1472/Body Language, Inc. Part 2

Body Language, Inc. Part 2
Date of Scene:	14 July 2017
Location:	Gotham
Synopsis:	Cypher meets Batgirl to pass a message to the Bat.
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Batgirl (Cain)

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Cypher has posed:
After a terse encounter with Damian Wayne, Doug Ramsey resumed his search. The costumed young man is still feeling the traffic, reading gang signs, observing the movements of rats; the city has a language, and part of that language is the enigmatic vigilante -- Batman.

.oO(And if I pay close enough attention, I know that I can find him to give him this flash drive!) Cypher continues to move through the back alleys, silently wishing that his friends were with him -- but still, he goes on. .oO(That KID was so angry, he was almost psychotic! But I guess he decided I wasn't worth his trouble. I suppose that's a good thing, because my knees are still knocking. That sword of his was no joke!)

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    If Doug perhaps knew Batman better, he might instead of the streets, be searching along Gotham's rooftops. But there is one language that the city might tell him - one language most people in Gotham already know. It is a dark city. Filled with hope, yes. But, corruption. Corruption so deep it's almost a living, breathing entity, a symbiotic host to the cement and steel that forms the massive city.
    But it is not Batman that is watching upon the rooftops, this evening. It is someone else, entirely. Her costume designed, perhaps, to strike even more fear than Batman's own. Hers is a costume of nearly pure black, eyes blacked out, and the mouth over the cowl sewn over. She watches Doug from above. Batman does not like foreign heroes, or costumes in his city. She doesn't either. They are - unknowns. And unknowns, even with good intentions, can draw more deadly villians out of the woodwork, or the sewers.
    She moves forward, behind Doug, to drop down into an alleyway. Then, creeps up behind him. Watching. And when the moment is right? With a sweeping hand over her cape she moves forward, into his line of vision. Most would read those intentions as something to be terrified of. Only Doug, or others like herself, could see through the veritable mask. Fear is a weapon. One to gain control by.
    She holds out her hand to Doug, palm forward, to indicate to him to stop. Then, she waits. Expectantly. The Bat-Sigil on her chest the only glimmer of color, bright yellow against the dead black, besides her small utility belt.

Cypher has posed:
Doug had been considering going back up to the rooftops; but though he's athletic, certain distances are too great to span. He turns. "Huh--" Then sets his jaw. Another vigilante. .oO(One of Batman's? It makes sense he'd have a franchise...) He turns again, and he can already tell she doesn't mean to attack. The young man in the decidedly old-fashioned costume puts his hands on his hips. He's nonaggressive, but wary, unsure of where he stands, but not backing down.

He tilts his head, and then strokes his chin. And finally, he ventures, "...I need to talk to Batman. I have something to give him. Once I've done that, I'm going to leave." Curiosity is writ large on him, however, mingled in with that great wariness.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Batgirl is neither backing down, but there is the understanding gleaned by her posture that she has already assessed him as a non-threat. Furthermore, more subtle nuances even go so far as to tell Doug that she has already determined she can take him, if it went to combat. Pure confidence, there. And, there is a measure of understanding, too. She knows he can read her, at least to some degree.
    Her hand lowers, and she sizes Doug up, walking a slow, measuring circle about the man, saying nothing. And while there is doubt, perhaps even suspicion, she is certain this is no trap. At least, no trap Doug himself is aware of. It doesn't mean he's not been set up.
    She holds her hand out, for the 'something'. Expectant.

Cypher has posed:
Maybe, maybe not. He tilts his head, as he takes in the girl. He has no desire to fight. And reads, easily enough, that she's not playing a trick. He hesitates... but then he reaches into the bag, and takes out a small jump drive. It's shaped like Superman. He holds it up between two fingers, and then lets out a sigh, before he offers it to Batgirl.

"Okay. Okay. You're at least being more polite about it than that pint-size psychopath was. Is he with you?"

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    Confusion. Mild. She knows what jump drive is, but, well, the one's she's used were far more plain. There is skepticism, as she looks at Doug, wondering if the man isn't a bit - well, off.
    Yet, she takes the jump-drive, holding it between two fingers to look at it oddly a few more moments, before it gets tucked into an empty pocket in her utility belt. Batman will know what to do with it, and be able to assess any threat to him. She is fully confident of that, too.
    Negation, to Doug's question. Her head shakes to indicate such. Then, she lifts her chin up. Points, at Doug. She wants his name.

Cypher has posed:
Editor's note: The contents of the jump drive are the files that Doug pulled off of Graydon's personal server while convalescing from his return to life, and can be found here: https://www.unitedheroesmush.com/scene/scene.php?id=1320

Doug pauses, and then he points to himself. He looks down, and then he tilts his head, slowly. His name, name? Or his codename? He sighs. "Cypher. You can call me Cypher."

Then he looks Cassandra up and down, and says, "...Let me guess. Batwoman?"

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    A sharp nod follows. She will remember. There is slight displeasure as he clearly gets the name wrong. While he can't read her facial expressions, her body language makes it clear enough. Again, her head moves in negation. There is a long pause, then, a single word. Spoken slowly. Clearly. "Girl." No further words come, suggestive there is perhaps a reason beyond simple fear-inducement the mouth is sewn shut.

Cypher has posed:
...Cypher. The number Zero. Or, alternately, a number -- or a code, or a calculation, or the key to breaking a code. But that makes the masked young man wince. And then, he says, "...Batgirl. Okay." Then he pauses, and scratches the back of his head through his cowl. "I guess my job is done." He says, before he says, "Please tell Batman that I'm just trying to help. And that I hope what's on that drive will save lives. If he needs anything more from me, an access key to a private server where he can leave me a message is also on that jump drive."

He turns away, slightly, and then says, "Thank you, Batgirl." Then he grins, brightly. ...It's a nice smile.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    There is a long pause, and she does not seem to be quite done with Cypher. She moves around him again, her cape trailing behind her, slowly. "Why?" So many thoughts with that why. Why come to Batman? Why not use this himself? Why try to find Batman through this crude method? So many why's are moving through her head.
    She is assessing his gear, now. His armor. Comparing it to Batman's. Assessing how the man could seem to at least understand her on a level that most do not.

Cypher has posed:
Cypher turns, and then... he shrugs. There isn't anything said with that, and yet so much is spoken. What other choice did he have? He squares his shoulders a bit. The suit is unstable molecules with a utility belt and an armored vest. Advanced but nothing super-sophisticated. It's mostly just a suit and a little bit of body armor and a mask. Nothing to fight a war on crime with. And it look... old-fashioned. Like he might've found it in the back of a closet that it was tossed into at the end of a more innocent era.

Then, finally, he speaks. "I'm a Mutant, Batgirl. And Graydon Creed intends to kill a lot of people I care about. If Batman finds something on that flash drive he can use against Graydon Creed, then... I've done the right thing. That's all." There's unspoken to that -- Doug doesn't want to kill Graydon Creed. But he's afraid that if the man isn't stopped, he's going to have to try. He's not even sure he CAN -- just that there's a non-zero chance he might have to try. And he's desperate to avoid that outcome.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    "No Kill." Two words. Rarely has Cassandra spoken so much, though Cypher probably wouldn't know that. Still, there's a sense of understanding in Batgirl, suddenly. Perhaps even with those unspoken words, those weights on his psychological burden, he has earned some measure of trust with Batgirl. She nods, slowly. And her posture changes. She will certainly, now, hand the item over to Batman. Tonight, even, perhaps.

Cypher has posed:
Doug Ramsey nods, slowly. "Thank you. Like I said, if he needs to contact me, the means to do so is on that disk." He holds up one hand. "Now, I'm tired, and even though it's the middle of July, this city has suddenly gotten very cold. I'm going home, Batgirl." He pauses, and his visored head dips. "Be safe." His shoulders slump. He's tired. Tired and relieved.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
    A nod. Once. Then, she raises her grappling hook, and is suddenly catapulted up into the shadowy night, to disappear into Gotham's mysterious skyline. She may still be watching Cypher. Perhaps, even as an escort of sorts. Until the cyber-hero gets himself out of Gotham. Or, to a safe place. But, as far as Cyper knows, she is gone.