13510/Judging the Judge

Judging the Judge
Date of Scene:	15 June 2021
Location:	Staten Island Railway
Synopsis:	Megan finds herself caught between Punisher and his quarry: A judge that defends mutants.
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Pixie, Punisher

---

Shredder has posed:
    Devin Grubb: 23 district court judge. He's fully human, African American, and 53 years old. He's also a very outspoken member of the community for minority rights, including those of mutants. He's been on news reports, he's at rallies, and he even has his own video blog that brings local awareness to the mistreatment of mutants.
    Oh, and he's crooked as they come in the court room. The Foot Clan's purchase of several civil servants includes Devin. Their support of mutants in their own, far less legal way has been his justification, no doubt, but he sold his soul early in the game when the Foot moved into NYC politics. The result is that several very bad people get away, criminals who should have an open and shut case end up walking if they are on good terms with the Foot Clan, and he helps make it happen. He gets paid his share for the deed as well.

    Here he is, the Staten Island train station, waiting for his train. It's late, his last trial took far longer than expected. He was the good guy on this one, though, and gave a young mutant mother relief from the FoH that was tormenting her daughter, and three of them are now serving six months in jail.
    He sighs, checking his watch, his top suit button undone, and takes a seat on the bench to wait.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn just happens to be waiting at the same train station. why, when she could easily just port around or fly? Well, she's *trying* not to be so lazy, to blend in as best as a fairy winged, pink haired, elfin eared girl can, at any rate.

Soo here she is, standing at the train station, waiting for the train to check out a new college, wings pressed against her back and hidden underneath her long white lacy duster vest, although if one looks hard enough they might be able to glimpse something glittery underneat her vest.

A white tank top and faded blue jeans complete the look, oh and her pink hair is pulled up into a low ponytail, which is not so easy to hide, although she at least tries to tuck it under a straw hat.

As she waits for the train, Megan scans the crowds, and pauses for a moment or two on Devin Grubb, eyes narrowing a bit. Hey, he looks kinda familiar. Now where did she see him before..?

Punisher has posed:
Then, there are the illegal passengers... that aren't part of the crowd. Instead, there's someone sneaking above in a technicians suit. Anyone looking up that way would just see a man doing routine maintenance...right up until the train come to a stop. With barely a sound, he checks angles and civilian positions, watching for a good angle and good timing to get on top of the train in the general area of the passenger cabins. "Microchip, tag him now... I'm about to execute."

Just as the train is about to head out, the Punisher jumps and rolls on top, trying to make as little noise as possible as he sets up his wind mask and magnetic grips for the trip out.

Shredder has posed:
    Devin waits, watching people pass, and then spots Megan, or more particularly, the fact that she's watching him. He gives her a tip of his short brimmed fedora, and then notices the tip of her wing at the base of the duster. He gives a fond smile, and then turns to see the train starting to pull into the station. He adjusts the lapels on his brown tweed suit, and stands to his feet, waiting for it to come to a complete stop. He hasn't seemed to notice that he's being watched. It's just another day for him.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly as she looks Devin up and down. Oh. Yeah, she's sure she's seen him on tv before. Wasn't he like, one of those mutant rights activists? Of course Megan hasn't heard about the shadier accusations about him, only that he's a supporter for mutants and sometimes things like that make it hard to see anything else wrong about someone who at least seems to have your best interests at heart.

She smiles and nods warmly to him as well as she steps up to the approaching train. Ooh, it really is him. He's like, a celebrity or something. She should talk to him, tell him how much good he's done for mutants, but she doesn't want to draw too much attention to herself either.

Still, as Megan waits to board the train, she ends up a few paces behind him and says rather cheerfully, "Nice day today, isn't it?"

Unfortunately, the young mutant has not yet noticed the professional vigilante expertly and rather silently sneaking around on the roof of the train..

Punisher has posed:
Once the train departs, the Punisher goes low and presses against the roof, grips tightly against his hands. "Let me know when he picks a cabin." He tells Microchip, who is driving the stealth recon drone above monitoring the train.

Now it's just a matter of waiting..

Shredder has posed:
    "That it is," Judge Grubb answers, "Always nice when a pretty young lady says hi to me," he compliments, but in a polite way, no tone to suggest it as more than just a friendly comment. He gives a knowing glance toward the edge of her duster. "Beautiful," he says, not overtly declaring to others that he sees the wings. "Getting aboard?" he asks, gesturing for her to board ahead of him.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is still trying to place the familiar face of the older, polite gentleman. And then it dawns on her. "Oh. Heey, are you Judge Grubb? Y'know, the one whose all about...?" yeah, it's crowded here, no need to draw more attention to herself, or him. Mutant haters are everywhere, afterall.

"Oh wow, nice to meet you." she blushes and giggles a bit at the compliment. Had he seen the wings? Did he know what he is? Of course in his line of work, he's probably well-practiced in detecting the mutants among the humans.

"Oh. Oh right. Thank you.." Megan boards ahead of him, but still keeps an eye on him, hoping to ask him questions perhaps. A brief gust of wind nearly blows her hat off, revealing that black streaked pink hair of her's. She sure knows how to stand out.

Shredder has posed:
    "Whoops, be careful there," Grubb says, entering behind her. "Yes, yes, guilty as charged," he confesses, finding a spot on the train. "But you have me at a disadvantage, Ms..." he allows her to fill in the rest.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn meeps, pressing down her hat as the wind blows. "Oops! Heh.." she peers around as he finds a spot on the train, finding a seat next to him. Well, this might be an interesting conversation.

"Ooh, my name is Megan Gwynn, I'm a college student, just checking out some new colleges to transfer to. Ooh, are you on your way to a new case?"

Shredder has posed:
    "Today? Oh no, just heading home," he says. "There are plenty of cases, though. Always hard, deciding who should be free and who should not. That's such an exciting time, though, choosing your school. Big decision, as well!" There is a lurch, and the train starts to pull away from the station, causing a general shift in weight from everyone on board as it does.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn oohs. "That must be exciting, but..Kinda scary too! I mean, how do you know how's good and who's bad?" she pouts a bit, trying to imagine what it must be like, working as a judge. As for a school, Megan nods and smiles, "Yeah! I'm in my second year and thought I'd branch out more. I'm studying drama and music at the moment. My dream is to become a music star, but there's soo much competiton. Maybe I'll be an actress too." wow, she talks alot. The train lurches a bit and she holds onto something as it starts to move.

Punisher has posed:
Once the train is going, the Punisher 'climbs' up the train using the grips, "Guide me in." Punisher grouses as he heads for where the Judge is.

Once at the nearest window to where he is, the Punisher brings up a glass cutter and sets cables on the grips to stabilize himself as he starts cutting the glass above the judge enough for his grapple gun to get through... and his hand for the emergency release on the windows.

In just under a minute, Grubb will be dangling above the streets, doing all kinds of bouncing around.

Shredder has posed:
    The Staten Island train pulls away from the station, the breaks now released, and it starts to bring its speed up. It travels over the gravel-laid tracks, under the overpasses as it starts to make its way north.
    Judge Grubb smiles at Megan, "Well," he says, "I don't always know," he admits. "It's a frightening thing to be certain. You know, Benjamin Franklin once said: It's better for 100 guilty men to go free, than for one innocent man to suffer for a crime he didn't commit." He shakes his head. "It's hard, though, when you know that those hundred guilty men might be doing horrible things to innocent people. Still, I believe in our system, and while it isn't always the best, I do my best to make sure everyone gets a fair shake." The cutting of the glass above him catches his attention, and he glances about, uncertain of the source. "Do you hear that?" he asks, uncertain of the source.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn hmms and considers the judge's words with a solemn nod. "Um. Wow, I never thought of it that way. I mean..If you're letting 100 bad guys go free, just to protect one innocent man..That doesn't seem right either. I dunno. Two wrongs dont make a right, or a hundred wrongs? I mean, why cant you just punish the bad guys AND let the good guys go free?"

Yeah, she's innocent and naieve, and doesn't really know how complex the courts can be sometimes. Nor does she truly know this man, aside from the fact that he has probably experienced his share of racism and is protecting innocents. But how many baddies are going free because of that..?

She pauses too, glancing around for the source of the glass cutting and frowns, moving closer to the judge. "Stay calm..I'm not sure what's happening, but.." Megan shrugs out of her lace vest, spreading out her wings, ready for anything. And then she glances skywards and frowns, trying to see if she can find the source of that noise. Hmm. Could be nothing, could be some technical glitch..Or...

Punisher has posed:
As the cutter finishes it's work, the device is removed, and immediately after, both air and the grapple gun enter the train... and the Punisher aims it for the man's torso. Bola's will wrap around him with strong wiring as he sets the other end of the gun to anchor to the top of the train.

Then, his right hand is reaching for the emergency window release, the other hand already taking out the plastic patch that will cover up the window once the Judge is dangling.

Shredder has posed:
    The judge arches his brow, "Oh, I'm sure it's probably nothing, it just-" he stops as Megan sheds the jacket and spreads her wings. "My dear," he glances around, "You should be careful, some people may not respond well," he suggests, though her personally has no experience with the matter as a human. At least, not in the same context. He glances about, and then up as the air starts to suck from the cabin, drawing the attention of all the passengers. "What the devil?" he raises his attache case as the grapple gun fires for him with the train speeding down the tracks, trees rushing past.
    The bola gun catches his arm, yanking him forward, his arm punching out the hole as he's slammed against the frame of the window internally, letting out a yelp of pain.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn knows better than to simply shrug things off as nothing. She's a professional superhero now, afterall. Even if she's new to this whole thing still. "Sir, hang on!" she yells as the bolas grab him and yank him out of the window. She spreads out her wings, not paying anymore attention to gaping bystanders and flies after him, trying to pull him back in. "Ugh, who did this?" she peers around, but tries to focus on trying to pull him back into the train if she can.

Punisher has posed:
If she had a few more seconds and was strong enough to get rid of bola wiring, she might have a chance...

As it is? That hand goes hits the release, and the window goes tumbling with the Judge right on it. The grapple gun immediately unfurls at the set length to have the man start dragging just below... perfectly positioned to be pulled right under the train wheels once the train starts going back down to ground level... or he gets unlucky and hits something that sends him under.

Meanwhile, the patch sheet is thrown over the window so no innocents inside are hurt by long term wind exposure.

Shredder has posed:
    The judge grabs hold of Pixie's hand as she grabs him, and as the window releases, he finds himself belly over the exterior of the train, screaming for help.
    A moment later, a form of it comes, as the train's brakes screech, the drop off at the edge of the train being replaced by rocks, then by gullet of standing water from a recent rainfall. The passengers lurch forward as the whole train decellerates, someone inside scrambling to hit the emergency stop button.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn leaps out after the Judge, using her wings to safely guide her to land on top of both the judge and the emergency exit door. At this rate that they're flying, they could easily crash and burn. Death would be imminent. Okay then, time to teleport 'em both. "Hang on, sir, I'll get us out...Sihal Novarum chinoth!!" a column of pink light surrounds them both, porting them out from the dangerously approaching train, teleporting them to the next train station. Phew, in her anxiety and the sudden situation, she didn't have time to port him somewhere safe. Like, oh, a police station. But hopefully they're safe here for now.

Punisher has posed:
Well. Shit. There goes two weeks of planned and checking routes. A chance teleporter; one in a billion. It isn't often that the Punisher has his plans ruined that badly on a fluke.

It doesn't matter now though, "Got a new player. Looks like a teleporter. No idea where they went. Microchip, I need a location off the phone. Otherwise, this operation is a failure." Punisher tells his partner over the masks built in commlink.

Meanwhile, the train keeps going... and the Punisher grips the magnetic grippers to stay steady.

Shredder has posed:
    His hat was lost in the scuffle, and Judge Grubb checks to find it gone, his salt and pepper afro visible. "What happened, where are we?" he gasps in a panic. He grabs his side from where he had been hanging over the edge. "Oh..." he starts to get up, looking around. "Who was that?" He's definitely not as collected as he was a moment earlier, he's disoriented, and panicked.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn wipes the dust off her own shirt, although she left the duster back on the train. Oh well, it was a cheap thing and she has others at home. "Hmm, well I ported you to the nearest train station." oh yeah, her wings are pretty much visible by now, no hiding that obvious fact. She doesn't seem bothered however. At least there aren't a lot of people on this station.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Is there somewhere I can take you, police station or something? Who was that guy?" she peers around down the track, then frowns, "We should move, he'll be here soon..Are you okay?" glancing back to the guy, Megan gives him the once over, checking for obvious injuries.

Punisher has posed:
"Next station on the stop, Frank." Punisher grumbles, "So much for making it clean. Bring the Van to the station and standby. I'll see if I can get this done." As he speaks, he's exchanging the regular .45 magazine on his Commander pistol and loading in one of his 'Mercy' round magazines. The slide is used ans the ejected round put into his vest as he waits for the station...

He doesn't wait for the train to stop. Instead, he takes his grapnel gun and aims for the roof of the station itself, pulling himself up onto it, before he starts to dash across it, scanning for Grubb.

As he sees the Judge... he goes to a walk... aims...

Shredder has posed:
    "Yes, yes I think that'd be best," Grubb agrees. "You know, in this line, it could be anyone. There's always someone unhappy with a verdict," he tells Megan. "But no, I haven't a clue who it was." Over all, except a few minor cuts and bruises, he's all right, if not very shaken.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn frowns, peering around, always on the lookout. "Come on, let's get you somewhere safe.." and she will lead him towards the end of the platform, winding through crowds, although there aren't a whole lot right now. "Phew, let's see, nearest police station, probably best. Unless.." Can she take him out hereself?

But then she glances over her shoulder and notices the black outfit with that telltale skull on the chest..."Oh no...Are you kidding me? The Punisher is after you? Crap! Look, I need you to run, to the nearest police station. Call for help. I'll try and slow him down!"

She spreads her wings and flies towards him..Wait, what's she doing? Megan spreads her arms, her wings glittering intently now and unleashes a storm of glittering pink dust at him. If it gets on his skin or he inhales it, he will start to experience vivid hallucinations as if someone just gave him a strong dose of LSD..

But if she's not so lucky, she may well just confuse him and slow him down if he dosen't move out of the dust storm quickly enough..

Punisher has posed:
It's a wind mask with a small filter in front, so the dust doesn't get inhaled... but it does cloud his vision.

Looking over his suit, it clearly isn't eating his clothing or burning, so he simply starts walking across the rooftop, and he yells out, "Get out of the way, girl! I'm not after you! I'm after the piece of shit you're protecting!"

Dashing is a good way to lose his sense of direction, so Megan has that going for her.

Shredder has posed:
    "Miss, you shouldn't! the judge calls after her. Now he knows who it is, he's clearly more afraid, but not to the point that he's willing to leave a young woman to be murdered by a lunatic. He pulls his phone from his pocket, and quickly dials 911.

    "Yes, this is Judge Devin Grubb," he says hastily, "We have a police emergency at Staten Railway station..." he glances around, "Station 7. The Punisher is attacking."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn narrows her eyes as she notices the wind mask and full body glove which do an excellent job of protecting him from the hallucinogenic effects of her dust. Even so, she's not about to let him kill a seemingly innocent man in cold blood.

Maybe she can..Talk him down? "Why are you trying to kill the Judge? He's just trying to help us mutants, I thought you only went after criminals!" this whole thing makes no sense to her..Is she missing something here?

Even as she speaks, Megan is not moving out of his way. At least she thinks she can out manouver him..

Punisher has posed:
Instead of answering, The Punisher aims for Megan. He's stopped and taking up an aiming stance. "Only warning. Get out of the way, or I go /through/ you. He's a piece of shit criminal, and I don't answer to you."

Shredder has posed:
    "Yes, yes, hurry! There's a young woman, she's trying to stop him, I'm afraid for her safety!" the Judge exclaims, waving at the others at the station. "Everyone get to cover, get away, this place is about to be attacked by the Punisher!" He waves at the evening traffic, those who are getting ready for their commute home, or to pick up loved ones. "Get off the platform!" He starts to lead the rush, finding his way to a more hidden location. But not leaving entirely. After all, Megan is still in harm's way, and he is not so selfish that he would just leave her to her fate. Not that he has much combat that he can add to help her.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn frowns, knowing she probably likely cant take on The Punisher alone..she should call for backup, but there's just not enough time. But maybe she can buy enough time for the Judge to escape or at least get some help?

"Hey, who you calling a criminal? What are you even talking about? He's defended a lot of mutants who would have been treated harshly if it weren't for his intervention. There aren't a lot of humans who have stuck their neck out for mutants.."

And, she stubbornly, some may say stupidly, refuses to get out of his way. Instead, she bring her fist to her chest..What's she doing? Looks like she's pulling a glowing pink object - a dagger - from her chest. Megan may not be a great hand to hand combatant, but after all the practicing with her dagger, she's got a killer aim.

"Take this!" and she hurls the glowing magical dagger at him. Of course, it'll pass through armour, but if it hits, it'll cause massive pain to the average human.

Punisher has posed:
The dagger hits. The Punisher hasn't studied Megan at all and he was focusing on aiming. He screams in the mask. She knows it hit...

He's still standing, and despite a twitch here and there in his demeanor, he keeps that pistol aimed at Megan... and fires. A volley of 'Mercy' stun rounds in the .45 caliber fly at Megan with deadly accuracy.

Through gritted teeth, the Punisher growls at her, pain clearly in his voice, "Gonna need more than that, girl."

Shredder has posed:
    "Yes he's shooting!" The judge calls back into the phone. "I think she might get shot, we need a SWAT team here right now!" Sirens can be heard as through the nearby neighborhood, the officers that are closest start to approach the scene. The judge leaves the station, rushing down to where they can meet him.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is fast in the air, very fast. It's enough to let her dodge out of the way of at least some of his shots..But this is The Punisher afterall, and his aim is deadly. A few of those shots hit her square in the chest and she shrieks, falling to the ground, stunned, twitching in pain, though not as much as it would were they actually lethal. "Nooo....." she groans..

Punisher has posed:
Too much time. Trying to get to the Judge now would be strategic suicide. "Operation failure. Staying longer means a war with the police. This asshole isn't worth it. Extract at north side on wingsuit."

The Punisher runs along the rooftop, his pistol holstered, and he takes off, gliding in the air northward as the Battle Van aligns with him below... and the Punisher lands gracefully on top of it, heading for the hatch on the rooftop.

Just like that, the Punisher blends back into New York.