1635/Cold Open

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Cold Open
Date of Scene: 24 July 2017
Location: Gotham City
Synopsis: Thugs are chased by cops. A couple would-be heroes intervene. Catwoman remains literally above it all.
Cast of Characters: Joker, Insight, Wu, Catwoman




Joker has posed:
"Out of the goddamned way!"

An angry voice cuts through the surprisingly quiet night in Gotham as an Ace Chemicals truck comes barreling down the road, the driver laying on the horn. He leans out again and opens his mouth to scream at the sedan in front of him, but the machine gun fire from his passenger drowns out whatever he was going to say, and with a sickening crunch the truck slams into the back of the car and sends it skidding onto the sidewalk.

Behind the truck, sirens blaring, a lone patrol car chases, the cop in the passenger seat ducking back inside as the machine gun spray takes off the sideview mirror and the driver lets out a muffled curse. "Get us closer!" the passenger yells, the driver calling back: "I'm trying! Shoot the tires!"

With another sickening metallic crunch, the runaway truck slams into a parked car and fishtails, inadvertently turning a bumper -- who knows from which vehicle -- into a deadly projectile that sails through the air on a collision course with a couple on the side of the road!

Insight has posed:
Out on patrol, Georgie is poking around Gotham. He grew up in Gotham, so is familiar with the little nooks and crannies that are would-be vigilante's bread and butter. He isn't particularly well equipped yet, without the gizmos and gear that a more seasoned hero might have, but his natural athleticism gets him around slow, but sure.

At the sound of the shout, Georgie perks up and moves from rooftop to rooftop in that direction. He moves with urgency as he hears the first chatters of gunfire and the sound of a car being hit. He arrives in time to see the bumper sailing through the air with deadly consequence towards a couple. He doesn't shout, instead gritting his teeth and running to intercede as fast as he can. He might be able to reach them in time to push them out of the way or at least interpose his own armored form between flying projectile and the far less protected couple.

Wu has posed:
    Even less well-equipped than Georgie, Detective Alice Gulliver is out in the streets on business of her own, doing rounds in streets that would have her superiors, if they were aware, raising more than just one eyebrow. As she makes her way back to her neck of the woods, the sound of the siren catches her attention. As does the squeal of tires. And the sound of a machine gun. She breaks into a run, unslinging one of her pistols, rounding the corner, pistol out, eyes searching for and aquiring potential targets as she assesses the situation.
    The situation is this: two people are about to get royally screwed.
    "HEY!" she shouts, running toward the pair, unable to reach them before they get struck down. "HIT THE GROUND NOW!" She punctuates this with two pistol shots at the wall nearby to grab their attention. "DOWN! POLICE!"

Catwoman has posed:
Also along the rooftops is a certain cat-burglar known primarily around Gotham City as Catwoman herself. While she's not traversing them right now instead of taking a break in the middle of whatever business she has in the area, she's on the lookout for a certain someone who's taken to following her lately. Why does Batman have to be so..annoying sometimes?

That thought is interrupted by a more typical sound in Gotham: gunfire, sirens, shouts. "Oh, what is it this time?" she asks the wind that blows past her on the rooftop of a lower building in the area, a frown set into what little of her features can normally be seen. Someone speeding, shots being fired, vehicles colliding, then a fender shearing off. "Shit," she utters under her breath, rising to stand at the edge of the rooftop, where she gets a good view of two others moving to act. There isn't always someone around to help the innocent, but this time...

"Did she just /shoot/ at them?" the costumed cat exclaims, staring as Alice indeed fires her gun in the general direction of the innocent bystanders, whether effective or not. And there's somebody else, appearing armored up, diving into the fray. She watches, but she also turns her attention toward the truck and police car.

Joker has posed:
The couple, of course, are fully aware of the chaotic car chase occuring a few feet away, but the fender came off so quickly they still haven't had a chance to register it before they're being shot at. Fearing for his safety, the woman shoves the man hard, pushing him out of the way of what are SURELY deadly bullets coming their way, but before she can realize her mistake, Goodspeed sends her right after the man and out of the path of the fender which slams 'harmlessly' into the brick building behind them, dust flying like shrapnel and enveloping the couple and their nearest saviour.

Save for the cop in the passenger seat of the patrol car, those involved in the car chase seem oblivious to the incident. The truck, for instance, continues barreling down the now largely clear road ahead, the machine gun fire resurgent now that the jarring impacts are out of the way for the moment. The police, unable to get a clear shot on the tires and fearing that gunfire pull back, but don't let up. "This is unit sixteen, requesting back-up once again! We're in pursuit of a hijacked vehicle traveling eastbound down 38th towards Godfreed Avenue. Alert, suspects are confirmed to be armed and highly dangerous," the passenger calls into the onboard radio while the driver attempts to stay on the truck, but he only gets back static. "Shit. I think they may have hit it."

Insight has posed:
Goodspeed takes a moment to check the couple out. He spares a look at the bullet holes, unsure of what exactly happened, but happy those he tried to help seem to have come out of it none the worse for wear. He gives each a touch on the shoulder, reassuring as he says, "Good job getting out of the way. Find some cover and stay down until the gunshots stop at least, okay?" As he speaks, he sends out some of his good vibes, alleviating some of the fear and shock to help them think clearly and hopefully get out of the way. He flashes a smile from under the hood and says, "Gotta go. Doesn't look like backup is coming."

Hoping that the chase takes a turn that might keep him in play, Goodspeed takes off after the cop car, hoping his conditioning paid off.

Wu has posed:
    Immediate threat to life and limb handled (albeit somewhat baroquely), Alice spins as the truck goes roaring past her. Both guns out now, she levels them at the receding truck as she kneels, each one aimed ... away from the truck a little, one to each side. Bending her head, looking for all the world like she's staring at the SIDEWALK--were there witnesses in front they'd see her actually close her eyes--she suddenly releases a fusilade of bullets. Nine rounds in each magazine. Two rounds already fired. That equals ... 20? ... rapidfire explosions?"
    The bullets twist in flight like guided missiles, converging on the right rear wheels of the truck, ready to shred the rubber wrapping it. Could the bullets' paths be followed by the naked eye, that is."
    "Bang bang, you're dead," Alice whispers to herself.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman seems to have no particular care for the people who have made it to safety unharmed, her focus primarily on the people associated with the truck along with the police in pursuit. Even Goodspeed and Gulliver are secondary to her for a moment, though the ongoing gunfire leaves her keeping her distance. Moving to an adjacent rooftop for a better angle on the truck itself, it is of more interest to her.

"What do you have in there..." she murmurs to herself, spotting the lettering for the chemical plant. "Hmmm." A stray bullet then whizzes past her by no more than about ten feet or so, leaving her to duck back down quickly and curse under her breath again.

Joker has posed:
Back in the cab of the truck, the passenger grins and pulls himself back in, quickly reloading the magazine on his assault rifle. "I think they're fallin' back, man. A bit more and I think we can lose 'em," he reports to his associate who gives a laughing sort of cheer and hits his friend on the shoulder and chest repeatedly in excitement. "I told you! I told you it'd work. My friend works for this guy, right? And he always has good information. He /told/ me about this shit. Said his boss gave it a pass because it was small-time, but not for us, Man!" This illicits more excited laughing from the pair, and in the midst of their reverie they never see it coming...

*POP POP*

Suddenly, without warning, the rear right tires on the truck explode with the force of all that compressed air suddenly expanding all at once. The thieves and cops will likely never know what (or who) shot out the tires, and at the moment, neither group is too concerned. The driver of the truck loses control and fishtails yet again, but this time it's too much to get under control and with a sudden metallic shriek, the truck rams full force into a parked car, sending it lurching forward five feet while the truck continues on and nails a lightpost, the entire thing coming up on the front tires for two... three full seconds before the whole thing slams back down to Earth and goes silent. The cops, not dealing with sudden loss of control, come to a skidding stop, pop open their doors, and take over behind them, pistols trained on the stopped vehicle. After a quiet moment, the driver reaches inside the patrol car and switches the radio over to the PA system, his partner starting to say, "They shot it rem-"

"THIS IS THE POLICE! PLACE YOUR HANDS PALM DOWN ON THE ROOF OF YOUR VEHICLE! -NOW-!"

Suddenly, machine gun fire shatters the silence after the officer's demand. Wild and unaimed, it still forces the cops to duck down behind the relative safety of their doors. With their heads down, they miss the thieving duo stumble from the wreckage and take positions behind two different parked cars, each with their own assault rifle and far too much ammunition.

Insight has posed:
Hearing the tires pop, Georgie thinks the worst, so dives behind a parked car. He pokes his head up when he hears the machine gun chatter after the cops calling out. Assault rifles against a pair of cops just doesn't seem fair to him. He creeps around the car and jimmy's off a pair of hubcaps. He gives them a heft and starts to creep his way past the wrecked truck to try and get a bead on one of the fellows with assault rifles. Flying car parts are deadly, yo. He just saw that way more up close and personal than he truly desired.

Provided he isn't spotted and shot to death, he'll huck one of his hubcaps like a discus at one of the bad guys. It isn't pretty, but new heroes gotta do what they can.

Wu has posed:
    Alice stands up, roots in her pocket, and pulls out a sheaf of ... square papers, about 12cm (5") on each side, scrawled with writing of some form. She picks one, crumples it into a little ball as she walks toward the firefight that has erupted, popping it into her mouth. Another one is selected and the sheaf is put back in her pocket.
    Approaching the beleaguered cops from behind, taking minimal effort to avoid the bullets (and yet somehow remaining untouched by them) she flips the lapel of her vest to show a silver (not gold) badge.
    "Detective Gulliver," she says, identifying herself to the oldest of the cops from a safe distance. "Asian crimes task force. How can I be of assistance ... ?"
    Then to clarify.
    "I'm attached, not in chain of command. I'm not taking the scene. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Catwoman has posed:
A sigh under her breath. A rolling of the eyes behind the goggles. Catwoman has decided this is not her fight, not something for her to get in the middle of, but that doesn't mean she can't do something to possibly turn the tide a ways. A certain someone would probably approve, too. He must not be in the area watching, otherwise he'd be down there in the middle of it all by now.

This is how a few pellets of some kind are allowed to fall from a hand, directed toward the gunmen in the chemical truck after she's placed herself in the best position to hit her mark. They land within a foot or two of both, first one then the other, and a thick cloud of white smoke begins to billow up around them. It isn't a choking sort of thing, but it will make it very difficult for them to see out of it. It might even make them think that certain someone is in the vicinity.

"Don't say I never do any good deeds, Batman," she practically purrs to herself.

Joker has posed:
"Jack, we gotta' get outta' here," one of the thieves -- the passenger -- yells to his buddy, his head ducked beneath the cover of the parked car while 'Jack' fires a spray of shots towards the cops. "Obviously, but we can't with these two morons on us!" Jack calls back as he finally manages to shoot out the sirens, the patrol car releasing one last pathetic, dying wail before it goes silent. "Finally," he grunts, relieved in that last moment before a hub cap separates him painfully from three of his teeth.

"Shit," he buddy mumbles, poking his head up occasionally to try and find out where the impromptu discus came from but determined not to present a target for a wiperblade javelin. "Jack! Jack! Are you alive?!" A moan comes back to Jack's friend as the named thief rolls onto his back, one hand on his face to try and stem the bloodflow. "Whuf thuh heph wush thaf?" Jack mutters into the empty air above his now crossed eyes.

The passenger-side officer is looking around in astonishment for the source of the hub-cap thrower as well, hoping beyond hope that maybe Batman has come to pull their asses out of the fire, but the driver-side is looking behind them, stunned as Alice approaches. "Jesus christ, how about you take some real cover for a start!" he calls back, waving desperately for her to get down. So stunned is he, he doesn't even notice the momentary lull in the opposing gunfire. "Just, just... uh..." It kicks back up again as Jack's friend tries to pick up the slack to cover for his downed friend, the passenger-side cop calling through the patrol car to his partner: "Did you see that?! I think it was like... a metal disc or something. Does anyone throw metal dis- Who's that?" The driver-side cop, the ID tag sewn onto his chest identifying him as Officer Sawyer, waves for his partner to get quiet while he points to Alice, "Look, if we provide cover fire, do you think you can approach from an angl-"

"Hey, look!" The other officer interrupts and points out the rising smoke both marking the position of the two thieves and cutting off their gunfire as they lose sight of the cops' position. Without hesitation, Officer Sawyer waves Alice to move on the thieves while he and his partner rise up and start taking shots at the parked cars, hoping to keep the thieves' heads down while the smoke keeps them from firing back.

Insight has posed:
It's a hard thing to not give out a little cheer when he actually hits poor Jack in the grill with the hubcap. Georgie, or Insight as he's known as in Boston, stays in cover a moment, controlling his breathing so he doesn't go and hyper-ventilate. He pokes his hooded head back up and his eyes get wide as he sees the smoke covering the gunmen. He glances around, worrying that he might have to contend with Batman. He's as likely to get stomped if that's the case.

Georgie doesn't see the bat or boy wonder, so reassess the situation. He looks at the police and decides that he'll let the actual authorities handle this bit. He slips into an alley with a good view, hefting the second hubcap just in case the other fellow runs or the cops end up needing the back up.

Wu has posed:
    "You want me to bring da ruckus?" Alice says with an almost feral grin. The second piece of rice paper is crumpled and this time tossed in the direction of the smoke, bouncing harmlessly between the parked cars before hitting the ground.
    A cop. Littering. What's this world coming to?
    Then she explodes into action, both guns forward, eyes searching for a target, as she runs full-tilt at a slight angle to the pair; any glimpse of any part of any one of them warrants a shot, bullets flying forward in deadly ballistic arcs propelled by a cloud of smoke behind them. She gets a lot of glimpses on her way.
    The scene starts to look like a John Woo set piece as she runs through the smoke, unerringly navigating through it like she can see unimpeded, twin handguns blazing away, the pair of cops laying down covering fire, Georgie hyperventilating, Catwoman watching with interest from above. All that's missing is the cloud of doves.
    Well, one dove is disturbed by the noise and flutters off. Maimxum John Woo is accomplished!
    Alice bursts between the pair, guns pointing one at each.
    "CHILL!" she shouts.
    Beat.
    "I MEAN FREEZE!"
    So much for the grand entrance.

Catwoman has posed:
Having done her part in this charade, Catwoman keeps to herself and uses cover to ideally avoid notice. All attention is down on the street anyhow, though she's ducking back in case she picks out anyone looking up. Without quesiton, she's watching Alice Gulliver as much as she can. That one bears further focusing on with the way she moves, the way she uses those guns.

Joker has posed:
"Now whaf?!" Jack laments as smoke rises up all around him, already obscuring his dizzy, cross-eyed vision. "I don't know man, you think it's the Bat?" his partner asks, skittishly aiming his rifle up towards the sky while he ducks in cover behind the car that the other two cops are helpfully firing upon. "I... I dunnof!" Jack returns, nervously trying to find his own weapon in the smoke after it bounced off somewhere.

Then suddenly, there's an Alice Gulliver in the fray and both thieves let out equally terrified yelps, their hands going up so fast they might have broken the sound barrier.

A few minutes later, the smoke has cleared and the thieves are handcuffed and sitting on the curb. The passenger-side patrolman is jimmying open the back of the Ace chemicals truck with an emergency crowbar while Sawyer is briefing a newly arrived detective who had heard the commotion.

"Uh, yeah. That's right Detective, we gave chase and tried to call for back up, but we think they disabled our radio somehow," Sawyer relates, still coming down from the adrenaline rush, "The van's tires gave out and we took cover. Detective Gulliver arrived and... I don't know, I didn't see it, but Gre- Er, Officer Phillips says some sort of disk took out one of the perps. He's missing the teeth to prove it. Smoke came down, we gave Detective Gulliver some cover fire and she got 'em both to surrender, Sir."

"Thank you, Officer," the Detective in the tweed jacket remarks, nodding once or twice before giving the other man a reaffirming pat on the upper arm, "You did well. I'll take it from here, son."

Insight has posed:
Georgie smiles when he sees the police have things well in hand. He isn't about to hang around and have a chat with said police, however. Nobody really knows he was even here, except for the traffic cameras and he's not going to make it otherwise. He slips into an alley and up a fire escape. He's sure there will be muggings and whatnot that still need him. This one, this one is a wrap so far as he's concerned.

He glances back at the police and laughs a little to himself. "Suckers. You guys have to do all that paperwork." And then he's gone.

Wu has posed:
    "I would like to commend the bravery of the two patrolmen, Detective," Alice says as she steps forward, flipping the one lapel to show the silver GCPD deputizing badge and then the other showing her Hong Kong Police badge. "Their pressuring of the miscreants, and their selfless disregard for their own safety as they gave covering fire led directly to the successful arrest of these perpetrators. I'd be glad to serve with them in my own squad back home." She smiles at the pair, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "They are a credit to the fine training and demeanour of your city's people."
    If Detective Tweed isn't smelling bullshit from here, he's hopeless in his task.
    "I feel privileged having helped in my small way."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman certainly has no reason to stick around, no interest whatsoever in talking to cops who would just as soon arrest her as thank her for the part she played in this. She could have just as easily tossed the smoke pellets at the officers instead. Wouldn't that have been a twist?

Whatever her reasoning behind it all, the woman exits the area with nary another word.

Joker has posed:
"Yes, well..." Detective Tweed looks down at his notebook, then back up to Alice, "Detective Gulliver? I think we'll keep these two brave heroes here at home, eh?" He laughs an obviously fake laugh and pats Officer Sawyer on the shoulder again in good humor. Sawyer, for his part, doesn't notice anything fishy at all and just continues to look hopelessly outclassed and nervous as the two detectives interact.