12175/Just Another Quiet Night

Just Another Quiet Night
Date of Scene:	14 September 2020
Location:	Street in Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	A group of heroes swoop in to Hell's Kitchen to take down some gun-wielding bad guys.
Cast of Characters:	Daredevil, Rage, Black Cat, Barghest, Snake Eyes

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Daredevil has posed:
The sun is just beginning to dip below the skyline in the city and the nightlife is picking up steam. The blocks that make up and surround Hell's Kitchen, though, come alive with a different scene altogether. The main thoroughfares have plenty of nice little bistros and cafes that make good date spots, but off the beaten path is a whole new world.

Standing on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the neighborhood is a man the papers tend to call The Devil. In his Catholic guilt, he might even not protest that title too much. But beneath the mask and the suit stands a man named Matthew. He's looking over his city-within-a-city and looking out for trouble. Fortunately for him (maybe unfortunately for everyone else), it doesn't take long. His head lowers and tilts to one side as the unmistakable sound of raised voices pierces the ambiance. It's not long after that shots ring out and echo from alley to alley. Daredevil leaps from the rooftop and lands on the adjacent building's roof, dropping into a roll before springing up and sprinting to the next building. Shouts and more shots followed by the screeching of tires and the breaking of glass as a vehicle crashes into something.

Rage has posed:
What could a world famous popstar doing in a place like this? After having stopped by Bushwick to sign off on some paperwork involving Mutant Town's new Free Clinic that she is helping to sponsor, the return home via GPS has taken her in this direction due to some highway construction. With Nevada in the car with her, she doesn't appear to be too worried as the all white Tesla X heads down the street without so much of a rev of an engine. Electric cars are silent as they are eco-friendly.

"I don't know about you, but I'm /really/ excited about this project. The mutants are finally going to have their own place to get help, with or without insurance. I'm really glad it seems to be working out, finally. It's been two years since I started this."

At the sound of the shots, followed by a car spiraling out of control and crashing headlong in front of them, she taps the volume down and listens to the gunshots echoing. She slams on the brakes and pulls the car over to the side, glancing over at her brother with a furrow of her brows. "Hey, I'm going to be an idiot and check on that car and make sure they are okay."

She keeps the car running as she climbs out, flipping Nevada the keys. She takes a moment to look around before heading for the car.

"Hey! Are you okay? I'm calling 911." She says as she drags her phone out and begins to tap along the glass.

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat is in the neighborhood for entirely different reasons. A girl in her... line of work... often has the need to discreetly sell valuable personal accessories that have recently been reported missing. And Felicia happens to know a good fence in Hell's Kitchen who specializes in hot jewelry.

Shouts and gunshots and vehicle crashes aren't unusual for Hell's Kitchen, but when all three are combined is usually means trouble. Trouble eventually brings the risk of law enforcement, and police are bad for the Cat Burglar business.

Her meeting will have to wait.

With a sigh, Black Cat slings a grapple line and works her way over towards the commotion.

Barghest has posed:
The young man next to Andrea is not famous one bit and doesn't look like he cares. Nevada is leaned back in the seat and listening to what she's saying, gesturing with one hand as he starts to say, "It'll be good. This way they have more resources to stay safe and out of trou--"

And he jinxes it. The hand latches on to the 'oh shit' handle as the car is brought to an abrupt halt. His other is reflexively grabbing the keys even as he's protesting, "You do not have to go by yourse--" But she's gone. He'll get to finish a sentence at some point. Sighing loudly through his nose, he leans forward to look at the distant car. He's not getting a sense that he has to attend to anyone's demise, but that doesn't mean someone isn't on the way out, and he tries to focus on that supernatural twinge to know if his sister's rush will amount to any good. Meanwhile, he's leaning himself out the passenger side window to get a better look.

Daredevil has posed:
The driver of the car has been shot in the arm and, upon colliding with a street light post, has a bloody forehead, but he's alive. As Andrea races over to check on him, he's slowly lifting his head from the pillow of the deployed airbag. The scent of the ignited powder wafts out from the broken driver's side window. He drearily turns when he hears Andrea checking on him, but he's a little disoriented and doesn't respond. Shock is a bitch.

The gunshots continue from across the street but they aren't coming from anyone on the street or sidewalk. THey're inside the building. The poor driver just happened to be hit by a stray bullet. Other cars on the street are swerving to get around one another and get the hell right out of the area, causing some to crash into one another. The drivers of the cars that collide all open their doors and decide it's better to just bail instead of risk becoming collateral damage.

By now, Matt is scaling down the fire escape of the building opposite the alley of the mayhem. He cocks his head to the side and catches the concern of the voice he could swear he's heard before checking on someone who was just hurt. Okay, good. Someone else is on the scene and is already checking in on bystanders.

He leaps across the alley and crashes through a window on the second floor of the building with the gunfire. Hitting the floor, he pauses just long enough to get his bearings when a man wielding a pistol rushes in to see what the broken glass was all about. Matt springs up and rushes the man, reaching out and grabbing the wrist holding the gun with one hand and planting his palm firmly into his sternum. He carries the man backwards until he's slammed into the wall with enough force to crack the drywall.

Rage has posed:
Peeling out of her jacket, Andrea wraps it about her fist, then slams it into the window to break it open of the passenger side window. She reaches in and pops the lock, then rounds the car so that she can open the driver's side. Upon unbuckling the man, she leans in. "Hey man, you're gonna be okay." She says as she puts her phone on speaker. "Hello? My name is Andrea Jackson. Someone just got shot and ran into a building with his car. He's looking really banged up." She gives a quick description of the man as she looks him over to assess his damage.

As she continues to give details, she flinches at the sound of gunshots, looking over her shoulder towards the building, then back to the man. "It's gonna be fine. I'll keep you safe." Pushing the sleeve of his shirt up, she ties her jacket around his arm to ensure he won't bleed out. Thank God for X-Men training in dealing with combat wounds.

"Nevada! Can you grab my first aid kit from the back? I need it!"

She continues to eye the building with the gunshots, squinting her eyes and giving a loud 'sniff' in it's direction.

"And keep your head down!"

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat alights upon a roof ledge overlooking the mayhem on the street. Reeling in her grapple hook, she crouches there in the required hero-pose to survey the scene below. Except she's not brooding and has no cape to furl dramatically in the breeze. The crashed car is causing traffic issues, but people who drive in Hell's Kitchen at this time of night aren't stupid.

Except for the woman getting out of a car to check on the driver. Wonderful. Who does that, anyway? It's a rhetorical question, as Black Cat half-climbs, half-falls to the street below. To help. Heh.

Approaching the car from the other side, the black-clad blonde gives a little shimmy to adjust her costume. Or, rather, to adjust the stolen jewelry that's hidden *inside* her costume. If the police DO show up, she definitely needs to bail. "Wait, did you say you're Andrea Jackson?" the masked blonde offers, leaning in the passenger's side window. "I loved your latest album."

Barghest has posed:
Nevada turns off the car and pockets the keys while he fetches the first aid kit. Wouldn't do for someone to steal the car.

He doesn't seem all that concerned about flying bullets despite the situation as he limp-jogs the case over to his sister. "Look, you wanna stay with him till emergency services gets here? I can go check out what's going on." He says with a jerk of his head towards the building, though it's just in time to see the approach of Black Cat. His up-and-down look is totally just a single look over that doesn't linger. Scout's honor.

"...told you people would like it." He mutters sidelong to Andrea even while he's circling around to stand at and guard her back with his eyes to the street.

Daredevil has posed:
Timid citizens run to a far-enough-away distance that they feel safe to stand and gawk at the scene as it unfolds. A few rumbling voices down the block can be heard saying, "Wait, is that Andrea Jackson?!" The flashes from cell phones light up the area in quick bursts as onlookers start taking photos of the famous mutant in action. #andreajacksonsaveslives #wtfhellskitchen #catburglar (Just kidding, BC).

From the building entrance comes a trio of gun-toting men wearing beanies that they quickly pull down over their faces once they realize the scene mounting out on the street. They haven't noticed the world famous pop star, her brother, or the lovely Black Cat yet. They're running from further gun shots from the inside, all three of them rounding cars parked along the curb and taking up a defensive position to start squeezing off rounds back into the building. "We gotta get the hell outta here, man!" one of them yells at the other two before firing off a few more.

Inside, Matt shoves his fist into the ribcage of his target, causing the man's pistol to drop to the floor. He follows his body shot up with a hook to the side of the man's head, sending a sickening *crunch* echoing through the room and sending the perp to the floor. Reaching down, Matt snatches up the pistol and steps out into the hallway, releasing the magazine, popping the chambered round onto the floor and dismantling the gun before tossing parts down different directions of the hall. Two more guys appear at the end of the hall, prompting Matt to sprint in their direction. They pull out knives and swing at him just as he leaps up to one side of the hall, plants his foot against the wall, and pushes off, bringing his fist down into the closest one's face as hard as he can. The guy falls to the floor and Matt grunts and shakes his head as the blow actually hurt. The second attacker manages to slice into Matt's shoulder, tearing his suit several inches and starting a small river of blood.

Rage has posed:
As she drags the man out of the car carefully, Andrea lugs him behind the car and away from where the bullets are coming. She helps him to his rump where he can lean against the car. Once Nevada brings the first aid kit over, she opens it up and starts to work at the man's forehead. "Just stay awake, okay? If you have a concussion it's going to make things worse."

As she looks up at Black Cat, she blinks a few times, followed by a quick nod of her head. "Yeah, it's me. Was just in the area due to a bad GPS re-route. Lucky me, huh?"

At the sound of more gunshots, she glances over to her brother and furrows her brows. "I don't know. If you think you can help, then do it. I can be right behind you if you need me. Just howl." She says with a teasing grin.

Now that she is starting to get attention from the onlookers, she gives a hard wave of her hand. "Get inside! Don't stand out here taking pictures of me! You'll get shot!"

Geezus. "If I remember right, you're the Black Cat, right? Do you know what's going on? This guy isn't in shape and I don't know how long the cops will be, if they even come at all. I need to get him out of the way and I can't.. um.. I can't show off my .. mutant thing in public.."

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat's head turns at the sounds of more commotion from the building just in time to see guys running outside, pulling down masks and carrying guns. This can't be good, right? "Um... maybe I am." she replies to Andrea, flashing a grin. "Hold that thought." Gloved hands on the top of the car, she kicks her legs up in a graceful walk-over and pushes off at the apex with enhanced strength, vaulting cleanly over both the car and the pop star to land on the other side.

Another summersault quickly follows, only instead of sticking the landing she front-kicks one of the shooters in the side of the head. He goes down with a graceful spin as the Cat lands. "Is the shooting really necessary? That's downright unfriendly, fellas." Settling into a crouch, the claws come out. <snikt!>

Barghest has posed:
"He's okay," Nevada mutters back towards his sister. "Nothing critical for now."

He looks like he's considering joining the fray, but as Black Cat beats him to the punch - well, kick - he sticks back. "She's got it. I'll stay here and back you up. In fact..." He looks towards the hoard starting to gather and seems to get an idea. He's not the famous one, so he does quick work of melting back into the masses and slips just out of sight amongst the nearby building.

It's maybe only a minute or two before a large, rumple-furred, black shepherd looking dog comes ambling out. With his stiff tail hoisted right up in the air, he marches over towards the people who are staying and not going. There's several low and ominous whuffs from him as he drops his head and fluffs out his fur, doing his best to look intimidating without outright aggression. He's trying to herd people, not sheep. Sheep don't have mace.

Daredevil has posed:
The man who Andrea pulled from the car manages to sit up with his back against the car and rests his head against it. He looks up at her as she goes to work touching up his wound and smiles, "Anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Andrea Jackson?" Guy is clearly concussed considering she just admitted who she is to Black Cat. This will make a good story for the man one of these days. Not right now, though.

The starlet's request for the gawkers down the street to vacate the area are met with quite the opposite. A few of them are running *toward* her, holding their phones out in front of them, clearly recording videos, "Oh. My. God. Andrea Jackson is saving some guy's life!" Until a large black shepherd starts stalking towards them. They immediately stop filming, their jaws drop, and they start screaming bloody murder before they turn and start running in the opposite direction, "Shit, shit, shit!" The other people who were standing around further down the street see the dog as well and slowly start to back up, not wanting to upset the dog.

The three gents with firearms on the street are oblivious to the agile Cat leaping towards them from behind. Her foot connects *solidly* with the first man's head, sending him limp to the pavement, his pistol tumbling out into the road. The other two see what happened to their comrade and turn, levelling their guns towards her and trying to pop off a few rounds once those claws come out, "Oh shit, we gotta go!" Good luck, fella.

Inside, more commotion. Some muffled yelling can be heard from the open doorway and 4 men with rifles come storming out, quickly looking around. Presumably for the three men already out in the street.

Upstairs, Matt pushes back against the wall and then pushes back off the wall, hoisting his leg up and kicking the man's fist, cracking all of his knuckles and sending the knife to the ground. The man takes a swing at the Devil but it's easily blocked with a forearm and followed by a punch to the stomach. The man doubles over and gasps for air until Matt brings his elbow down onto the back of the perp's head, sending him to the ground.

Rolling his arm over to get a better look at the knife wound on his shoulder, Matt curses under his breath, shakes it off, and heads for the stairs.

Rage has posed:
"Been told that a few times, yeah." Andrea says to the man as she applies a bandage to his head, then takes his hand to lift it up. "Apply pressure here. I'll be right back."

As she pushes upwards, she peers over the car towards the crowd as Nevada starts to bark and move them back. He's a rather large beast, but at least he's not showing off his true form. That'd be terrifying.

Rounding the car and keeping her head down, she looks to ease behind the gunmen as they keep their focus on the Black Cat. As she disarms one, she looks to come up behind another. Her arms are going to wrap about his neck from behind, followed by a hard, well-practiced kick to the back of his knee to try and drop him down. Despite being a popstarlet, she is 'strong'. She works out and knows how to handle herself. She is going to apply just enough pressure on the man's throat with her bicep to try and get him to lose his breath. With the way she is yanking him backwards, he won't be able to utilize his weapon well.

"Drop the gun, or I will tear your throat out." She hisses against his ear in a rumbling growl that bubbles out from her chest.

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat saw the guns and is expecting to be shot at. Dodging the first with a half-twist, a couple of front-flips keeps her ahead of the other, half-panicked shots which follow. Then they run, and she follows their gazes back towards the building.

Wait, what? Rifles? Where'd the guys with the rifles come from? The two remaining idiots with pistols are fleeing, leaving Black Cat standing literally flat-footed between them and their better-armed pursuers.

"Um, look, fellas. I'm sure this is just some big misunderstanding and we'll all laugh about it in the morning..." Almost absently, she nudges the fallen pistol away with the toe of her boot.

Barghest has posed:
The dog takes several loping jogs towards the fleeing people just to drive the point home, but anyone who's seen a dog actually run could tell there's zero effort made to actively chase anyone. He doesn't even look capable of sprinting, given how low his hips and back legs slope towards the ground.

Once he's confident that the onlookers are buggering off, Nevada turns his attention back towards the men coming out with guns. This time he does bare his full array of teeth, and it's a primal and terrifying sight. There even looks to be a few too many teeth to fit even with his lips peeled back to an unnervingly far angle. The dog proves then that he can indeed run as he comes charging from the side, looking to approach with naught even a warning bark or growl besides claws on concrete before leaping police dog style towards one of the rifle-armed men's arms with jaws agape.

Daredevil has posed:
The two men aiming to take out Black Cat turn to flee when Andrea sneaks up and knocks one of them the hell out with little effort. The second is unable to get away before Andrea's arm hooks around his neck and squeezes his throat. "Shh...iiiiit," he mutters when she threatens to tear his throat out. He hasn't gotten a look at the girl's face, but he can tell she's not that big, but holy hell is she strong. "Okay, okay!" he says as he throws the pistol onto the street. "Jesus, just don't kill me!"

The men with the rifles had been surveying the area but hadn't seen any of the heroes or their original targets because they'd all been obscured by cars. But that's no longer the case. Two of them shoulder their rifles at Black Cat and just stare at her. Whether it's confusion about why this hot, sexily-clad chick is there in the first place or whether they feel threatened is anyone's guess. Most likely plenty of both.

The other two are looking at Andrea and the man she's subduing. That is, until one of them sees the large dog down the street sneering back at them. "Uhh.." is all he manages to get out as he nudges the man beside him with his elbow, motioning down the street with his rifle. "The fuck is that?!" They both seem too stunned at first to do anything more than stare. But when the dog starts charging their way, they level the barrels in his direction and start firing.

Just then, a masked man that might be familiar to the others appears from the doorway and hurls a red metallic baton at one of the men firing at Nevada. Without missing a beat, he's running at the other and grabbing the barrel of the rifle, shoving it down to fire at the pavement instead of the dog or at anyone else. The first stops firing and grabs the side of his head as he staggers backwards.

Rage has posed:
Once the man drops the gun to the ground, Andrea gives a hard yank backwards as he looks to fold the man along with her. She applies enough pressure to cause him to blackout, then drops him to the side with a thump. Stepping forward, she snags the gun off the street, leveling it upwards towards the men with the rifles who are turning their aim upon her brother.

There is only a half moment of hesitation before she decides what she needs to do. She's never taken a life before, but now that they're aiming at her sibling, she knows she can't let them kill him. Before she can squeeze the trigger, Daredevil swoops into action and knocks one of the men down, engaging him in combat. She squeezes her throat tightly in a swallow, then lowers the gun, then lobs it to the side so that it skids down a drain and into the sewers below.

"Hey asshole!" She yells out to the other man to try and distract him.

Barghest has posed:
Dogs generally run from gunshots, but not this one. There's a short, sharp bark from Nevada - one that sounds weirdly like 'Hey!' - as Daredevil steps in but he doesn't back down from the fray. As soon as the one steps back from being clobbered by Daredevil, the dog is ramming into his knees to bowl the man right down onto the pavement where he'll hopefully stay. The point is made face to face with a lot of bared teeth if needed.

Snake Eyes has posed:
It's not every day that Snake Eyes is out and about in costume. Except that it kind of is, dude favoring his ninja mask over the one that makes him look like a regular Joe. He's in a van with his handler, Dial-Tone, who apparently picked up on some violent activity on a nearby street. She tells him, "Snake, you want to check it out?"

The masked man nods an affirmative and off they go. They don't get terribly close before the commando exits his vehicle and starts to proceed on foot, taking advantage of the confusion to remain as stealthy as possible as he heads towards the bad guys. As he nears the site he takes in the goings on, briefly studying those fighting as he attempts to figure out exactly how best to intervene. After ascertaining who the friendlies seem to be he moves towards the guy whose weapon Daredevil is grappling. Jumping into the air Snake Eyes moves to kick the dude in the dome, trying to render him insensible.

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat faces the guys with rifles, standing in a half-crouch with claws flexing. The street is gradually becoming over-run with good guys - unarmed good guys, but good guys all the same. And the Cat recognizes it. She smiles, just holding onto the stare-down. Then the dog appears, gets aimed at (and missed!), the pop star and Daredevil swoop in, a ninja creeps in from the shadows, and things all go kind of sideways for the gunmen.

Slowly, the Black Cat relaxes her stance. And as she moves there's an -itch- down inside the leather bodysuit that reminds her of the reason she's out tonight. Jewelry may be pretty, but it's not always... comfortable.

Daredevil has posed:
The man in Andrea's loving embrace slowly loses his views of the world and falls limp, being left in the street beside the curb. Fortunately for Andrea, she doesn't have to take a life today. And she managed to save her brother from being shot by distracting the second man with the rifle.

The first guy, though, after being slugged by Daredevil's baton, gets a knee-full of massive dog and goes flying backwards, falling on his ass. He sits up to see Nevada bearing his teeth in his face and nearly loses control of his bowels right then and there. He starts crawling backwards, yelping in terror.

The man struggling with Daredevil is cursing and being called an asshole by a famous girl when, from out of nowhere, a boot crashes into the back of his skull, sending him lurching forward. The rifle is released and subsequently disassembled by the Daredevil while the criminal slumps onto the ground.

With all of the gunmen down and out, Matt takes a few steps back and surveys the street. His chest rises and falls rapidly with his breathing as he sees that things seem to be all clear. Giving a single, deep exhale, he looks between Snake Eyes, Black Cat, Andrea, and.. a dog, nodding to each of them in turn. "Everyone okay?" He steps over to his baton on the sidewealk and stomps on the end, causing it to bounce up and into his hand.

Rage has posed:
"I'm fine." Amdrea says as she glances down at the man at her feet, then looks over to Nevada, looking pleased that he's okay. She pulls her hair back behind her, feeling her heart slowly start to come down from it's rapid pounding.

She steps around the body and heads over to her 'dog', leaning down to ruffle up his ears a bit. "Good boy. Um.. so .. that's enough excitement for me, for one day." She looks from Daredevil, to Blackcat, then to the ninja as she rubs the back of her neck. "I feel like I'm .. under-dressed for superheroing."

Barghest has posed:
Nevada isn't about to let the grounded man get away and keeps hounding him - pun slightly intended - until he's properly subdued. With several of the heroes kicking and punching, someone is bound to come handle the man.

With a satisfied harumphing snort as the last of them are settled, he walks over to take a seat beside Andrea, dutifully receiving the ruffle to his head with a look on his face that could be called smug. He pricks up his ears to what Andrea says and then looks towards Black Cat, gaping his maw to let his tongue drape over his teeth. At least there's no vocal commentary.

Black Cat has posed:
Black Cat looks around as well, shrugging... carefully... and then offering a smile. "Everyone who didn't start with a gun in their hand, yeah." she offers. "Black Cat. I'm in... the Acquisitions and Repossessions department." She looks around the group again, chuckling at Andrea's comment.

"I think the dress code is a little more relaxed in this neighborhood, actually." Another wiggle. Yeah, there's definitely something itching inside that suit. "If you folks don't mind, I'm late for an appointment. But we really should do this again sometime. Perhaps with a little less blood."

Then she slings a grapple hook up to a roof ledge.

Snake Eyes has posed:
After all the threats have been taken care of, Snake Eyes looks around again and nods to Daredevil, giving him a thumbs up before scanning the other people who just took on the armed criminals, checking for wounds they might not have noticed. After making sure that things seem to be good he looks over at Andrea and chuckles silently at her little joke.

There's a tablet on his left forearm that he taps and swipes at a few times, "Police have been notified of the incident. Should be responding in a few minutes. Anybody need anything?"

Daredevil has posed:
As things begin to wind down, Matt puts his baton away and his breathing begins to return to normal. His head tilts and he listens for any more signs of men in the building behind him but can't seem to make out any others. Satisfied, he looks up and regards the other heroic-types. The dog he's not seen before. He pauses on Andrea for a moment, his mind sorting out where he recognizes her from. Then it hits him. He chuffs quietly to himself and then glances over towards Snake Eyes. He offers the ninja a nod at the thumbs up.

The mention of the police is more or less his signal to get outta here while he can. He looks to everyone and nods at them all again, "Nice work, everyone." With that, he turns and starts to head towards the alley so he can bee-line home and get this knife wound cleaned up.

Rage has posed:
Giving a shake of her head, Andrea says, "I have a man down near that car crash. He got shot in the arm and he had a hard knock to his head. I patched his head but he needs a hospital. I don't know when the cops are going to be here.. you know how it is in Hell's Kitchne."

She flicks her fingers at Nevada's drawling tongue. "Eyes up here." She says to the dog, then waves as Blackcat launches herself off into the night. "Was nice to meet you, Daredevil. And um.. black ninja dude. I'm Andrea .. call me Rage, I guess."

Why? Who knows. She pats Nevada on the head and makes her way back towards the car to ensure that the injured man is still awake at least. Hopefully he didn't black out.

Snake Eyes has posed:
The forearm mounted tablet on Snake Eyes speaks again after he presses on it a few more times, "Call me Snake. I'll take a look at your man, my partner has an aid bag in the van she can bring around, too."

In his earpiece the ninja hears from Dial-Tone, "Roger that."

Coming back to the Man in Black, he follows Andrea towards her injured man and reaches to the small of his back to pull out a small first aid kit so he can get to work dressing the man's gunshot.