13063/The Shield: Hellboy gets briefed

The Shield: Hellboy gets briefed
Date of Scene:	19 April 2021
Location:	Monitor Room, Watchtower
Synopsis:	Justice League Dark is heading to New Jersey.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Zatanna Zatara, Hellboy

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Batman has posed:
The doors to the Watchtower swish open to reveal Batman as he strides inside with a set look upon his face. His cowl billows behind him in a rustle in the wake of the doors closing behind him. As he heads for the large comms table, he slides donw into 'his' seat, then gives a crack of his knuckles as he stretches his arms out in front of him. As his fingers tap along the glass panel, he pulls up multiple live feeds from around the world with a glower.

Terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia kills 13.
Untamed fire roars across Southern California.
Another shooting in Utah kills 12 in local mall.

As he taps the glass in front of him, he brings a hand up to rub at his face, pinching between his eyes for a moment. He's alone for the moment, and thus allows himself to look 'tired', even if briefly.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The doors open a few moments later, preceding the <click><click><click> of heels on tile. Zatanna isn't wearing a cape and cowl, but the magician is certainly in her 'working clothes' today. Giving Batman a moment at the comms, she removes the silk top hat with a flourish of white-gloved fingers before setting it down on the table.

"We need to get the artifact back to Sunnydale." she declares, without preamble. Sitting down, she flips up the jacket tails as she settles. "The Chumash tribe was native to Sunnydale, and among the many natives who were treated terribly during the country's 'colonization' period. From the markings, this particular shield belonged to a warrior of some renown."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy isn't seen around the Watchtower much. He's in Justice League Dark, sure, but he spends more time in creepy old castles, underground caverns and decrepit bunkers than he does in high-tech facilities. And those are just the places he tends to crash.

He's got his longcoat on, the Samaritan hanging heavy on his right hip, with the massive Hand of Doom wrapped around an entire bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, it is early in the morning. No, he doesn't care.

"A shield? Belonging to a warrior? Color me shocked, toots," he says, making his way in casually. "Hey there, Batguy. Don't watch the news, you'll give yourself hypertension. Sunnydale, huh? That place is the nicest hellhole I've been to."

Batman has posed:
Tilting his head upwards, Batman straightens himself up in his seat as the look of 'tired' vanishes with his body language seamlessly. Zatanna has his full attention as he listens to her. He reaches up to rub his chin with his gloved hand a few times in thought, then gives a nod of his head.

"I see. That makes sense. Will this break the curse in the shield and thus let the spirits be at peace or will it continue to be a danger to the public? I don't know how it ended up in Gotham of all places."

His voice is a low rumble of gravel in the throat, soft, but professional. He gives a tilt of his head towards Hellboy who enters. "Good job, Zatanna. Greetings, Hellboy." He says, then gives a curious glance to the magician. "How much do you know about cursed artifacts? I was looking to loop you in on this as well. I'm sure my communications to you don't always get through."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara leans back in her chair, and she's just propping those long, fishnet-wrapped legs up onto the table when Hellboy enters. She lifts a brow at him, then her gaze lowers to the bucket. "Greasy fast food for breakfast? You shouldn't have. Really." Mostly because she's vegetarian, but not entirely.

Adjusting her gaze to take in both men, now, she offers. "I'm not sure that simply returning it will be enough. And I'm also not sure that the spirit isn't still roaming about. My barrier spell might have simply kept it from returning, for all we know."

More towards Hellboy, then, she offers. "From your file, this is really more your area than mine. In any case, the shield doesn't belong up here in space. IF the spirit is really free, then every minute it's away from its resting place could be a danger to the general public."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy is a little stunned at Zatanna's leg crossing routine, covering the momentary distraction by shoving a drumstick in his mouth. He cleans it of meat and breading in one go, pulling the bone out clean and dropping it back in the bucket.

"Ain't my breakfast. I been up all night, keepin' the world safe from creepy crawlies. This is a late dinner. Maybe I can get you to join me for one sometime," he says with a wink.

"She's right, dude," he says to Batman. "Ancient spirits get all bitchy when you take stuff out of their graves and stuff. They say you can't take it with you, but some buttmunches sure wanna try."

Batman has posed:
"Then we need to find out where it belongs in Sunnydale and bury it. Is there a way to call the spirits back to the artifact so it can be contained again?" Batman asks as he gives a slight glance back and forth between the pair of them. His brows lift upwards for a moment in thought. "Or exorcise them?"

He leans back into his chair, folding his arms across his bat insignia upon his chest. He taps the glass on the table and pulls up a map of Sunnydale, leaning forward to squint his eyes at the screen. "Is there any Native American burial sites or cemetaries you have identified as possible resting places for this particular tribe?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara manages not to shudder at Hellboy's casual dismantling of the greasy (yuk!) drumstick. In case the smell alone is not enough. She manages a well-practiced smile all the same. "Maybe we can have Chinese." she counters. Arms raise, fingers lacing behind her head as she gets comfortable in the seat.

"Well we could always have Superman hurl it into the sun." she counters dryly. "But Hellboy is right. The shield needs to be put back, and preferably repaired first." She shoots the Red One a knowing look with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, it got broken during all the mishandling by the grave robbers."

"But I don't think that putting it back will be enough, in the end. The spirits were disturbed, which means they need to be placed. Maybe they like fried chicken or something? Exorcising spirits only makes them move."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy grabs a chair for himself and sets the chicken aside, kicking up his feet. "Exorcising demons is one thing, but most spirits are just that - spirits. Ain't inherently evil or nothin', they just get pissed off. Better to find somethin' to appease 'em than send 'em off to the depths of the astral plane. They pick up bad habits there and probably come back as somethin' worse eventually."

"I'm guessin' KFC ain't exactly a culturally relevant offerin' to your average Chumash spirit. Probably best to talk to a Chumash elder, see what they might offer up as a sacrifice to placate an elder with a grudge. And the shield should be repaired using traditional methods, not just slapped together with super glue."

Batman has posed:
"These spirits kill people with poison tipped spears. They're beyond pissed off." Batman rumbles in his chest like thunder along the storm. He lets out a low breath and gives a shake of his head in thought. "It seems you two have some good ideas between each other. I want you two to partner up on this and resolve it. I have confidence in you both."

Strong praise from The Dark Knight for the pair of them. They are his experts after all and this is why he and Clark brought them on. High IQ mystical types for problems one can't simply punch in the face, or throw into the sun.

That quip from Zatanna does give his lips a twitch upwards into a bit of a smile, one that lasts a second and smooths away just as quick. "Besides this shield, anything else to report? Gotham is currently invaded by members of The Foot ninja clan and has been trying to take territory from the local crime lords. Rumor is they are trying to unify the gangs to serve under one called The Shredder."

"It's a cult."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara looks over as Hellboy gets comfortable, tilting her head and nodding slowly at his suggestions. "That might be a problem, especially since I'm pretty sure the Chumash are extinct. Unless we can find a long-lost descendant who keeps to the old ways or you have other spiritual connections." Yes, that WOULD be a problem.

The raven-haired magician lifts a brow at Batman, then. "Ninjas and gangs? Really?" She smiles playfully, then, gesturing towards Hellboy in her response. "See? This is why I stay out of Gotham."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy considers Zatanna's dilemma, "Then we gotta find a nice ghost who can help us get along with the angry ghost. Your shaman types. They can usually handle bein' dead better than the warriors. Warriors get all chesty and think they're gonna beat death, so they get whiny when they end up bones like everybody else."

"Sounds like I need to visit. I love breakin' up cults. What kind of name is the Shredder, though? Is he gonna aggressively chop my salad?"

Batman has posed:
"Gotham is full of those types. They call themselves everything from Clayface to The Joker to The Shredder. He dresses in metal with blades on his arms. He enlists mostly troubled and runaway youths, trains them in the arts of the ninja, then sends them off to do crime for him under the pretense of joining a family and giving them a purpose." Batman gives a shake of his head.

"The frustrating part is that they are 'good'. Far too good. They are being trained by elite ninjas and not some regulars at the local Karate class. Sparrowhawk and I had some difficulty taking them down the other night. They're well trained and have technology at their disposal, including EMP's."

"I miss the old days, where you can just punch a bank robber in the face and call it a night. Gotham is becoming a circus."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara considers, tilting her head at Shredder's description. "Actually, under other circumstances that would be a healthy business model for rehabilitation. 'Return troubled youth to the streets', or something." She shrugs. "Other than the part where he uses them for crime, of course. That part's straight out of Oliver Twist. EMP's though? That's military grade..."

She uncrosses her ankles and swings her legs down, then, rising smoothly. "Hellboy, let me know when you'd like to take a field trip to sunny New Jersey. And Batman, I'll see about poking my head in on your latest circus as well." Gloved fingers pick up the hat, giving it a twirl before placing it back on her head. A flourish along the brim, then she smiles and turns towards the door. "I'll see you 'round, gentlemen."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy shakes his head at Zatanna, "I have to see her go, but I love to watch her leave," he says, before pushing up from his chair.

"The green fella said somethin' about us not bein' allowed to smoke up here, so I'm gonna head back downside and get me a stogie. But yeah, we'll arrange somethin' an' get the shield issue taken care of. Probably won't even have to fight a big scorpion or nothin'. This time."

And if you need any help with your circus, well, it ain't exactly magical, but I don't mind hittin' regular folks in the mouth every now and then either. Especially if you get Nazis. I do hate Nazis."

Batman has posed:
There is an amused noise from Batman's throat at Hellboy's observation about Zatanna. He can't disagree, but he won't vocalize it. He may be a professional, but he's not dead either. "If you feel like coming to Gotham to punch some clowns in the face, I'd be more than happy to watch you work. You do a great job, Hellboy. You're an asset to the team."

He gives a shake of his head, reaching out to give his shoulder a heavy thump-thump. "Enjoy your smoke and your trip to New Jersey. I look forward to hearing back from you both."