3051/WayneTech Launch Party

WayneTech Launch Party
Date of Scene:	03 November 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	WayneTech's launch party has some unexpected action.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Mariam O'Shea, Oracle, Wonder Woman, Robin (Wayne), Green Lantern (Jordan)

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Batman has posed:
    "The Stars are out in more ways than one for WayneTech's new unveiling of their controversial new Augmented Reality technology." The newscaster smiles, her teeth shiny and white, her blonde hair done up in an elaborate do as she steps back, sweeping her arm to highlight the tableau of wealth and the panopoly of fame presented before the rather done up and decorated Gotham Planetarium.
    Spotlights gleam reaching high up into the sky, and the streets are lined with fine vehicles, all parked by a group of valets in red cocktail jackets. There's a red carpet that allow people to wander into the event, and outside a group of news agencies are all seeking to put their own spin on the event.
    "Tonight," The blonde newscaster smiles, "We'll get an inside look at WorldVision, launching under the watchful eye of Waynetech Wunderkind Bobby Haines. We have Mr. Haines here,"
    "Mr. Haines?"
    "Yes, Veronica?"
    "Would you care to tell us a little bit about what you're planning tonight?"
    Bobby, a young man with a shock of blonde hair that puts the newscaster's to shame grins into the camera. He's wearing a t-shirt printed to look like a tuxedo jacket and a pair of blue jeans, his glasses are square and violet-tinted, and his pupils rather pointedly dialated. "Sure thing, Ronnie." He winks, "Catch you after the show." Then back to the camera, "But between you and me and the audience, it's nothing short of life changing. World changing. Universe changing. If the Apokolipsians had this tech, they would have been too happy to invade anywhere, let me tell you."
    But then the camera goes dark, "Five second delay? Good good, got that." The cameraman says. Then he looks over at Veronica, "Can't use that Ronnie, just ditch the pimple machine we'll talk to someone else."
    Veronica nods, "Right."
    "What?" Bobby looks back and forth quickly, "What?"
    "Sorry, kiddo. Can't talk about the invasion like that, tact you know. Learn some."
    "What?! Hey, screw you lady!"
    Then to his bodyguard, "C'mon, Mariam." And with that, the young man turns and stalks up the red carpet, walking towards the actual inner lobby of the planetarium that's been converted into something of a ball room.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    This entire setup has Mariam completely ill-at-ease. Too many openings, too many opportunities. She'd spoken to the security people on the ground. Exits strategies were in place if needed. The crowds allow a lot of opportunities for anyone up to no good. Having only been back on the job for a week after her recovery time from the last debacle, she's a little anxious about the situatuion.
    Outwardly, no one would ever be able to tell. She remains a little to the side of her charge, prepared to move if necessary. Unlike her ward, she's dresed in a proper charcoal gray skirt suit complete with button up shirt to the neck and a pink tie to give a little pop of color. Round mirrored sunglesses cover her face. Even so her eyes are already aching from all the camera lights and flashes going off.
    As she is summoned, Mariam manages to not roll her eyes. Not that he'd be able to see ia anyway. He seems to enjoy making sure people know he has someone guarding him, as though it's a status symbol. Perhaps it is amongst executives. Who was she to know?
    As he moved to enter, she fell immediately into step with him without saying a word.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara Gordon is inside the Planetarium -- she really dislikes the press and arrived a bit early to avoid the crush of the red carpet. Dressed for the glitzy evening, she's rather eye-catching with her copper mane of hair swept up to expose a slender neck. A sleek black gown with an around-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline and a slit from ankle to knee clings to her curves, and three-inch heels bring her several inches over the 6-foot mark. Having been escorted to any number of these things on her father's arm, she's comfortable in the crowd itself -- plus, it's geeks.
    Slanting a look from beneath her lashes, her green eyes skim over the crowd making mental notes on who needs to be spoken to, who needs to be avoided, who needs to be watched. It's automatic at these soirees. The arrival of the kid wearing jeans brings a ripple of murmured displeasure from the hoi polloi of Gotham society, which draws Barbara's attention to the door as well. Under her breath, she murmurs, "Heaven forbid a computer geek not dress in jeans and a slacker T-shirt for a formal event. Giving all of us a bad name."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince was also in attendance tonight, and she longed for the days where she could just be another face in the crowd... but those days were behind her and at things like this she was tasked with a lot of face to face interactions / interviews and people constantly wanting to speak with her. She could handle it, for sure, but that didn't mean she didn't want to simply fade into the background so that she might watch the event unfold before her and be able to take in all of the experience without constant distractions.

Diana was wearing a slim royal blue dress with a black long sleeved cardigan sweater over it, since it was the time of year were the air was chilled.

Admittdly, Diana was looking about for Bruce, but she had little hope of getting his attention on a busy night like this.

Batman has posed:
    Inside the planetarium itself, many television and a few movie stars are mingling, making themselves seen as they flit from one social group to another, seeking out the occasional cameras and offering their best sides. Above them, in that sweeping hall that has been so converted, there are bright constellations of light that subtly flow and shift through a variety of patterns against the high black ceiling. Some tufts of white fabric are hung from the lights to give the impression of clouds even as down on the floor a smoke machine lends an air of vapor to the ground that wafts about the footsteps of the people.
    On one side of the large room there's a string quartet playing gently flowing classical music to lend a fine ambiance to the place, even as beside them the open bar seems to be doing a brisk business, though manned enough that nobody has to wait too long for their drinks. It's there that the young COO sets up shop, stalking across the mostly empty dance floor with Mariam in tow. He slaps a hand on the bartop, "Bartender, rum and coke. Make it a double." Then towards Mariam, "You want anything?"
    But it's on the opposite side of the room that on that comm frequency that bat people share, Babs might hear the soothing voice of Bruce Wayne in full on social mode as he responds, "Now now, claws in for the night. At least for now." It's low, sub-vocalized, and picked up by their comm even as Bruce Wayne stands there holding court in a bevy of people, shaking hands and smiling. He makes introductions, flirts elegantly with the occasional lovely young woman, and flows about the party like a fish in his home waters.
    But when she makes her entrance up along the red carpet, Diana draws attention rather well despite her wishes she did not. Voices lift,
    "Diana!"
    "Diana!"
    "Princess!"
    "Ms. Prince!"
    But once she's in the ball room itself she is given peace by the ushers keeping most of the media clear. Yet it's then she draws no shortage of attention. From the men, from the women, and even from the host of the event.
    "Diana, so good of you to join us." And there's Bruce Wayne, moving in to greet her with a hand shake, and the shared double cheek kiss of European Bon Vivants. He makes a sweeping gesture for her to join him as he moves towards the dance floor. "May I have this dance?"
    Of course then the music changes to a suitable classical composition.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    He's kidding, right? Mariam flicks her gaze briefly to her charge. It's rare she looks at the people she protects. Those on the outside are the ones she has to worry about. Yet the shock of him asking that is enough to make her focus on her young charge. "No. Thank you, Mr. Haines," she says in a neutral tone of voice. Then she lets her gaze wander again. No one nearby posing any sort of threat, nothing strange going on. Just dozens of people try to get enough alcohol in their systems to forget their problems for a while.
    While she can understand that and might even be tempted for a shot of tequila, she's working. Even water would have her hands occupied when they need to be free.

Oracle has posed:
It always amuses her, the difference between the smooth Bruce Wayne tones and the rougher ones of his alter ego. Barbara merely smiles at his response, and politely responds to the Mayor's wife. "No, ma'am, my father's working this evening, so he won't be here."
    "And young Grayson?" she asks archly.
    "No, I don't think he'll make it either," Barbara replies, a faint flush climbing her face.
    "What a shame," Mrs. Mayor tells her kindly, patting her arm. "You looked so sweet together at the Halloween gala."
    Oh GOD. "Thank you, ma'am. If you'll excuse me? I'm afraid I see someone I really must catch before the night is over." The redhead escapes as nicely as she can and heads toward the bar.
    Hearing the man offering his BODYGUARD a drink of alcohol, she offers a commisserating smile to Mariam as she joins the queue there and asks the bartender quietly for a sparkling water with a twist of lime.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would step into the ballroom and her blue eyes would scan about... up to the point where she was addressed and she looked at the man she'd just thought about moments ago. A smile appeared on her dark red tinted lips and she stepped toward him. "Bruce." She said softly. "And here I thought I would not see you the entirity of the evening."

When gestured toward the dance floor, she'd oblige and offer her hand to walk with him. "That sounds lovely." She said in a calming toned voice. "Is everything going well so far?" She asked. "I... recall... some mild concerns." She looked on him then with an inquisitive stare.

Batman has posed:
    Over there at the bar, Bobby Haines crinkles his nose at Mariam. Ever since the board stuck him with her he'd had to alter his plans. But once he gets his drink he leans back against the bar and takes a few swallows, then tells her. "Alright we've made our appearance Let's go back, get some of the gear checked, then I need a cigarette."
    After he says that he pushes away from the bar and starts to walk towards the area that leads towards the planetarium itself, the three sets of double doors that will assuredly be the place where they make their presentation. Once he gets close to one he'll nod to one of the security guards in the guise of a waiter and then shoulders open the door. To his credit he does hold it open for Mariam.
    Over at the bar, however, one of the tenders saunters up to Babs and takes her order. Once he's got the sparkling water secured he'll flash her a smile as he looks her over a second time. She does make an impression, that's true.
    But many other eyes are on the couple on the dance floor as they step easily into the movements of a waltz, joined by a handful of other couples. The handsome features of Bruce Wayne are still lit with a warmth and a friendliness as he smiles at other dancers as they pass by.
    But his voice has that subtle rumble, that sharper edge there as he speaks to Diana, though the tone is still jovial. "You don't get to play that card, Diana." He smiles back at her, that tone a curious amalgam of the man he is and the man he pretends to be. "I had about given up sending you invitations to this or that shindig."
    They step around and continue on the dance and he then shifts topics slightly. "Good that you're here, you'll draw the eye while I step away. Matters are afoot." A nod is given to the mayor's wife as he passes by. "But you should enjoy the party. It's well in hand."

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    The glance from Barbara is seen although it's hard to tell at first with those mirrored sunglasses hiding Mariam's eyes. Then her lips twist up in a the tiniest of smirks, letting the other woman know she saw and appreciates that someone else things the man has lost his marbles. If his clothing choices didn't already reflect that. Then it's gone, the stoic mask back in place. At his order, she falls into step again working through the crowd. When things bottleneck, she is the one to shift forward and give a little "Pardon us," as she gets the people to part.
    As they reach the doors, she notices the nod to the security waiter but then she is stepping through the doors Mr. Haines is holding open to let her pass out of the crowd and into the back areas. She takes a quick glance around to be sure all is well then glances to him and gives the nod that he is clear.

Oracle has posed:
Taking her water, Barbara smiles at the bartender. It's nice to be admired. She moves away from the bar, though, to continue her own rounds through the ballroom. Haines is one of the men on her list of people to keep an eye on this evening, and she too catches the nod to the security guard. It's a tiny thing. But just enough out of place that she raises her glass to hide any movement of her lips. The subvocal comm transmits her words to listening ears. "Might want to verify the security guy at the door is who he's supposed to be, Robin."
    The redhead glances toward the dance floor where Bruce is wooing Diana Prince and can't help the faint grin. They are a striking couple.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana just had a smile spread across her lips at what Bruce said to her. "You only invite me to these things so that you can get me out on the dance floor and then pass me off to someone else... then you vanish to do whatever it is that Bruce Wayne does while everyone stares at me dancing with random strangers because my guilty conscious tells me to accept the dance invites that come to me at these things." She said all of this quietly and softly at Bruce while giving him a light grin there after.

Diana would look to the other coups that were near to them here and there, she'd smile at them and offer little nods. She even spoke to a woman she recognized, telling her how beautiful she looked tonight.

Diana would look back to Bruce. "Go, do what you have to do." She said to him with a faint smirk.

Batman has posed:
    Behind the scenes there, in the actual planetarium area amongst the many many seats, the technicians are assembling various pieces of equipment all in a hurry due to the official demonstration should be in little less than an hour. Bobby Haines, however, is walking amongst the people and smiling to them. "Hey guys, awesome work you're doing. Kick ass. Awesome."
    The recitation goes on as he walks up to a group of twelve cases, running his fingers over them as if counting. "Hey Mare." He turns as he tells the bodyguard, "Mind grabbing two of these? Gotta run some diagnostics." And once she does, he starts to move towards the large back door of the room, heading towards the back of the planetarium building itself.
    If data is drawn up on the security guard at the door it'll spawn a cascade of information that checks out. Bill Vereen, been working with the company for four years, wife and child, in a reasonable amount of debt... no red flags.
    But then that's the moment the dance ends on an elegant note, with Bruce bowing to Diana and then walking off the dance floor with her hand in his, escorting her as is proper for the host and hostess of such an extravaganza. But then there, once they're off the dance floor he tells her in a voice that carries slightly, a show for those nearby, "You're your most beautiful, Diana, when you are so understanding."
    He gives her hand a small kiss as he steps back, and... as she so wisely predicted, even Bruce Wayne is able to fade from view and attention when Diana is around, especially now as so many others are asking her for the next dance.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian Wayne wasn't making an appearance at the event, instead Robin was at a terminal in the security office. "I'm on it." He responds back.

  He's controlling the cameras, zooming in on the suspicious guard and comparing it with the staff list for tonight. The gauntlet computer works wonders at this kind of thing, of course.

  "Damn, he checks out." Robin responds, as if he would want something to go awry.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    It's an interesting phenomena that Mariam has learned in her life. The more annoying the person is, the more likely they are go giver her an idiotic nickname. Not only that but this time, she's apparently an equine. The urge to eyeroll is strong. She resists because it would be such epic proportions, they might roll right into her head and disappear. Instead, she picks up the two cases as requested although it goes against everything she believes. Although they are rather hefty. He probably couldn't pick them up himself. If necessary, she can use them as a weapon. Budget be damned.
    She doesn't frown as she follows yet again, trying to figure out why they would need to perform the equipment check outside when everything else is indoors. He did say he wanted a cigarette but certainly the check could wait. Curious.

Oracle has posed:
Of course Robin wanted something to go awry. He hates being bored. It's why Barbara is the one in here in civvies and Robin is the one out there in costume!
    The redhead hides her grin behind another sip of her water, gliding around the side of the dance floor as Bruce makes his escape. She easily converses with a number of people, a familiar face at many Wayne gatherings. There's a moment where she pauses to give one older man a look that should freeze him in his tracks. And then Barbara moves on, her free hand smoothing her dress absently.

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    After hearing about this "event", Hal Jordan couldn't resist getting dressed up in his darks, and floating around the floor for a few hours. AFter all, these bashes were legendary...almost as legendary as the host. Staying at the periphery in the short term while getting his bearings, Hal admires the view, the scenery, and the people. "Quite..a...night!" Hal says with a laugh and a smile.

Batman has posed:
    The monitors give a steady stream of data to Damian's console, letting him see the comings and goings. Initially the Planetarium hadn't been too wired for security. A few cameras, some motion sensors at the entry points, but that was it. The WayneTech security team had to make a few modifications, place more sensors, and create this much more elaborate security office. It served the young vigilante well for now. He'd be privy to the comings, the goings, even the image of Bobby Haines heading towards the back areas.
    "Gotta meet some people, conduct some business before the big to-do." Bobby tells Mariam over his shoulder as he walks, again pushing open a pair of double doors that leads out towards the maintenance area behind the Planetarium itself. They walk past old containers holding electronics, broken down chairs, containers with old lights and lighting. But none of that is important for him. He reaches the door that proclimas, 'EXIT!' in bright red letters above, along with a warning about an emergency siren sounding should the door open. He pushes it open...
    And no siren.
    Meanwhile in the ballroom, Diana is beset upon by any number of petitioners, all seeking the most precious coin for many of those socialites. Her attention. Bruce Wayne has slipped away, moving through the crowd as the eyes are on the woman. His lip curls as that trick has worked yet again... but then he slips through another doorway into the hall and disappears from view.
    One of the waitresses saunters up to Hal Jordan, to be fair some of the others might have watched him from afar with a mixture of intimidating and yet utter curiousity. A floating green man, the famous Green Lantern. How do you address someone like that? Eventually one of the waitresses approaches, "Mr... Lantern? Hi, can I get you anything?" She's dressed tastefully in a server's uniform and a black tray in her hand as she looks up towards the man.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Mariam's steps slow as they approach the exit. "Business?" The question hangs in the air as she keeps her mask in place. Wouldn't do to frown. As the door is pushed, there is no siren. Of all nights, that door should be working properly. The security teams would have checked. So why isn't it working now?
    As Mr. Haines holds it open for her she forces herself forward by will alone. The alleyway is beyond and she steps into the lower light.
    Her own personal alarms start going off inside her head as she finds they are not alone. Business, he said. That's an interesting sort of business for a WayneTech employee to have on a night such as this.

Oracle has posed:
Walking around the planetarium, Barbara's gaze keeps on the move. And she's kind of startled to see Green Lantern here. But... maybe the tech is of interest to the League? She has her assignment, and he's not it. So although she'd be interested in speaking with the man, she keeps her eyes on the ball, so to speak.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Lucky for Robin, the WayneTech team did a good job of camera placement. Robin gives a bit of a scowl as he watches Haines open the door to the maintenance area. Weird, Damian continues to look about the cameras before his console gets a ping from the emergency exit opening. "An emergency exit has opened, no alarm." He attempts to get a bead on Haines from any camera. "We need eyes on Haines."

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    His attention taken for a moment, Hal Jordan lands and wills the green aura away. Hal regards the waitress for a moment, turning his charming n'er-do-well smile on her, and says, "Why, thank you. What do you have to drink tonight? I am sure the host has only the best for his guests." Hal grins. "A glass of whatever is available. I am sure it will be fine."

    Hal's eyes next find the other guests, especially Diana, nodding to her with a respectful smile. His eyes reflect his thoughts, taking him back to memories of seeing her at her best...and even some of her worst. Teammates saw both things in each other. Strange that "Bruce" wanted him here tonight. An added precaution maybe? Lots could happen that was for sure.

    

Batman has posed:
    Outside, the night is brisk, the Autumn breeze rushing around the back of that planetarium. The brick wall that creates the alley behind the building protects it from the green fields beyond it and the cliff that the building itself balances on, giving it that lovely place above Gotham to get a view of the stars above and beyond the city. But for now, there next to all the garbage containers, in the secured area behind the building... Bobby meets the group of men he plans to do business with.
    "Gentlemen, Mr. Hong. Good to see you could make it."
    "Why here, Mr. Haines? Why now?"
    "Good a place as any. But main thing is all eyes are gonna be on the inside. And hey, if it turns up later you guys got your hands on these, plausible deniability." He smacks his hands together and then spreads them open wide before him, "Clean hands."
    "Mariam, you mind giving the cases to Mr. Hong?" He says over his shoulder...
    Of course that's the point when the five other Asian men turn to look at Ms. O'Shea.
    Inside, the party continues apace, with that waitress smiling upwards towards Hal and nodding her thanks and agreement. "Sure thing, Mr. Lantern. Be right back," And she rushes off even as some of the other waitresses catch eye of her doing this and some titter behind their hands.
    Around Diana, she is still beset by various suitors all seeking her attention, and she seems to be conducting herself well. It's all a perfect example of gracious verbal judo as she directs one person to another, offers some occasional wry repartee, and at times sends the people laughing with amusement.
    Meanwhile the string quartet picks up again.

Oracle has posed:
Robin's words in her ear have Barbara on the move. But the ballroom is large, and she doesn't want to draw attention. Setting her sparkling water on the tray of a passing waiter for disposal, she begins to make her way around the edge of the dance floor toward the double doors that lead into the planetarium proper. As her gaze skims the security personnel and cameras, something else catches her eye. "Damn it," she murmurs into the subvocal comm. "Robin, are your cams still up in the main part of the building? The ballroom cams just went."

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Clean hands, Plausible deniability. He isn't simply selling some tech on the side. He is selling something he shouldn't be.
    Mariam looks over the five men, quickly picking up any obvious signs of weapons although it's really easy to hide them and she isn't an expert. Five against one. Six if Mr. Haines decides he should be involved. Six is not her lucky number. There is a phantom pain in her lower back for an instant reminding her of that fact.
    Mariam stays where she is, still holding the cases. Then she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I do mind, Mr. Haines. I will be going back inside now. I would suggest you do the same." She begins to back slowly toward that emergency door she just exited, knowing that it won't be that easy.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     As Robin attempts to get eyes on Haines, a number of the cameras go dark. "What the hell?!" He exclaims, checking all of the power supplies before using the subvocal. "Negative, I've lost feeds from sectors A through G." Damian gives the table a punch in anger. "Are you on Haines?" He asks on comm, gathering that this wasn't a malfunction, he exits the security office, ready to get either outside, or to the ballroom depending on the answer.

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    Looking around, Hal notes a few people. Was that Barbara Gordon? "Hmmm..." For a moment, Hal thought about going over there to chat with her, but stopped himself. She looked busy. Something was going on, Hal could sense it. But what? Maybe he was here to be a distraction. That would be just like Batman. Use him as the big attention distraction, while something else was going on in the background.

    When the waitress dashes off, Hal regards things with a different air. His suspicion aroused, Hal walks deeper into the party, and towards Diana. Not saying a word, Hal nods, and then frowns at the people around her. Charming...

Batman has posed:
    The WayneTech security cams continue to go dark, just faint /blips/ and /bleeps/ as they lose feed, software errors streaming into the systems as they declare a state of non-function. Eventually none of them are functioning... but then again the cameras Damian placed are doing rather well, and perfectly so.
    Over the comm the other Bat family members will hear the steady rumble. "Identify. Is there a pattern to their loss of coverage, or is it a general failure?" There's the faint sound of movement, footsteps, as if the man were moving and in transition.
    Outside behind the building, Mr. Hong is staring at Bobby, but then his attention is wrested away towards Mariam. The older Asian man frowns, brow furrowing as he says, "Know your place, girl." He turns his head to the side and snaps a few words quickly towards the men with him, two of whom move quickly to try and bracket Mariam to prevent her retreat. Meanwhile the back of the van opens with a click as a seventh man emerges, carrying a large black plastic container/suitcase that he sets down on the ground with a crunch of gravel. "Your partial payment, Mr. Haines. The rest shall be wired to you upon completion of your task."
    Bobby's eyes are round like saucers as he eyes his payment, grinning a bit. Over his shoulder he tells Mariam, "Give it up, Mare. These guys don't mess around." And as he says that he moves towards the briefcase.
    On the Bat Comms, the Batman's voice is heard. "Haines isn't in the prep area." Information given.
    It's a quick exchange for the waitress as she tells the bartender Hal's order, which is more a request at a suggestion. The tender gives a nod and mixes a drink with some top shelf bourbon and a dash of lemon for some reason before he offers it back to her. Only for Hal to have wandered off. She starts to move about the crowd looking for the man, heading roughly in his direction.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Mariam's eyes narrow behind her glasses at the rebuke from Mr. Hong. She bites back a retort as the van opens and out comes lucky number seven. At least it isn't six. Cup half full and all that.
    She shifts as the two men move to hem her in, keeping her from reaching that doorway which is her refuge. She doesn't dare put down the cases because with this many, they will be snatched up instantly and moved to the van. Then she will have wasted her time. As the men close, the first one reaches for the case in her right hand.
    Hopefully the items inside aren't too fragile.
    Before his hand can close atop hers, she is spinning and bringing the second case around in a smooth arc toward his head. He staggers back. Mariam spins again, bringing up a leg, chambering it then firing a side kick at the second man who barely dodge out of the way. She falls into a ready stance, waiting for their next move.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara's movement quickens further -- to hell with drawing attention. She catches the security guard's eye at the double doors into the planetarium proper, jerking her head so he'll cover her exit through that door and not let anyone follow her. Once she's inside those doors, she hikes her skirt up and demands of the techs setting up in there, "Where's Haines?"

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    Hal Jordan was being social. Stopping for a moment to answer a question by a trio of guests, Hal smiles, and says, "Yes, actually, I do spend a lot of time in Space." Thankfully the mask hides his eyes, 'cause they'd be rolling right now. "Excuse me." Hal moves away, and waves to the waitress.

    When she arrives, Hal takes the drink from her, and tries it. "Mmmm. Not bad. Thank you." Hal smiles at her, one eye on her, one eye on any sign of commotion. No need to bring the big guns out yet. With that, he stays in the background, ready to move if he's needed.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Systematically going down." Robin responds. "Unconfirmed, there was an emergency exit that was opened."

  Robin starts to try getting the feeds back to the cameras. Eventually, a sensor from his own suit starts to go off. "I'm getting a strange energy signature on the sensors." He responds, doing all he can still to get feeds back.

Batman has posed:
    Behind the Planetarium, the two men react... poorly to Mariam's defiance. Each of them drops into a ready stance, their hands brought up. One of the others reaches into his jacket and pulls out a pistol, taking a bead at the woman as he snarls something in Cantonese...
    Only for Mr. Hung to snap back in English, "No, you fool. You might hit the case. Take her!" And as quickly as those words are said, the men start to rush straight at Mariam.
    Inside, however, Barbara darts up to the security guard at the double doors. He touches a hand to his earpiece as reports of the monitors going down are reaching him, he eyes the statuesque redhead and says, "Haines? He's inside. Checking the prep work." He reaches over and shoves the door open for her to head inside. Which leads her to seeing the technicians working on rigging the prototypes. At first there's no hint where Haines might have gone...
    But then she'll hear a shout and the sounds of combat towards the back of the building.
    In the ballroom everything is curiously at peace for the most part, though Hal might well notice an added tension to some of the security people. Oh nothing that would send most people into a kerfluffle, but just a slight change to the body language of the guards, their hands raised to their ears as they speak to each other on their comm channel. Something is definitely afoot.
    But the waitress smiles happily at the attention given to her as she succeeds in getting that drink delivered to Hal, "You're welcome, Mr. Lantern." She says, her New York accent a bit pronounced for a moment as she forgets herself, but she then blushes and darts back towards the bar.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Her luck is getting even better. Now they aren't willing to shot becaus of whatever is in the cases. Mariam tightens her grip on the handles, determined to not let them loose. They aren't allowing her to fight as well as she might otherwise. She can't chance putting them down. They would rush and overwhelm her to the point they could grab the cases. So she's reduced to using them as makeshift weapons and relying more on her feet.
    She tends to prefer that anyway.
    More of them close in on her. She shifts, knees bent, keeping her center of gravity as the first one gets in range. With a tensing of legs, she takes two rapid steps /toward/ him instead of away, leaping into the air in a flying side kick as s lets out a loud "KIYAAAAI!" There is the crack of her heeled foot meeting his face and the man staggers then falls to the ground. Down for the moment but not out. The movement allowed her to foul the spacing of the others, forcing them to shift even as she brings up her arm, using the case to block a punch aimed for her head. Another is coming up behind and she shifts her stance, firing another kick backwards and catching him in the midriff.

Oracle has posed:
    Emergency exit doors are at the rear of that area. When the guard opens the door for her, Barbara bolts through it and heads with long strides directly toward the emergency exit. "Back alley," she informs the men who are in her comms channel. She knew she should have worn pants tonight. This *is* Gotham.
    She doesn't even hesitate before going straight through that heavy door at the emergency exit. Hopefully the good guys are not anywhere near it. She reaches the fight in just enough time to see Mariam put her foot in a man's face. "Nice shot!" she says, drawing the eyes of two of the men. When they turn in her direction, Barbara does what she does best -- pivots on one foot and sends a goon flying into the far wall with a solid side kick straight to the chest with those three-inch heels.

Batman has posed:
    As the one thug gets kicked across the side of his face, he hits the ground heavily, arms sprawled in the dirt and the gravel, but that instantly raises the ante. The five men square off around Mariam, surrounding her as they hold their stances, eyes intent with murder. One gives a nod to the other, and suddenly they rush forth towards the woman holding those cases, their footfalls kicking up dirt and grime.
    Bobby, for his part, doesn't seem to care about the dramatics going on behind him. Mr. Hong asks the young wunderkind over his shoulder, "Do you care if this lackey dies?"
    "Who, her? Nah. Ice queen, man. Total ice queen." He tells the old Asian man, even as he kneels down and starts to undo the clasps of the plastic container that was presented to him, a golden gleam of light shining forth once the object is opened and he reaches inside, "Whoooa nice." And that's the moment he hefts the Parademon sidearm.
    But then Barbara Gordon bursts onto the scene, her arrival drawing the attention of those men who spin abruptly. One is straightening up, hands held up as if to try and urge her back into the ballroom, for in that brief moment it seems like it might be a natural mistake...
    Only for Barbara's kick to /slam/ into his chest and send him hurtling back to crash into a garbage container, the lid slamming up and down with a loud /clang/.
    Bobby turns around, scowling. "What the hell, man? Seriously, what the hell? I thought you said your guys were good?" And as he says that he brings up the Parademon weapon, takes a quick bead at Mariam and suddenly there's a burst of blinding light...
    In the ballroom suddenly there's a yellow beam /slicing/ through the wall...
    Slicing through the ceiling.
    Slicing through the roof, into the base of a spotlight...
    And then the beam cuts off and everything it touched seems to crumble a bit. Cosmetic damage to the walls, a length of cloth that was suspended from the ceiling falling down and down onto the crowd. Outside there's a _CRASH_ as the spotlight topples off its now split legs and falls to the side of the building to shatter into pieces.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Two against seven. Much better odds. Nine if Mr. Haines and Mr. Hong decide they should do more than spectate.
    "Thanks," she calls back as she blocks a kick aimed her way with the pair of cases crossed in front of her. She quickly spins again, a roundhouse kick toward the guy that tried to hit her. Then there is a punch coming her way and she dives out of the way, rolling back to her feet immediately and swinging the case at another man's head.
    As it impacts, the world goes bright as the weapone is fired. Mariam staggers, suddenly blinded as her glasses weren't enough to block that light. With her phototopia, she's now completely useless as she staggers backwards and shakes her head, blinking rapidly behind her shades to try and get rid of the white haze covering everything.
    The fist hits her in the kidney and she gasps in surprise, turning blind and grabbing the shirt front of the man. She falls back, bringiing her heeled foot up into his midriff then flinging him up and over her head.

Oracle has posed:
"Whoa!" Barbara can't help the exclamation as the weapon goes off and does serious damage to everything in its path. Apparently she doesn't have normal instinctive reactions; most people would duck. The redhead doesn't. Instead, she dodges into the fray going on around Mariam, who still -- HOW, Babrara has no idea -- has the WayneTech case in her hands. She acts as a human shield between three of the guys and the bodyguard. "We could use a couple extra hands here, guys!" she hisses into her comm.
    Grateful that the other woman appears to be still fighting, even if she's blinded, Barbara herself can cut loose a little harder. When two of them flank her, trying to tag-team, it doesn't go very well. She grabs one by the wrist, whipping around and under his arm to flip him right over into his friend's face, which she then punches real hard for good measure.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana was in the process of her 7th dance partner and the thought of making Bruce pay her back somehow had gone through her head about ten times that many turns.

When the blast came through the dance hall and back out again, EVERYONE looked in its direction and Diana seperated herself from the woman she was dancing with. She stepped back and looked up to the resulting carnage then she immediately started to look back in the direction it had come from.

This is the direction that the Princess of Themyscira was headed now, determined footsteps following her suddenly launching into the air and arching over the dance floor and guests until she landed again and made to go find the source of whatever dared disrupt this night for all these otherwise peaceful people.

Batman has posed:
    In the middle of the ruckus a single /FFT!/ and a /ka-ping!/ might be easily missed. Perhaps even the small kick up of dust around the feet of the brawlers might be seen if only for a single fragment of a second. But then it's lost as the combatants swirl around each other.
    The henchmen step in quickly, the partner of the one downed by Barbara leaps forth with a loud, "KIEI!" As he spins in the air, leg flashing in a smooth arc as if trying to cut her head from her body with the power and momentum of that strike, only for her to slip to the side cleanly.
    Around Mariam they continue to press her, the cases causing them to second guess their strikes as each time she raises one of them their intensity slackens, not wanting to damage the objects she holds. But they're able to evade her burdened strikes as they try to angle her properly for several of them to try and leap to take her down...
    But then that beam fires and suddenly everyone is seeing spots for the briefest of moments. Bobby blinks as he holds up the weapon, adjusting his aim and rubbing at the bridge of his nose with a frown. "The fuck man, does it do that all the time? The fuck!" He starts to fiddle with the device even as Mr. Hong snaps something to one of the other men and he breaks into a run from the situation, escorted by the remaining henchman who isn't already engaged in combat.
    Babs takes up her position covering Mariam, and now they're surrounded. Luckily some of them are still recovering from the flash of the beam but they have them at a disadvantage now.
    Then, on the comm, she'll hear the voice of the Batman, "Two snipers taken off the board. ETA thirty seconds. Can you hold them?" He asks into the comm of Barbara.
    But then, inside the ballroom, everyone was just then reacting to the beam and the debris. At first nobody knew what was going on, nobody moved, but then the crash came from outside and a cry went up as several men and women screamed. Several security guards looked to be trying to make their way towards where the blast came from...
    But Diana, she can fly. Through the air she rushes, to the door that the beam sliced through above, into that back area. The burn marks are easy to follow and then suddenly she can see the door that's half blasted open... and the people fighting.
    But who also sees Diana? Bobby with the laser.
    He blinks a few times, then mouthes, "Oh shit."
    The weapon comes up and particles seem to be drawn into the barrel as it charges... then the beam lances out again. This time straight at Diana.

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Managing to get to her feet, Mariam is still trying to focus. There are shadows around her and she can only guess they are the bad guys. Numbers support that theory. She hears the sounds of combat nearby and knows the other woman is at her back, having covered while she was down. The lady and the librarian against a mob.
    Normal Friday night in Gotham.
    "We have to get these cases out of play," she murmurs to Barbara even as she sees one of those shadows coming her way. She brings up a foot, swinging it where his head should be and missing as he ducks under. He grabs her leg and holds it there. With a act of pure power, she jumps into the air with the other foot and takes him in the chin. He lets go of her leg as he falls backwards, out cold. She lands upon her ony two-inch heels and chambers a leg, eyeing the shadows that are trying to find their opportunity. Another starts to come in and she fires that leg out hard. Not for his body. Her aim is lower and there is a satisfying snap as her foot meets his knee. He goes down screaming.

Oracle has posed:
"If they don't fry me first," Barbara replies grimly into the comm. Because spots or not, she's not stopping. The guy on the ground, the one whose wrist she's still holding onto, isn't getting up anytime soon. She has his wrist so torqued around that he's lucky it's not broken yet. The redhead does in fact duck when the second blast from the parademon weapon fires -- quite honestly, she expects to wake up dead, strumming a harp or some such crap.
    But no... we're still alive. She managed to miss out on the brilliant light the first shot, but not this time, so now her field of view is compromised as well. In those moments, she takes a solid punch to her cheekbone and sees stars for a second.
    The cases have to get out of play. Right. Closing her eyes, since they're useless at this moment anyway, Barbara listens to the scuffling around her. Whoever just joined the fray must be on our side -- if only because they just got shot at. Trusting that, she sucks in a quick breath, ducks a punch coming at her without opening her eyes, and starts a full-on fist fight with the man in front of her. She tries to sweep his leg, but they appear -- at least for this one moment -- to be evenly matched.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana landed in that scorched hole in the building and she put her hands up on the edges of it, knocking bits and pieces down off of the destroyed wall. Her blue dress fluttered around her legs and her hair was a bit messy now from the flying leap that brought her up here... but her eyes soon found the source of the laser beam blast... right as Bobby's found her and he aimed for her!

When the laser beam fired again, it flew through the space between them and instantly collided with Diana's crossed forearms! A brilliant blast of white light mixed with the color of the alien-technology and the beam was sent upward toward the night time clouds!

Diana then lunged from the hole in the wall and flew-charged down at Bobby!

Batman has posed:
    Their numbers are suddenly brought low as the women who oppose them seem much more formidable than they had any hope in anticipating. One of the men rolls upon the ground, clenching his shattered knee even as the other lies unconscious against the brick wall of the planetarium. Then there's the one that Barbara had removed from the fight early on when he slammed hard into the garbage bin, not even to mention the ones she has busy now. They engage quickly, the redheaded woman in the evening dress taking it to the man who tries to keep up with her. For a time they are strike and counterstrike, fists and forearms connecting with short sharp sounds as they block and parry. He brings a knee up and she's able to block it with her own lifted leg, then there's a short sharp /crack!/ and she sends the man sprawling with an uppercut that can be felt back in the ballroom.
    It leaves just the one man facing off against those two women and Diana to boot... and he wisely raises his hands and gets down on his knees, accepting the inevitability of his situation.
    But Bobby, Bobby is not so wise. Even as Diana's bracelets catch the severe blazing line of that energy beam, twisting it up and towards the sky like some beacon lit against the stars, she's able to twist it out of the way harmlessly even as she goes to close the distance.
    "Aww man, seriously?" He asks, as if appealing for a referee, his hands open as he looks to the side, waiting for the weapon to recharge which... will not be in time, "Seriously? What the hell?"
    The weapon is tossed aside and he covers his head, "Not in the face!"

Mariam O'Shea has posed:
    Suddenly, there isn't a fight anymore. The world is still shadows and light but Mariam figures out that much as there are no more attacking her. She turns her head, trying to take in what's happening. Or not. She can't quite see that Wonder Woman has joined the fray, she can just hear the reaction of Mr. Haines. "Please, in the face," she mutters under her breath as she turns toward the peroson who was watching her back. "Thank you," she says simply then she turnes in the direction she thinks is the door. Only no, that doesn't look like a wall. Great, she can't even find the way back inside until her eyes clear a bit more.

Oracle has posed:
Breathing heavily, Barbara steps backward a bit. And realizes that although she's seeing spots, Mariam is having far more trouble. "No problem," she says quietly. "Here, you sit for a few. I've got the cases. And I'm quite sure Mr. Wayne's security will handle the rest of this mess." She glances toward Diana, where the Amazon has the weasel and the remaining goon. "Thank you very much, Ms. Prince."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana Prince would land in front of 'Bobby' and she'd stalk toward him as the weapon was recharging and he muttered for his own life and safety... Witha look of great displeasure, Diana would rip the weapon from his ahnds and tear it in half, sneding pieces clattering across the floor all around her heel-shoed-feet, a great amount of sparks bursting out of the broke halves that were then tossed onto the ground.

Diana walked right up to Bobby's face and she put her hand on his chest. "Sit." She commanded, stern. "Dog." She'd add to the man.

When he complied, the Princess would just look down at him. "Good boy. Do. not. move."

She would then turn to the others and start to look around for more visual information on what all has been going on out here...

Batman has posed:
    Bobby holds his hands out before him, trying to make sure that he offers as little of a target as possible. But then he's given the opening by the Princess of the Amazons and he immediately takes a seat and says quickly, "Yes, ma'am."
    But then, as if on cue, there's a rush of motion as a dark silhouette vaults over the wall, one hand planting hard upon the top of it as he scissors his legs up and over, landing with a heavy crunch on the ground. Then, slowly, he rises to his full height. Just a cape and a cowl, white eyelets drifting between each of the fallen and the victorious. Though slung over his back are a pair of high powered rifles, most likely liberated. His head tilts slightly as he walks forwards, Batman's cape flaring around his legs as he moves to secure the discarded and shattered alien weapon.
    When he passes Mariam his rough voice rumbles a few words to her, "Like a bad penny, O'Shea."
    The weapon is lifted in hand as he looks to the side at Bobby, at the unconscious, then towards Barbara. "Ms. Gordon." He turns around. "Good work."
    Then, with those words, Wayne Security bursts through the doors and begin to secure the area. The danger was past, but it would still take some time to learn what all exactly had transpired here.

Oracle has posed:
With the security team securing the scene and Batman on the ground... Barbara steps to the side, away from the hullaballoo. One hand rises up to gingerly touch her cheek, where she can already feel the swelling. "Mind telling me what the hell that thing was?" she asks quietly.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would approach Batman when he arrived and spoke to the others that were also there, security she presumed... as more of them arrived.

"Alien technology... From two months ago." She spoke to answers Barbara's question, assuming that the woman meant the beam weapon she just ripped in half.

"Sadly it has flooded the black market now, and there are almost daily reports of it being used by..." Diana looked back to Bobby who was on the ground still. "Bad. People." She spoke loudly enough to let it hit his ears quite readily. "Who will suffer, for, using, it." She added before putting her eyes back toward Batman and Barbara and the newly arrived Wayne Guards.

Batman has posed:
    Turning to the side, Batman interposes himself between Barbara and the ebb and flow of the security teams as they rush around, dealing with matters as they can in the scant window of time they have before the police answer the call that went out automatically. He crosses his arms over his broad chest, looking between her and Diana, then answers. "That was. Unexpected." His features twist into a small frown.
    "It was a Parademon's sidearm, looks like it was to be a trade for the AR tech. Why would he want such a thing?" The tall man looks towards Diana, then back to Babs. "I had suspected Haines of some under the table dealings, but this move is out of character. I'm going to need to question him."

Oracle has posed:
"Well, you better do it soon," Barbara retorts. "I wouldn't wanna be that guy when Dad gets hold of him." She keeps her voice very low, though, not wanting to be overheard by the security team or the bad guys. "Ms. Prince, thank you for all of that," she gestures toward the fight. "I'm pretty sure if you hadn't drawn his fire, we wouldn't be here." Because she and Mariam would have been the targets of that shot.
    She pauses and moment, and then looks at Batman. "I don't suppose that some of that tech could be used as a power source for something he's trying to build?"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana would listen to Batman and Barbara both speak, but she'd look to Barbara firstly. "Thank you." She retorted, emphasizing the 'you'. "You put yourself at great risk fighting against such technology back here and you likely thwarted a horrible attack that could've gone far worse than it did in there."

Diana looked toward the building where the dance hall was. "To my knowledge, no one inside was injured... and in an situation that involved technology of this variety, that means this is a good night."

Diana would look to Batman then and give him a 'knowing' looking, one that he might recognize as a look of great concern that this might not be the last they see of attacks like this, by any means.

Batman has posed:
    "Possible," Batman acknowledges Barbara's idea, then he tilts his head to the side, the cowl hiding most of his expression as he looks away. But then those irisless eyelets fall upon Diana as he replies to her, "We were lucky," But when she gives him that 'look', he smirks faintly at her. "And you said these parties were boring." He tells her with just a hint of admonishment in his voice that most would not be able to pick up on. But these two women in his life can read him enough to sense the ever so ephemeral hint of humor there.
    With that said he turns and gives them a nod. "I'm going to sweep the area." Then to Barbara he speaks slightly louder, but loud enough to carry. "Thank you for your statement, Ms. Gordon. I'm sure your father can handle it from here."
    A few more moments as he steps away, then he leaps over the side of the fence and out of view.