4653/The Museum Job

The Museum Job
Date of Scene:	14 June 2018
Location:	Gotham City Museum
Synopsis:	Ninjas break into the Museum. A heist is foiled. An offer made.
Cast of Characters:	June Connor, Oracle

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June Connor has posed:
    Night time in Gotham, but isn't it always? It's not that late. It's 10:15. A team of three makes their way into the museum. The guard gets off in fifteen minutes, and so naturally, he is winding down, writing the briefing for the next shift in the security office.
    The ninjas three slide along the floor against the wall, and one points at the cameras which need to be avoided. They don't go up the steps, but instead, the first makes a step out of her hand, and the other two scale the wall to the outside of the second floor railing. Another lowers his foot, and she scales him like a rope, checking both directions in case the guard decided to do one last round.
    She pulls a card with a picture of the hallway out and afixes it in front of the camera before motioning for her cohorts.
    Down the hall they run, staying low so that they are only barely noticable by the main room camera as they crouch along the railing. They reach the display room, an ancient Japanese scroll on display inside a jade cylinder.

Oracle has posed:
    They did this by the book, so everything should go off like clockwork. The guards, the cameras, the location of their prize. All of it. And sure enough, everything is where it's supposed to be and behaving as it's supposed to be.
    So far so good. Just an easy job. The security on the display case is predictable, with motion sensors and pressure plates around it just like all the others in the room. Predictable and researched. And readily countered.

June Connor has posed:
    One ninja stands in the doorway, waiting as the rotating camera in this room scans back and forth. He slips quickly along the wall, knowing that he will only narrowly be out of view, and then pulls his climbing claws from his belt. One, two pulls up, and he braces himself, freeing one hand as he dangles from the claw. A small bypassing device is attached to the feed, recording the shift in the camera. Once it has a full cycle, he presses a button, and it starts to play the loop into the feed.
    He drops to the ground, and the other two enter. One goes to the case, and the other goes to the wall, removing a small tube of filler to cover the location where the claws had been used. The one at the case pulls from her sash her own kit, moving slowly enough so that she does not trip the sensor as she approaches it. A kunai is slid beneath the glass, loosening it carefully. She feels the blade complete the connection that will be triggered by removing the case, and the camera editing ninja comes over carefully. She nods to him, and he slides the case upward, removing it without a sound.
    The kunai is carefully adjusted so that it remains in place, and a small long weight is removed from a short sword sheath. The three ninjas pause, look at one another, and the female one makes the move, carefully sliding the scroll out and the weight onto the sensing bar. The ninja holding the case slides the glass shield back in place, and the kunai is removed. He checks a device on his wrist, and gives a thumbs up. They are in the clear.

Oracle has posed:
    Irony is probably the best word to use, for no sooner does the ninja give a thumbs up than all hell breaks loose. The museum lights go on in every room, alarms sound, and doors begin to lock. There's no WAY they screwed this up.
    They've been made!
    Across the museum lot, a lone figure wearing dark colors watches the museum. Not through the window, but through a small video monitor strapped to the inside of her wrist. Batgirl is tapped into the museum camera system, of course, but what she's watching is footage on her OWN cameras. Ones that were placed quite differently, very discretely, and very recently.
    After pushing the button to trigger the lights and the alarms, Barbara pushes a second to call the GCPD. Of course not all doors will lock the same. The ones on the far side will be most secure, channeling the quarry towards her. Just like flushing quail.

June Connor has posed:
    The three look around, and scan the room, and the the female walks up, plucking it from the edge of one of the cases, and crushes the small bulb between her fingers.
    "You said you had the cameras," one of the others accuses.
    "I did," she says, "There is another player."
    "Someone else is after the scroll?" the third asks.
    "I don't know, but these aren't wired into the security system," she says, "They would be susceptible to hacking if someone knew they were here, so the museum wouldn't use them," she explains.
    "It doesn't matter now," the first says to them, "let's just get out of here, remember, we don't engage if we don't have to. We have to return the scroll."
    They dart out of the room, and make their way to the end of the hall, only to find it locked. They turn as a group, and try another until it is discovered that one is open. Their speed is quite good, black shinobis turning the corners, using the wall to continue their pace without slowing. "Wait!" the female says. "Something's wrong. The doors should have all locked at the same time." They stand in the hallway for a moment. "We need another way out. She points at the one holding the scroll. "There's a skylight in the third showroom. Take it that way." The two start to move, but then the female continues along the path. "What are you doing?" the other says. "If we don't show, they may get smart to it. I'll decoy, hopefully I'm wrong." The other two run back down the hallway the way they came, and she slows her pace, moving along, checking for possible unknown elements.

Oracle has posed:
    The GCPD are predictable in both their arrival and their approach. And Batgirl leaves them to their work. The building is all but locked down, and police units will be surrounding it shortly. By the time anyone can force the doors they'll walk right into flashing red and blue.
    Her concerns are elsewhere, along the trap she's laid. It isn't until the third ninja gets outside that she'd see the dark, cloaked figure step out of the shadows. A dark figure with Bat ears. "I'm surprised." the female Bat offers softly. "You found my cameras, saw the trail I left, and you followed it anyway."

June Connor has posed:
    The ninja doesn't speak, but instead produces a ninjato to her left hand, pulling it from her thigh sheath. Green eyes shift behind the shozoku, taking in the dark alleyway before quickly adjusting back to the bat-eared figure. Her right hand moves to her sash, a finger tucking beneath the edge.

Oracle has posed:
    From beneath the dark cape flashes a Batarang, displayed but not thrown. Not yet. "Consider this, for a moment." the female Bat offers softly. "I could have given YOU to the police, just like your compatriots. I could have jumped you the moment you stepped outside. I could have knocked the ninjato from your hand the moment you drew it."
    She pauses, then adds in a lower voice with a bit of a growl. "I still can, for that matter. You're not like the other two. I'd like to talk. How and where is up to you. We could go a few rounds first before Gotham's Finest trusses you up and takes you downtown. But it'll be hard to talk while you're in a plexiglass box."
    "Or you could walk with me. And if you're not interested in what I have to say, then you can leave."

June Connor has posed:
2 Days Earlier...

    The public display of Emperor Fushimi's household treasures. It's a visiting display, on loan from Paris. It's not the most prominent display, but it has drawn a few people. A girl who doesn't look like she'd be into museums walks through the doors.
    Nineteen, thin enough to lack much in curves, these don't make her stand out. Fire engine red hair, shaved on the sides with bangs that hang over the left side of her head does. The black nose ring hanging from her nostrils does. The numerous piercings on her ears do. Blue eyeshadow, a Ramones T-shirt and shredded jeans cover her, and she pays the admission like everyone else to get in.
    She wanders the main entry way for a few minutes, instead of going to the displays, she is admiring the architecture of the building, looking around the room with her hands in her pockets, a studious expression on her face.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara Gordon is making her morning check-in when she receives a tip from one of her sources. The tip is simple; a text with an image of the Emperor Fushimi exhibit. Barbara can figure out the rest for herself.
    Time to visit the museum, it would seem. Except not -actually- visit. No, Barbara Gordon is too much a public figure to just stroll through Gotham City's Museum. Oh, the days of being just a simple librarian!
    Tapping into the security feed is a simple matter, and she starts doing her homework. IF someone were to plan a heist they'd start by scouting. Just like she's doing, only in person. Barbara starts running scenarios in her head, taking into account varying levels of skill. And all the while she scans the visitors as they pass through, looking for someone who doesn't...
    The redhead with the piercings catches her attention. Ramones T-shirt? "Nice band." she murmurs.

June Connor has posed:
    The girl doesn't look old enough to be planning heists, she looks up at the cameras, but not longer than anyone else might, and she starts to wander the exhibits. She doesn't visit the Japanese exhibit first. She visits it fourth. She asks for directions from security to the bathroom. She disappears into the bathroom for a fairly average length of time. She has a smart phone, but it stays lodged in her back pocket. She finally makes her way up to the exhibit, and immediately is drawn not to the fabulous Samurai armor, but to a small case holding a jade cylinder, a scroll which is said to contain the wisdom of Fushimi's advisors who were said to be spirits of the world.

Oracle has posed:
    One of Barbara's gifts is her ability to multi-task, so while she's keeping an eye the various camera angles she keeps more than a little attention on the redhead. The girl is, perhaps, a bit too cool. Too casual. And then she gets to the Japanese exhibit. Barbara captures an image just for grins, and tosses it into a facial recognition package to check for priors.
    While the software chews through various criminal databases, she moves on to isolate blind spots and camera angles. Pulling up the floor plan, she adds cameras and door locks. Making her own plans.

June Connor has posed:
    The young woman continues along, the database pulling up quite a juvenile record.

Name: June Connor
Age: 19
Date of Birth: 12/25/2006
Juvenile Convictions: Theft, vandalism, assault, drug possession.
Outstanding warrants: Failure to appear in court for assault.

    She looks over the case, standing on her tiptoes to look down along the edge of the glass, and then bends over to look up at the tube sitting on the holster.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara is still dividing her attention between cameras when one of her monitors starts regurgitating the long list of the redhaired teen's offenses. "Hmm. Well, June, you've been quite the busy girl. And why, with all of the priceless relics here, are you interested in some dusty old scroll?"
    There's no doubt in Barbara's mind that something is going down. No one with a record THIS long just suddenly becomes interested in Japanese cultural effects. There are a few more preparations of her own to make, including a little visit to the museum. But first? Time to dust off the Batgirl cape and cowl. This one is going to require direct intervention.

June Connor has posed:
    June continues on, moving throughout the museum, noting each exit. The information on her finds an additional police record.

Name: Cara Thomas
Age: 23
Date of Birth: 8/11/2002
Convictions: No Record Found.
Charges: Disturbing the Peace.
Note: Cara is suspected to be part of the Purple Dragons gang. SSN not verified.

    Both records are in New York City. She walks around a little more, and then the teen wanders back out of the museum as casually as she entered.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara is checking over the stores in her utility belt when the second police record comes up. Same picture, different name and birthdate. She smiles wryly. "Pretty good work on the fake ID, June. Purple Dragons? That's an interesting twist. Didn't know the Dragons were into ancient scrolls, either."
    This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Perhaps it's time to consult with Batman or someone else.

June Connor has posed:
Present Day...

    The blue eyes stare down the blade at Batgirl for several seconds, studying her carefully without an answers. Her eyes shift slightly to look behind the heroine, and a half heartbeat later, a pellet is thrown to the ground. A piercing flash of light explodes with a pop, followed by a plume of smoke.
    Apparently she doesn't want to talk. She breaks, not down the alleyway as might be expected, but she vaults up a nearby fire escape, then launches herself up another floor as she makes her way to the roof.

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl was expecting the smoke pellet or something similar, of course. The lenses in her cowl dampen the flash, but the ninja is still very fast. In her other hand, beneath the long cape, she's holding a bola. As the ninja vaults up a fire escape Batgirl lets the bola fly.
    The ninja just rounds towards the next floor up when the weighted line twirls around her knees, locking them together. A grappel clinks as the line is fired to the roof ledge, making doubly sure that the Bat will get there first.

June Connor has posed:
    The ninja twists to the other side of the ladder she climbs, but she still gets caught by the bola. She hangs for a moment by her hands, and looks up to see Batgirl arrive at the top of the building. Well, time to go back down. She drops down to the current fire escape landing, and pulls her ninjato, using it to slice through the bola. She catches her leg slightly in the process, tearing the uniform, and then leaps back downward, a good two story drop to the ground.
    Most people couldn't make such a fall safely, and there's nothing pretty about it as the ninja sprawls into a roll that sends her flinging along the alley. At the end, though, she scrambles to her feet, looks up at Batgirl, and starts running again. There is a certain limp as she begins her sprint. Apparently the landing wasn't quite perfect, but as she speeds up, it disappears.

Oracle has posed:
    The dark silhouette of a caped figure with Bat ears waits on the roof. Even without the vantage of higher ground, Batgirl stands a full six feet without her boots. Imposing, to the smaller figure. But Batgirl doesn't wait for very long.
    When the ninja drops to the grating and slices herself free, the grappel line is already screaming with Batgirl's rapid descent. The figure is no longer on the roof when the ninja lands, rolls, and scrambles. And when she looks back up again, she's got maybe a thirty foot head start on that sprint.
    And as the limp begins to fade, she'll hear the tell-tale sound of another bola whirling behind her.

June Connor has posed:
    This time the young assassin spins, her sword still outstretched to catch the bola. The force, however, rips the weapon from her hand, and it goes skittering across the alley concrete, throwing her off balance as she attempts to hold onto it. It spins her around, so that she faces Batgirl for a moment, and then she complete the spin on her own, reaching the edge of the alley and bursting across the street, only to be intersected with a car that was caught unaware. Screeching brakes and a deft tumble save her from becoming flattened as she rolls to land on the other side. She isn't the most graceful ninja to ever be seen, but she seems to have pretty exceptional reflexes as she lands semi-solidly on the other side of the car, and continues to sprint into the East Park, now without her primary weapon.

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl pursues the ninja, watching as the bola is avoided. Impressed. Then it's out into the street, where a passing car nearly ends the chase right there. Batgirl pauses, then continues the pursuit after lightly vaulting over the hood. Once on the other side of the street, the fleeing ninja sprints into East Park. Batgirl pauses.
    The Batarang is nearly silent in its flight, and is just as unpredictable. It comes in from the ninja's blind side, of course.

June Connor has posed:
    The young pursuee leaps, grabbing a tree branch as she makes for her opportunity to become lost in the branches, but just as she is swinging, the batarang catches her along the side of her head. She finishes the swing, her arm letting go of the branch at it's peak, and she does an uncontrolled flip in the air, landing hard head first into the grass and rolling a couple of times from the momentum. Even taking the hit, she doesn't make a sound, trained well enough that even in a dazed state she remains silent. She rolls over, trying to get her bearings, but it's clear it will take more than a couple of seconds to shake that hit.

Oracle has posed:
    And in those seconds, a caped woman is sprinting over to the downed ninja. Breathing a bit heavily, the familiar, raspy voice offers. "That's far enough. I'd stay down if I were you. I've got more to throw, and concussions aren't any fun." And yes, another Batarang would flicker in the low light.
    Batgirl stands over the prone young woman now, watching her for a moment. The mask hides the red hair and the piercings, of course, but this was the only -female- in the group. "I gave you a chance to do this the easy way, but I'd still like to talk. Do you prefer June or Cara?"

June Connor has posed:
    June plants one foot in an attempt to get up, but as she tries to pull herself up to her feet, she stumbles to the side. Yeah, not ready yet. She stares up at Batgirl, still unwilling to open her mouth. After a moment, she starts scanning the environment, clearly trying to devise a way out of the situation.

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl remains standing. Looming. She's learned from one of the best in the business, after all. "You have questions. So do I. There's no cell for you tonight. Let me start with that." She pauses to let THAT statement sink in. "I'm here on behalf of another. If you like your life, who you work for, and what you do, then you're free to go. I'll catch you another time."
    Batgirl reaches for something in her utility belt, then. A plain business card with a single number. "But if you're open to new opportunities, making new friends, and using your skills for someone who treats you as something other than an expendable soldier..." Gloved fingers toss the card into the grass, within easy reach. "I'd recommend you make the call, June."

June Connor has posed:
    While most of her face is covered in the shozoku, the eyes betray a distinct expression of confusion. She slowly reaches for the card, as if it might be a trap. She flips it to the back, and back to the front, but doesn't speak. Not only is she not supposed to talk, her body language seems much less confident than it was a moment ago, and then looks back up at Batgirl, trying to determine how to respond to this bizarre scenario.

Oracle has posed:
    The only thing on the card is the phone number. It's good card stock, but there's not even embossing or so much as a watermark. Batgirl can read expressions pretty well, even if it's only the eyes. Something buzzes in her headset and she tilts her head a bit as the report comes in. "Your compatriots are being booked as we speak and the scroll will be returned. If you make the call in the next 12 hours, it'll be easy to take you off the grid. As far as anyone is concerned, you'd be in the Gotham prison system. Free. The longer you wait, the more difficult that becomes. I'd choose quickly." Turning, then, she steps over to retrieve the Batarang.

June Connor has posed:
    June finally decides to answer. "Thought you were a guy," she says, obviously confusing her with someone else. "You talk as if the justice system sometimes works the way it's supposed to. They'll be fine. Not so sure about whoever is booking them. What do you want?"

Oracle has posed:
    "Oh, you mean HIM." Batgirl replies, turning back to the masked young woman. Well, the OTHER masked young woman. "Like I said, I'm just a messenger today. You hit someone's radar, for better or for worse, and they've taken an interest in you. If you like the Purple Dragons or whoever it is you're running with, then throw the card away. But if you want a way out, then this could very well be your ticket. Your skills in exchange for something better. Once you prove yourself, of course. Trust goes both ways."

June Connor has posed:
    "Yeah, I don't think you know what you're talking about," she answers. "And this?" She waggles the card in her fingers, "is really creepy, actually." She lets out a smirk. "This how he gets his posse?" she asks. "Beat up somebody and give an ultimatum?" She starts to get back to her feet, having had a second to regain her bearings.

Oracle has posed:
    The chuckle is soft, and Batgirl folds her arms beneath the long cape. "This has nothing to do with HIM, I assure you. And if I wanted to beat you up, you'd know it. Like I said, it's an opportunity. Throw it away if you want. With a rap sheet as long as yours, you really need to be asking yourself whether your superiors would break you out the -next- time you're caught."

June Connor has posed:
    June arches one eyebrow, and drops the card on the ground. "Yeah, I'll take the known territory I think," she says. "I'm just passin' through, anyway." Her accent isn't hard to place for those who know a Bronx accent when they hear it. "So I doubt there will be a next time. Good luck with terrorizing your town, though."

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl leaves the card and takes a step back. "Of course you are." She replies. The accent? Yeah, she got it. Besides, the girl's nonverbals all but confirmed her identity guesses anyway. Yeah, this one may not be on the hook but she's definitely on the radar. "Watch your back, yeah?" Turning, the caped redhead is the first one to leave. Heading out of the park towards the city, where alleys and rooftops offer security. She'll find the ninja again, even if the electronically tagged card IS dropped.