Some of them were at Falcone's. The orphanage. Kids held hostage, in danger, with threats to kill them if the Blackgate convicts didn't have their demands met.

Kids with no homes, no family to turn to in times of need. Like her. She'd been in their position before. Someone had even tried to kill her before.

She survived. So would they.

Catwoman quickly left the South Hinkley apartment. She knew exactly how to get to where she was going, and a motorcycle engine purred as she sped through the streets.

Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy and Tommy had gotten all the kids in the dinning room with some of the goons guarding them. They had separated the adults who work at the place. Jimmy and Tommy have decided, they need to make a point that they are serious, but at least they decided to start with one of the adults. The gym teacher. They have taken him into another room and beat him, and beat him bad. The middle aged man is walked past the other teachers, and tossed into the dinning hall, bloody and beaten he lays on the floor as another video is shown of him in front of the kids. There is a goon on each door and one on the roof. Goons-R-us have discount goons and the roof one is one of them. He is hold up against one of the heating vents on the roof, and puffing on one of those special smokes.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman covers the distance while keeping watch on the video feed that, for some reason, has not been taken down yet. That could be to her benefit, for it shows a few details inside that already give her an idea of who's where. She won't know it all right away, but any little bit helps her formulate a plan.

Faced with a number of thugs along with the ringleaders, any one person going in will have some difficulty getting through, but she isn't normal when it comes to this sort of thing. She's just going to have to be careful about it, so as to keep the element of surprise intact for as long as possible. Blocks are covered, and soon she stashes the bike in a side alley and ascends to the top of a nearby building so she can scout the rooftop. Just one? Without being certain if they have radios or not, she's going to be quick and silent with the first guy. Even the whip would make too much noise.

With him resting against the venting, once she's made her way over to the orphanage's roof, she keeps a low profile while tracking his position. It's unmoving, and she picks up a rusty old nail to use as a distraction, lobbing it over the venting to land opposite her direction. Once he's turned more that way, she's in behind him to choke him out with arms around the upper body and neck. "Nighty-night." A quick check of what he's got will tell her a little more of how coordinated the group is.

Red Robin has posed:
Wacky Tabacy here did not have a radio, just a cell phone, and a gun. He was wearing a blue tooth earpiece for the phone. He goes down pretty easily. as She checks out the phone she will find no names, but 11 different numbers on the speed dial. The door to the building is slightly ajar so she can get inside pretty easily. The bad guys have most of the lights out in the building and black plastic over the windows where lights are on. There is a stairway heading down from the roof, and seems there is only lights on in the first floor.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman leaves the man hogtied and gagged, lest he come to before she's done here. The phone is skimmed over and she runs a check on the numbers using her own device to see if they track back to anything familiar. She might be able to swing this around to her favor another way, depending on what she learns. One thing that's clear from the initial check? This guy is a hired gun. That means he's not liable to be the only one.

As she approaches the door, she switches night vision on with the goggles, the better for her to see with. Time is still of the essence here, but they did give a morning deadline. They're going to be on edge, wary of the Bat and his brood, but patient when it comes to their demands. They want to come out of it ahead.

Red Robin has posed:
With the googles, she will get a brief flash as one Tommy opens the door from the kids, and heads into a new room. He turns the lights on once he is in there. She can see the goon at the back door from her angle, and the slight frame makes it seem might be a woman. This goon has an uzi slung under her arm, and is beside a small window that allows her to see out.

Catwoman has posed:
Dealing with this is going to take some caution, some smarts. Catwoman's dealt with guards before when it comes to getting in and out of a place to steal something, but most of the time the goal is to remain unseen. In this case, there are people she can't avoid, people with guns who don't seem to care about who they might hurt or even kill. Extra care will be needed.

And, perhaps, a little trickery.

The third and second floors appear deserted, so she quietly makes her way down to the second and crouches there, watching further to determine what sort of alertness the hired hands have. She's focused primarily on the woman, especially to see if she calls in anything or remains silent. Tommy's position is noted, but she's gathering quick intel before her next move is made.

Red Robin has posed:
Tommy's room seems to have someone talking in it, but sounds like just one person and can't quite make it out. The woman seems a bit board, but does look out again. She will hit a speed dial on her phone and says 'Julie, 15 after call in, al clear." She sounds somewhat formal with the call in, as if she may have some military training. She checks the window again, and then starts a little patrol of the area, that will put her into an area a bit farther from the others for a brief moment.

Catwoman has posed:
A perfect opening, and the lights are dimmed enough in the area that a little moving around can take place without trouble. Having heard the woman's voice is a benefit, as well. "Julie, Julie, Julie.." Catwoman whispers to herself, imitating the sound of the voice fairly well, if not perfectly. With any luck, most of these people don't work that closely with each other, so they may not know themselves all that well beyond professionally.

The Feline Fatale slips down to the main floor and trails behind the woman making her rounds, and as soon as the right opening is presented she strikes. First, it's an open-hand chop at the gun arm, the same hand sliding under the uzi to lower it and keep it from falling and making a noise. She follows with both arms around the woman's head and neck, applying pressure to put her to sleep. With her own martial arts training, she uses her body to keep in an advantageous position. "Time for a nap, Julie," she hisses in the woman's ear.

Red Robin has posed:
Catwoman will find this one a bit more attentive than the guy up stairs, and there is a bit of a scuffle. Luckily Catwoman did get a bit of surprise and that is what proves to be what she needed. Julie knows how to fight, and if she has not gotten the hold around the woman's neck she would have gotten an alert out. She did get a little sound but a moment of listening seems none heard it.

Catwoman has posed:
The struggle is an intense one for as long as it lasts, with Catwoman having to wrench the hold in and watch out for any elbows, knees, or attempts to flip her over. But leverage is on her side, and someone can only fight for so long when breathing is cut off.

Once she's sure nobody else is coming to investigate, she makes a quick check of the woman's clothing and other gear to see if any of it will be useful. It sounded like Julie was working on 15-minute intervals, so she immediately fiddles with the HUD in her goggles and starts a countdown timer for a couple minutes less than that, to account for the time it took for her to get this far. She may either be done with this by then, or have to report for Julie. Or, she could let the report go by the wayside.

The decision now? Go with the disguise or use another approach. She sweeps the room, looking for anything that might be helpful.

Red Robin has posed:
Julie is wearing dark clothes, greys and blacks, her combat boots worn. A black ski mask is worn on the top of her head like a beanie currently. She has some black around her eyes, that would make it hard to tell what skin color she has if she has the mask down. Selina will find the woman is wearing a wig as well. there is a fully stocked janitor's closet at this end of the hall, as well, as a window, and a large vent cover, that give her options of what to do with Julie.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman checks Julie over, thoroughly, making sure she's relieved of any weapons she may have on her. If the others are going to be stopped tonight, they'll deal with Catwoman herself, not someone disguised. The woman is quickly tied up and gagged, then dragged into the janitor's closet. She keeps the phone and checks it to see what kind of security it has. "Not even locked. And you're supposed to be a pro? Tsk, tsk." She hangs on to that, then slips into the ductwork through the vent opening, shutting it quietly behind her and leaving the weapons about twenty feet down the way as she moves through that way.

Red Robin has posed:
It may take her a moment to get her bearings, but this is not the Cat's first time in ducts. Within a few moments, she has found a place where she can see or hear most of what's going on Tommy is saying something about "Still no word from the cops, and Spagoli aint here." Jimmy can be heard "And if anyone tries anything we will kill him." to the staff and guard in there. The three with the kid are quiet, the kids can be heard some crying some trying to comfort the younger ones.

Catwoman has posed:
Before very long, Catwoman's got an idea of who's where and how to get to them. In the old building, some of the heating ducts carry air through the flooring to large vents set up in the rooms. Heat rises, so it works out that way. It does mean her path through the ducts is a bit warmer, but it's nothing compared to the heat the hostages are facing.

She moves in the direction of Tommy's voice, situating herself within the room and watching from her position of cover, waiting for the right moment. The counter continues in her HUD, in case she isn't done by the time Julie would be expected to phone in.

Red Robin has posed:
Tommy is on the phone. He seems upset, and says "We aint heard from the cops, and the asshole aint here." He is looking through some files as he talks "Not seeing his name in the files either. We made the coach pay, you know they are all like that son of a...." He finishes the exclamation but is now pacing. He will say "Yea, I will call you back when we find something." And he hangs up his pacing him bringing him right under the vent

Catwoman has posed:
There will be no action as long as the phone call is still in progress. As soon as it ends, which is fortunately with the man passing the metalwork of the vent, Catwoman strikes. The cover flies open and she springs out of it to slap another chokehold on the Blackgate escapee, throwing him down to his back while keeping a forearm at his throat, fingers of the other hand inches from his face.

"Make one move or call for help, and I'll claw your face to ribbons." Nevermind the fact it'd be tough to make a lot of noise with the throat being pressed in on like that. The look on her face shows someone serious about the threat she's made. "You're not getting away with putting these children in danger."

Red Robin has posed:
Tommy does make a move, his hand goes for a gun at his hip. "Like they are any safer before we got here." he chokes out. There was a bit more noise here than the other ones and someone may have heard something. Tommy is trying to get his gun trying to make noise. He seems more pissed than scared.

Catwoman has posed:
Without another word, the claws come down across Tommy's face. Not deep, but enough to draw blood. Catwoman was not joking around with her threat, sending a message with the first strike, and the anger in her eyes can be seen even through the lenses of the goggles as she snakes that free hand around to dig the claws into the hand reaching for the gun. "I told you not to make a move. The next one won't be so shallow," she all but snarls.

"I saw the video you have running in the other room. I looked the two of you up. The people that did those things here are long gone. I was an orphan once, too. I know what it's like. These children didn't do anything to you." She tilts her head in the direction of the door, just to keep an ear out for anyone approaching. "Tell your goons everything's fine or I'll take every last one of you down. You said no Bat, but you never said no Cat."

Red Robin has posed:
Tommy gets a bit of a shout off, and a bit more at the scratch. "Whats that?" Can be heard from the other room. "Its the bat." and from that there is gunfire into the room with the cat and Tommy. Luckily they are a bit high, and neither are hit . A voice can be heard saying "Stop stop your gonna hit Tommy." and after a moment the firing stops.

Catwoman has posed:
Good thing they're low to the ground, shots coming in more at the height one would expect people to be standing at. Regardless, Catwoman flinches and reaffirms her grip on the convict. "Great partners you have out there. You could be dead right now," she points out, still a menacing presence above Tommy given the crouch she keeps, though she had to get a little lower just in case. "Looks like we're about to have some company. How do you want this to go?"

Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy can be heard "Send Tommy out or we will kill the kids." He can be heard moving some "Bring me two of the kids." And crying can be heard as two of the kids are brought out into the hall. A pair of twins six or seven year old. Now, 4 of the goons and Jimmy are in the hall. Tommy has either fainted or the choking out got him, either way he is out. Cat has her moment to decide what she wants to do.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman hoists Tommy up to his feet, bringing him along with her. The door opens, and who they see is not who they expected. They probably thought they'd be staring at Batman or one of his proteges, not the famed thief Catwoman, who has not been seen or heard from a whole lot. She's got claws next to Tommy's neck, and she stares down Jimmy and the others gathered nearby, with a couple of the youngsters held in a standoff.

"Here's the deal. You let the captives go and you get your friend back. You made a big mistake tonight, but it isn't too late to make up for it. The people here did nothing to you. They're innocent, and I promise you one thing. If you so much as harm a hair on anyone else's head, you'll regret it." Hopefully the video is getting all of this.

Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy will frown at this and seems to be thinking. He obviously wants to save Tommy but he does not like the idea of letting the woman in the skin tight outfit win. The goons will look to jimmy and says "What ya want us to do. The moment of indecision gives Catwoman the moment to make a move if she is going to.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman takes the moment to look around at the others here to help. "Are you guys serious? You're actually about to kill kids? I thought you had more of a code than that. Are you that desperate?" She almost says something more, but cuts it off. They all know Batman was supposedly dead, but there have been others around including someone as Batman. Most believe it to be the Batman they've heard all the tales about.

"Let the hostages go. You aren't getting what you want out of this, so don't make it any worse than it already is. I can't stop all of you, so if any of you want to be smart and get out of here right now, I probably won't be able to find you," she says, giving the goons something extra to think about. Jimmy is the one she's watching the closest, as the only conscious ringleader left.

Red Robin has posed:
The goons look between one another, and Jimmy will step forward, his gun pointing at catwoman, and making the mistake of stepping into arms reach. "Lady, you don't know what happened, or what is what. The world aint gonna look out for anyone so why should we care about anyone else."

Catwoman has posed:
"It doesn't matter what happened if you let it control the rest of your life. Are you better than that?" Catwoman answers and asks, and Tommy is shoved into Jimmy's path. What she does next will depend on how he and the rest of the hired help react to that.

Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy does fire the gun at Cat, but Tommy being pushed into him throws the shot off. The goons seem to think about it for a moment, and about then they hear a crash from one of the windows. They assume it is one of the bats, and they take off like rats abandoning ship. Leaving Cat and Jimmy in the hall as Tommy falls to the ground.

Catwoman has posed:
Looks like Jimmy has made his choice, and he nearly shot his friend in the process. "Bad move," Catwoman says, the shot startling her just enough but it passes by harmlessly. The noise could even be the bullet itself shattering the window, but it might be something else.

With a moment of chaos surrounding the room, the catburglar quickly frees her whip and *CRACKS* it at Jimmy's hand, the end wrapping around for her to pull and look to yank him off-balance toward her, where she's ready to strike with an elbow to the side of the head.

Red Robin has posed:
Jimmy's head will find contact with Cat's elbow, and seems that all it takes. The twins are running away and Cat will hear a voice, but not one she may have expected Harvey Bullock will be heard "Dang it, you creepy kids get behind me, am here to help ya." He will let them past "Go out the window where the other kids went." He will say as he heads towards where Catwoman is. What Catwoman, or the thugs may not have realized, most of this last fight was broadcast over the Lextube videos via the security cameras, but who set that up and why.

Catwoman has posed:
"Wait! It's going to be all right!" Catwoman calls out after ensuring the escapee is down and out with his Blackgate buddy. She knows the hostages are in another room nearby, and there haven't been any other gunshots but that doesn't mean anyone left hasn't done something else.

Then comes another voice, more joining in as the hostages react, and she rushes into the room where most of them have been held. Somewhere along the way she spots him. "Bullock," is all she says, her tone guarded and wary. She can't tell how much of this has gone out anywhere.

Red Robin has posed:
Bullock, looks at her frowning, chewing on a cigar stub. "We got the rest." He looks at her eyes hard and seems to take a moment deciding what he wants to do. "The kids are safe, and I can't see anything I think Catwoman escaped out the roof access, damn she is quick." He says looking right at her, giving her this one for het coming to protect the kids.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman sizes the detective up, giving him a good, long look. He could try to bring her in - no doubt he knows she's been up to no good since Batman's 'death' - but would it be worth it? Some have claimed seeing her doing good as well, no matter her motives. Besides, could he stop her?

"When I saw the video, I had to do something. Promise me you'll help them find good homes. That's all I care about. They didn't do anything to deserve this, and you've got bigger problems around Gotham City right now." She only waits for as long as it takes him to respond, but she's already backtracking toward the stairs to the roof. She didn't get the chance to comfort or reassure any of the kids, or even the adults held captive, but maybe it's better that way, better most of them didn't see her.

Red Robin has posed:
Bullock just grunts not confirming anything yes or no, but if Cat checks into thing she will find out the goon who was left with the kids led them out when it seemed they were going to actually hurt them. The goon just could not see the kids hurt. The video of Catwoman coming in to save the kids, and even trying to talk the goons down will be on lextube for a day before someone gets them removed. As she makes her way away the twins will see her, and she will hear the little girl scream out "Thank you Super Kitty."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman is quick to leave, like the thief in the night she is...except for the rare instance like this where things go another way. Before she does, however, she's stopped by the girl's voice. It causes her to look back over a shoulder, a smile taking shape as she says, "You're..welcome. Be strong." It might not be much, but she's gone after that. She will indeed see the video as long as it's up, along with much of the rest of what happened that Christmas Eve. Only time will tell what it means for her and Gotham City.