1184/Monkey at Mid-Nite

Monkey at Mid-Nite
Date of Scene:	28 June 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Dr. Mid-Nite meets Shiva and a deal is struck
Cast of Characters:	1061, Lady Shiva

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Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    Gotham, why is it always Gotham? It seems like whenever something dark and terrible goes down in New York it either has its origins in the underbelly of the great neighboring city across the river, or else it ends over there. It being close is a double-edged sword. Close enough that all a fella has to do to get over there is point his airship and push the lever to make it go, ten minutes later, done. Other side of that blade, however, is at that proximity... you deal with all their detritus.
    Like tonight, the bad batch of ex that he'd been tracking down had a run of material components needed for their restock. Didn't take long, some computer work, cross-reference of some order slips, and digging in the right places yields a three truck convoy that crossed the bridge from Manhattan and is now pulling into the old dispensary that once had been a central restock point for the city's hospitals. Now it's run down, and used to be a front for a few check-cashing places. But now it's just some store fronts that are empty and a small parking lot that has those three trucks.
    It's from underneath a billboard sign that the Doctor is watching, on the roof of a building across the street. Some tenement house that might have a few clingers on living there but most have left this neighborhood. He leans forwards, touching a hand to the side of his visor.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    Her business here is complete. The message was sent forth through the underbelly of Gotham, letting them know of her presence. It will spread like wildfire, whispered from one criminal to the next. Some will vacate town for a while. Others will dismiss her reputation as being unfounded and remain. When she chooses, she will work through them to find if any are worthy. A few brave souls will seek her out. Those are the most likely to live through the coming days for respect given is rewarded. Cowards are not worth keeping on the planet wasting oxygen.
    As she exits the stairwell to the rooftop, she senses she isn't alone more than anything. The light bulb in the stairwell was busted before she exited so there is no wash of light to announce her presence. She glances around, trying to spot what has set off her personal radar.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    It would not be the light bulb that gave her away, for the being that she espies from her place in the stairwell cannot see. Not in the conventional sense. From a distance she might imagine him to be the Bat, considering his body language and stance, not to mention the cape that plays along the line of his form. But not the Bat, for he somehow... hears her?
    The man turns his head slightly and she can see the visor over his eyes. And as he turns... she can tell somehow that he senses her, but does not see her.
    Beneath that cowl his brow furrows even as she'll hear a faint flap of wings as an owl alights upon the billboard above. "I thought that door was locked," He'll say to her as he turns his head, and she can see that he looks at her... but more perhaps looks past her.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    "It was," she answers simply, moving across the rooftop with her leather duster fanning out slightly as she walks. She makes no sound. Yet, he hears her. He knew she was there before he ever saw her.
    Yet, he isn't seeing her. Is he? This is intriguing. Something very different. She has to know more, to satisfy that curiosity when her interests are piqued. A glance is given to the owl and she knows, somehow, she has to respect the beast. They do not simply light close to humans in that way. It may be coincidence but in her experience, there is no such thing.
    "It no longer is," she finishes, coming to a stop a good fifteen feet away from him. She looks him over boldly, taking in the costume, the way his head is turned just slightly wrong for him to be looking at her. "You are not a bat."

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    The owl flutters its wings slightly as it shifts its weight from one foot to the other, clearly eyeing her warily even as its partner stands there at the base of the billboard facing the direction from which Shiva approaches.
    "No. I'm a doctor." He says with a slight hint of ire to his words, the smirk at the corner of his mouth turning up slightly. "More a tourist tonight." A small light begins to flash on one of his armored gauntlets and he frowns as he brings it up and considers the electronic display thereon. She'll see his lips purse sharply, a frown edging out any other expression, then he turns his head to the side.
    "It was lovely to chat with you, strange roof lady, but I have an appointment to keep, and my waiting room doesn't have any magazines soooo."

Lady Shiva has posed:
    A doctor. On a rooftop. In the middle of the night wearing that sort of outfit. He has her full attention as much as he'd prefer not to.
    "Then I shall follow," she decides. The thought that he might protest doesn't cross her mind. If she wants to follow, she certainly will do so. If he doesn't like it, he will have to try to stop her. She has the feeling he might. Which would be amusing perhaps. She is looking at his arm, where the electronic display was flashing a moment ago. She isn't sure he can see so how is he doing that?
    "Where are we going?" she asks simply, walking again. She moves at an angle that will take her past him within about three feet. More than close enough to start trouble if he wants to. Or he can simply lead the way to wherever he is going.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    "You what?" It's his protest, probably his first even as he's turning back from there and moving to the edge of the rooftop. The three vans are being joined now by a larger Uhaul van, the likes of which are used for moving from state to state. The brilliant lights of it sweeps over the storefronts beneath their perch as he brings his hand up again to the visor.
    "Look, this isn't safe." He'll tell her as he pushes a button on the gauntlet and then his attention is on those vans again. He frowns and kneels as one of the men gets out from the smaller van, holding an SMG in hand and sauntering towards the driver's cab of the Uhaul.
    From a distance they look like typical Gotham ne'er do wells, save for the track suits, probably Russian? Ukrainian. Whomever they are, they seem to have an affection for Adidas.
    "And those guys down there are serious. Last thing I need to do is to keep an eye, heh, out for you."
    But as he says that he plants a hand and /swings/ over the side of the building. Quickly he begins to move from parked abandoned car to abandoned car, using them as cover as he closes the distance to wards the larger van.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    Just like that, he's gone. Her amusement is growing by leaps as she walks to edge of the rooftop, crouching so she isn't silhouetted against the sky. She doesn't really care if she is seen but he is trying so very hard to be stealthy, she feels she should give him a little bit of cooperation by doing the same. Once he has moved about three cars, she is dropping off the side of the building, landing and rolling in a smooth motion to hide behind the first car. She let's him maintain his two car lead. When he moves, she dos as well, a shadow amongst the shadows, her training as an assassin serving her well this night.
    Since he sensed her before, he likely will be able to tell she's following him. Just as she said she would.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    They're pulled up beside an old car that went out of style in the 70s, but at least it actually rusts unlike a lot of cars these days. He's hugging the side of it, leaning out to turn his head subtly to the side, not exactly looking over the scene as she then whispers up through the shadows to take up a spot near him. Following him , indeed.
    He turns to the side and faces her, his head bowed slightly so his words won't carry. "Shoo... shoo." He gestures with one of those gauntlets, as if trying to send her on her way.
    But when she fails to do so he turns to fully face her, his eyes slightly lowered, though they're hidden behind that mask. "Look, people might die. I need to get in there. Been tracking these guys for weeks. They get a group of refugees..." He seems about to explain himself at length but then stops, "Never mind that. Bad men do bad things. I stop them. Alright. So just..."
    He extends a hand, "Stay. Here." He tries to gesture around this area as if signifying this specific spot.
    And then he rounds the corner and makes the last dash towards the back of the Uhaul.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    She actually feels amusement. Literally. She feels the urge to laugh at his antics. The shooing as though she's a poodle following along against her master's permission. He's trying to hard to keep her safe. His words and his body language scream it. This blind doctor running around in the shadows is trying to keep her, one of the deadliest people on the planet, from getting hurt against the likes of the Jogging Suit Mafia. It's cute, really.
    This time when he goes, she doesn't follow. She simply waits, peeking around the edge of the vehicle toward the Uhaul where he is heading. She will continue to keep an eye on him. She has to. Whatever he does, it's going to be a change from a her life thus she will be his guardian shadow. He just doesn't know it yet. He might even be pleased when he thinks she hasn't followed. That possibility of such a false belief adds to her amusement.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    It's just a span of three seconds and then there he is at the back of that Uhaul. He slips to the edge of it and doesn't peek his head around, but he turns it to the side slightly... listening. The man in his jumpsuit is still leaning against the window, talking with the man in the cab. They both share a good laugh as they speak... Russian, got it in one.
    From her place observing she'll see that the other vans have gunmen as well. Some of them have SMGs, but others have pistols. They're lounging around, talking, some are smoking. A few share some laughs as well. It's all jovial and a good time.
    Then there's a faint /clank/ it's a sound that barely carries and she can see it causes him to tense. He had apparently undone the lock on the back of the Uhaul and freezes in position as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.
    But none of the men seem to hear. So slowly... very slowly, he begins to slide up the door just enough for him to roll underneath it and inside.
    From inside she'll hear voices, breaths, female sounds of cooing and concern. Then his voice as he says softly, "Shhh, shh. Ladies, shh." Very quiet. And to be fair, the gunmen don't hear that.
    But the driver does notice the light that warns him that the back door is open. He turns to the man he'd been talking with and says something else in Russian, it causes the man with the gun to nod and begin walking towards the back of the vehicle.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    The group is scanned, analyzed, weighed carefully. She picks out the most dangerous, the few that are more alert than the others. They obviously are not expecting there to be any trouble. This is just business as usual. The noise is heard by her but not the others. That was a chancy move, one she isn't sure was necessary but this is his moment so she isn't going to take that away from him.
    At the sound of the voices inside the rear of the van, her amused smile disappears. Her face goes cool, detached, all emotions gone as she listens. He mentioned refugees. They must be the ones in the back of that van.
    She's not sure what has alerted the man at the door but she knows that the good doctor may be in trouble if the man makes it to the back. She could just stand up. That would draw the attention away from him and his task.
    Or she could wait and see if he proves worthy of her interference. After all, he's a hero and he doesn't want her in harm's way. She should see if he can back his words with actions.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    The man with the gun walks back along the side of the Uhaul, tracing a fingertip along its side as he whistles to himself contentedly. He says something in Russian just before he rounds the corner to the back of the Uhaul...
    And then sees the door is open.
    At first he frowns and spins around, holding his gun and looking about the area. He sees nothing, doesn't hear the cries of the women rushing or running away. Nobody is making a break for it. Perhaps the lock has just come undone.
    But when he turns around to the side he gets a sudden /crunch/ of two boots in the face as the Doctor _slides_ under the door and clocks the man with both feet. It sends the man reeling with an /oof/ and his SMG goes flying into the air!
    And for a time it flips and flips in the air, spinning around... until the Doc is able to snatch it out of the air and hold it almost triumphantly in one hand. And he just sort of holds that there, lifting his head slightly and he says to the air, "You see that?" It's just a few quiet words...
    And they're answered by a 'Hooo' from the owl that's now perched on the marquee sign of the dispensary.
    He shakes his head and places the gun to the side, then grabs the guy and checks his pulse, then sets him to the side of the truck.
    And that's when suddenly the entire back door of that truck WHIRRRS with a heavy metal CHUNK-A-CHUNKA sound, revealing the mostly naked women standing there looking as surprised as he is that the door reacted that way to their attempt to open it.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    He didn't need her help. That was handled quite well and she is impressed. He even managed not to alert all the other guards.
    Then the door goes up, announcing to everyone for at least four square blocks what is going on behind the truck. The revelation of the women changes the entire moment. There is one thing that she does not tolerate and that is trafficking in people. Particularly women. She's destroyed groups in the past for doing it.
    She uncurls from her crouched position, standing to her full height. Her dark eyes are cold as ice. Dead. The eyes of a predator. It is for the best that he can't see them.
    She walks casually around the car, clearing the line between her and the multitude of men with guns. Most would think her insane. She should remain in hiding, not give them a better shot. She straightens her coat, palming several throwing stars in each hand without being seen.
    Her voice is as calm as a breeze floating through a park. She doesn't raise it yet ever man there can hear. "You will explain this to me now." She doesn't say or else. Because there is no or else. Their lives are already sacrificed, she is giving them the chance to share information before she forces the answer out of whoever she chooses to keep alive.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    As she approaches she'll see him there against the back of the truck turning to them and telling the refugees. "Close this up, don't come out until you hear the shooting stop. Try to get down, present as low a profile as possible."
    But then Shiv is there next to him suddenly and he seems surprised at her approach, for when she wishes to move so, she can move so most eerily. "Excuse me, what?"
    And even now they can hear the men raising voices, shouting, and suddenly hurrying towards the back of that Uhaul. Others are fanning out, trying to get a bead on whomever might be back there. All of the gunmen are in motion. They can both sense them in their own unique ways, but he tells her, "Look, this isn't the time. Get in the van, I'll." He looks away, concerned, then says with more confidence. "I got this." Even as he palms two small black spheres in his hand.
    And really there is no time to explain it, as in the next moment two of the gunmen burst around the corners of the truck...
    Only for those two black spheres to be thrown at each of their feet...
    And suddenly they are all engulfed in darkness. Not smoke, or billowy puffs of gas. But darkness that seems to absorb the light. And it's in that darkness that the Doctor moves.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    It isn't like the smoke they used in the League or the Hand. This is different, seemingly solid. It's as though night has taken a spot around them, hugging them in her loving embrace. Then the doctor is moving, actually going into that darkness. Which tells her she can do the same. She moves toward the closest of the pair, a shift that makes it seem like she didn't move yet somehow she has gone from the one place to the other almost instantly. It doesn't matter that she can't see. That is something they were taught in the League, to fight in complete darkness. She has improved upon those techniques, using her own chi as a beacon of sorts seeking out that of her opponents.
    There is no fight.
    One moment he is standing, trying to find something in the inky darkness to shoot. The next he is falling, a faint gurgling sound the only noise before he hits the pavement with a thud. The gun is taken out of his hand and tossed under the edge of the Uhaul, where it will be out of range for someone else to grab. At least not easily.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    That darkness seems to grow, encompassing the entirety of the Uhaul and then almost to the other parked vans. It's like a roiling ichor that blocks off the vision of those within its subtly chilly grasp. But one thing it does, it causes the gunmen to freak out as they call out sharply in Russian, hollaring and then opening fire.
    The firearms chatter as rounds are sent blindly into that darkness, spanging off the ground and ricocheting against the steel of the vehicles and the dense pavement. Yet there's no hesitation in the Doctor's movement. Once the darkness blinded the man, he stepped in striking quickly with a blurringly fast elbow to his abdomen, a right cross to his side, and then sharply /pulling/ his head into the truck itself with a clang, robbing the man of his consciousness and making him hit the ground out of it in just the same space of time it takes for...
    Her to kill that man, "What... No!" the Doctor kneels beside him and she can tell he's checking the man's pulse, the injury to his throat. He /tears/ the man's jumpsuit open, getting ready to administer a tracheotomy with a small blade, but then the death rattle is torn from him as his brain dies without oxygen and several vessels that burst from her strike.
    She can't see the look on his face, but she can /feel/ the anger off of him as he gets to his feet and surges to the side. Now is not the time for recriminations. Now he has to put them down as quickly as he can.
    Out of the darkness he emerges with a flash, kicking a man in the chin and spinning him around even as the other gunman near to him is suddenly dealing with an owl flapping and clawing at his face.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    This is why she doesn't work with heroes. Their sense of morality. These men are garbage. No, not men. Creatures. They prey on women. They use them and discard them like trash. Yet this hero is upset with her over the death of such a thing. He may be a doctor but it makes no sense to her that he would try to save someone who does such evil. Better to put down a rabid dog than allow it to continue attacking.
    "They are baser than the dirt beneath your feet. Do not mourne the death of monsters."
    She moves out the opposite direction from him. Her task is clear. Take them all out.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    And then it's a race. He is no Batman, at least that is clear. For if they were in a burning building, with a hundred gunmen barreling down on them, and she was there threatening to kill one of them... chances are he'd fight her first. The Doctor... right now he has to save his patients, those women. They're first. He won't kill. But he won't mourn them either. He'll get pissed off, sure. But mourn, no.
    As she explodes from the darkness on the other side there are two near her who will bring their weapons up and try to track her with fire, even as he spins around and sweeps the legs out from under the one who has a face full of Hootie, then silences him with a short sharp strike to the side of the head that knocks him out of the fight for now.
    It leaves two more for him, each of those men diving for cover behind one of the vans as they try to bring their weapons around to target the caped medical practicioner.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    She could simply use the throwing stars. They are still there, only the edge of one used in her first strike while hidden in darkness. Now that Shiva is out of the ichor, she can focus on her opponents more easily. She can tell before they fire their guns, able to read the telltale shifting of the muscle under skin that will bring the index finger back and spray bullets her direction. She has closed that short distance to them before they get to fire a single shot. A strike to the throat, not with the edge of a weapon, simply her hand forcing the man to fall back, gasping as his windpipe is suddenly cut off. Her leg flashes out toward the second man even as she grabs the first by the arm, twisting it up and back. A sharp snap showing when she has bent it too far. Her foot takes the other man in the face, his body going down like a house of cards in a strong wind. The one she has by the arm is thrown to the ground and she hits a pressure point, knocking him out instantly.
    Back on her feet, she is running, almost seeming to fly her movement is so swift and sure, heading for the next closest target.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    As for Dr. Mid-Nite, he leaps over the back trunk of one of those cars, armored form sliding across it with a rumble of compressed sheet metal that resumes its shape as soon as he's off of it and rolling back to his feet beside the first of the men taking cover.
    That man brings his gun up taking aim at the Doctor, only to have his aim fouled with a rough forearm smashing into his hands and then his face with a resonant crunch that knocks him back into his friend. It causes those two to go stumbling down, and then he aims that gauntlet at each of them, a pair of darts /fft/ /fft/ fired into them and suddenly removing them from the fight.
    "Dammit," He says as he looks over at her, at the fallen men. He breaks into a run towards the ones she took down, skidding to a halt kneeling beside them to check their vitals.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    They are both alive. They are not even wounded seriously enough that they might die.
    Shiva glances back as she hears his curse, frowning as yet again he is stopping the battle to take care of the refuse. "They will live until I have time to find out the source of their delivery," she says, having a reasoning for her lack of death strikes. It has nothing to do with is obvious problem. It is a problem. He should get that kicked out of him and she's half tempted to do it herself.
    Doctor. He did say that. It would fit he wouldn't want deaths. "If your code is do no harm, why do you fight?" she asks curiously.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    "Because some people are assholes," The Doctor gains his feet and frowns as he adjusts the hang of his cowl then turns to look at her. He probably doesn't know what she intends with the men, for he tells her. "Thank you for not killing them."
    But then he starts to move back towards the Uhaul and he says quietly, "The Russians have been making a move on the Ukrainians across the river. There was to be a gift given, a woman." He moves towards that large truck which housed what looked like almost thirty women in various states of undress.
    He stops there and brings up the small display on his wrist. There's no subterfuge there, she can easily read that he's sending a signal to the authorities to send ambulances and police to this location even as he speaks to her. "They pull a Trojan horse. Dose up thirty, forty, sometimes fifty women with this nightmare drug cocktail. Usually one or two survive, those that survive are immune to that particular mess of nasty they like to inject. Makes her toxic though it doesn't present symptoms. Anyone she exchanges bodily fluids with dies messily."
    Once that's said they reach the back of the truck and he pulls it open again, calling out in Russian, <You are safe now. The police will be here soon.>

Lady Shiva has posed:
    As he explains, Shiva is looking to the women inside the van. She takes in their fear, the disbelief that they might be saved. There is hope on a few faces, in their eyes as they look at the hero. They include her in the look. A few are relaxing more seeing a woman there with the man, not willing to trust men after what they have been through. No matter their words of assurance or seemingly selfless act.
    "The source must be found and eliminated." She forces her gaze away from the women, turning and walking toward the two bodies she last touched. They might not be conscious but that won't stop her from getting answers if she wants them. She crouches next to one and covers his mouth with her hand, turning it just so that her fingers pinch his nostrils closed. That should wake him up when he starts to struggle for air.
    "Unless you know the source?" she asks, looking at the doctor while peacefully smothering a man.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    "You're talking about the entire Russian mob. That would take more manpower and more time than..." But then she starts to cut off the air of that one man and he stops speaking as his brow knits together, perceivable by the cowl crinkling just so.
    "Stop that." He steps forwards, "The police will be here shortly. But if that doesn't matter to you, I'm here right now and I'll stop you." He says this with the utter confidence of the ignorant, but the look in his eyes is determined.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    "I'm waking him up." Why in the world does he have a problem with this? It's like she is dealing with an alien from space. He is so strange. Shiva reads the body language, the tone, the look in his eyes that still just don't seem to focus right. She considers letting him try to stop her, knowing she can put him on the ground. Yet, she doesn't. She releases the man's face, standing back up to face off with the vigilante. "He would not have been harmed by that."
    She doesn't say he wouldn't have been harmed. She is very specific. "I do not wish to go to the police station to question them later." She will if she has to. It's not like it's beyond her abilities to get in and out of a jail if she chose to go find the slavers.
    "Do you not want further information?"

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    "Oh sure, you're waking him up now to get information," The Doctor glowers at her but when she stops doing what she was doing he relaxes a bit. His head turns subtly to the side, the gaze of his visor casting her image back to her. "And then when he wakes up comes the hurting and the toe nail ripping. But look these guys," He gestures towards the fallen men without looking at them...
    "These guys don't know anything. Or at least don't know anything more than me. I'm the guy who has been working on this for the last four months. So really, you want to torture someone to learn more, then you should torture me."
    But then he falls silent as those words hang there and he adds, "But I would just as much appreciate if you didn't."
    He turns his head to the side again and gives a small nod. The owl takes flight and starts to wend its way upwards towards a series of low hanging clouds.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    "There is no need to rip out anything. A few pressure points and he would tell me everything. The lower levels often have more information than they think they do," Shiva says. She doesn't realize that what she is saying isn't helping matters. Pain is pain and torture is torture. Pressure points or toe nails notwithstanding. Her gaze follows the owl to the sky then she looks to the doctor again.
    Torture him for the information. It's an idea but she doesn't think it would be necessary. If he's willing to talk to her. He odesn't seem likely to. So she may have to resort to the pressure points. Take out the owl first unless she wants her face ripped off. Yes, that's an idea.
    "You will share your information with me." Statement.

Dr. Mid-Nite (1061) has posed:
    "You sound like my ex," Not that he has one but hey, she doesn't know that. He takes a deep breath and frowns, "Look..." It's around that time when the police sirens are heard distantly, the blue and red lights shining off of some of the distant buildings to herald their arrival. So he takes a deep breath and says, "I'll tell you everything I have, which is good, and a lot. But before I do I'll need you to promise me that you won't act on the intel until I've finished my work. This is a house of cards here on the hood of a chevy, and you're a car wash in winter."
    He turns his head to the side and gauges the distance of the emergency vehicles, then turns his head slightly askew from her. "Do we have a deal?" He reaches to his belt and produces a grapple-line that he attaches to his gauntlet with a click.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    She's sure that wasn't a compliment. Shiva knows the police will be there in a moment. If she is there, they will try to arrest her. If they try to arrest her, she will hurt them. Maybe kill them. Then the doctor would be running all over the place trying to save them and giving her those looks like she's doing something wrong.
    It's not worth it.
    "Very well. We have a deal." She turns to follow, reaching into her coat. A grapple appears and is thrown to the edge of the roof. Heroes aren't the only ones with those. Assassins need them too.