2398/Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Date of Scene:	10 September 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Batwoman calls Montoya in to investigate a lead.
Cast of Characters:	Batwoman, Renee Montoya

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Batwoman has posed:
    It's late evening in downtown proper and tonight is a little different. Batwoman called Renee on her cellphone and gave her a time and a location out in old Gotham. They are there now, scoping out an old house in the China basin district, not far from where the boat toursh appen. The windows are boarded up and the yard is desolate but it's till a nice place. A little paint, some windows, and a large fmaily might make it into something good.
    "So. I know there was an old gang hanging out here and dealing dope. They stored their drugs on the property, I think. What I am not sure is who gave them the idea and how deep the operation ran. I'm hoping I can find something that will tell me a bit about their boss, allies, contacts..." Batwoman shrugs slowly. She is dressed in that black armoured costume, her flowign crimson hair framing her shoulders and fallingdown her back.
    "This is more your area of expertise, Detective. I know it's not your usual MO but I can't really go to the Gotham City Police department about it."

Renee Montoya has posed:
    "We'll take what we can get," agrees Montoya. She frowns some, looking back to the costumed red-headed woman in the ebony outfit. She gets out of the slightly new car she's got. New, to her. But it's still a used model, after her other car got roasted in the Intergang fight. She begins to leave the vehicle, noting, wryly, "I can't really do anything without just cause, though. My intuition is good. But, it's not perfect."
    She begins to approach the old house, looking for clues. Signs of life. Or, signs of disuse. Patterns. Clues. It's what she's good at. Taking the small threads, and tying them together.

Batwoman has posed:
    "If we can't do anything legally I might have to take things apartm yself. I wouldn't mind going to the GCPD - but a drug operation this close to the docks? You know as well as Ido that they've had to invest in the GCPD to get this far." Batwoman shakes her head slowly and then follows after Renee, frowning faintly as she scans the ground.
    Renee, or her part, can see the signs of hasty movement. Sommething heavy and rectangular was dragged through the soft dirt toward a patch of dirt along the back side of the building, branches and grass bowed like a neon sign toward ... packed dirt, and little else.
    Someone was in a hurry. Kate wanders up beside Renee,arching a brow faintly as she does so, but then she just nods once. "The place appears to be empty but we don't know when htey'll come back."

Renee Montoya has posed:
    "No harm in looking." And, Renee is absolutely confident in her ability to protect herself, and Kate's to do the same. Especially now that she's been getting some very personal training with a very, very tough taskmistress by the name of Shiva. "Something was drug over here. Buried, perhaps." Her foot taps the earth.
    She looks towards Batwoman, then, asks humouressly, "I don't suppose you've got a shovel in that little nifty gadget-pack of yours?" She gestures haphazardly at Kate's utility belt. before digging her foot in, to toe away some of the packed soil, sweeping her leg a few times to see just how packed in that dirt is.

Batwoman has posed:
    It's a pretty loose pack, as it happens. Kate looks down at this and shakes her head slowly. "Nope, no bat spade. I'll have to gt the big guy to work on one of those another night." Kate shakes her head and then walks through the yard carefully. She bends down and picks up a broad stick, caryring it back to the patch of dirt to drag through the soil.
    Thunk. Thunk. It isn't long before the stick hits something heavy ... And hard. "Metal?" Kate kicks away some mroe soil now, frowning as she does. "They - buried the cellar hatch. Seriously?" She shakes her head. "Right. This is probably stuffed full of contraband. And locked." So sayin she begins to excavate.

Renee Montoya has posed:
    Renee shakes her head, "Dammit." She'd been hoping maybe for a box of drugs, or - heaven help her, a dead body. Something tangible that would give her ample opportunity to give her sufficient cause to broaden the search into the interior of the home. She kicks a bit at the dirt, shaking her head. "Nothing I can do about that. For all we know, they're insulating it against the weather. Or, there some safety hazard in the root cellar they want to make sure people stay out of. Or they just don't want to use it. Maybe they were wanting to plant a garden."
    She shoves her hands into her pockets, "Where'd you get this lead, anyways?"

Batwoman has posed:
    "You saw Batwoman breaking into a private home and decided to investigate. That soundsl ike probable cause to me," Kate begins, eeying the cellar as she does so. She seems to be seriously considering doing just that. "I did a lot of legwork. Followed some leads..." She pauses for a second and takes a deep breath. "There has to be something we can work with, at least off the books. Let's see."

Renee Montoya has posed:
    Renee pinches the bridge of her nose, closes her eyes. There's so much wrong with this. But she can't argue with Batwoman's logic. So, she turns her head and walks a few paces away. She says nothing, of course. Because if she says something? Well. That would be aiding, and abetting. Or conspiring. Or something. And if she's too near? Well. Then she'd be obligated to stop Batwoman before she broke in. "I'm just going to step over here, make a quick call. Don't do anything while you're unattended, Batwoman."
    Cough. Cough.

Batwoman has posed:
    "..." Batwoman examines the cellar door for a moment and tilts her head slightly as she does so. Then she is reaching into her belt and remocving a pair of bolt cutters. The padlock is cut and the door are thrown open then Kate begins to descend down the stairs itno the building.
    "Well. There's a big crate down here that fits the bill of what we're looking for. I'm going to guess it's stuffed full of drugs." Batwoman starts toward the care in question with slow steps.
    After that the woman adds, "Montoya! You need to come arrest me now."

Renee Montoya has posed:
    "Heaven help me," mutters Montoya to herself, and then she's moving down into the root cellar, a minute or so after Kate had busted in. She's got her flashlight on, and her other hand is near the gun. Not that she thinks she'll need it. But, one never knows.
    Her steps are slow, as she enters the room, looking around. "You're breaking and entering, Batwoman," she calls, dryly.

Batwoman has posed:
    "I witnessed a crime in progress, officer. Take a look." The box is thrown open and inside of it is a huge stack of file folders, each labeled with a name, first and last. Kate stares at the papers for a moment then reaches out to point at the firs. 'Moss, Rachael'. She doesn't comment further now, instead glancing back at Renee and taking half a step back.

Renee Montoya has posed:
    "What the hell, ...," Montoya asks, picking up the folder, and begins to look through it, unable to fathom why anyone would bury a bunch of folders. It's too suspicious. "...have you stumbled on?" She flips through the folder, slowly, reading it as fast as she can, even as her eye darts to consider the massive amoun tof other folders in the buried container.

Batwoman has posed:
    Names, dates, licenses, social security cards, profiles. Dozens. Batwoman watches Rene rifle trough the papers iwth her arms crosed, silently studying her and her movements. Kate shrugs at the question rather than replying.

Renee Montoya has posed:
    Renee picks up her phone, dials a number, "This is Montoya. Need you down at my coordinates. Tracked Batwoman breaking into a root cellar in Chelsea. She wasn't here when I got down here, but I think we just broke the lid open on an identity scam. You wouldn't believe the amount of information I've got here. Root cellar was buried, looks like. From all appearances, looks like people are creating identities. We're going to need a whole team down here."
    A pause. "Right." She hangs up the phone, and exhales. "Well, your tip paid off, Kate." Her expression turns wry, then, "But, it also booked me some extra hours. You should get out of here. How about a late dinner?"

Batwoman has posed:
    Batwoman listens to the phonecall, nodding slowly as Renee speaks. She lets her finish before moving a muscle and even then it is a few seconds before the redhead says a word. First she takes a deep breath, studyign the deetive's features. "Alright. In the mean time I should let you get acquainted with your new caseload."