48/On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront
Date of Scene:	15 April 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Batman, Red Hood, and Crusader take on a cell of Watchdogs who've abducted mutant teens, including Melter ... with a guest appearance by Aquagirl!
Cast of Characters:	Batman, 82, Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez), Red Hood, Crusader

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Batman has posed:
FIVE MINUTES AGO

"On my mark." Batman's voice is a low growl, and he perches on the corner of a warehouse roof along the harbor docks. The area is almost entirely pitch-black tonight, with the occasional lamp poorly illuminating an isolated circle of dock.

"Remember: the crew inside has enough artillery to manage trafficking in young mutants who are manifesting their powers. Full numbers still unknown, but we can't wait any longer."

Quiet acknowledgments are transmitted to the earpiece in the dark knight's cowl, and he slowly stands.

"Mark."

NOW

An explosion blows out the wall of the warehouse, and a massive block of something appearing to be rock soars into the dark, cold harbor waters. Unfortunately, sticking out of the rock is a glove that looks just like Batman's. A boot, too.

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter is inside, cuffed up and tranqued to the gills. The last thing he remembers is the van, the black bag over his head, and a lot of punching and kicking - he being on the receiving end of all that. The explosion rouses him, and he rolls over, then falls flat on his chin - that shocks him to more than semi-consciousness, and he lashes out with his power. His cuffs turn to steaming metal-sauce, as does part of the floor and part of a steel drum next to him. He rolls away from the spreading puddles, rubbing dust from his eyes and trying to figure out just which end 'UP' is.

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
Out in the harbor...

Lorena Marquez, aka Aquagirl, is just quietly resting. She had a nightmare early on in her sleep tonight. That has lead her to go for a swim. Her legs pushed her here, not far from Gotham. Quietly she pets a fish. "I don't doubt it. They probably dump a lot worse then just a few people in the water."

KERSPLASH!!!!

A giant chunk of something comes falling down and narrowly misses Aquagirl. She looks at the chunk and then swims up to the surface. "Damn Surface Dwellers! We don't want your junk!" She grumbles!

She swims down to the Rock and looks it over. "Err. Thats not supposed to be there..." She comments as she sees the gloved hand. And then she notes the boot to. "Well that is definitely not supposed to be there!" She winds up and swings at the Rock, Slamming her fist into it and hopefully breaking. She isn't deep enough to be too hindered by the pressure.

Red Hood has posed:
    Jason Todd growls a hint into his subvocal mic as he checks over his pump-action shotgun one more time. He is crouched behind a car in the lot to the side of the warehouse in full-gear. His red helmet takes in his surroundings, measuring temperature and wind, and picking up the most minor sounds but dampening sudden noise so he is not deafened. He picks up minor light as well, allowing him to see excellently in the darkness. A battered jacket over his armored vest (With the 'murdered bat' symbol emblazoned on the chestplate), and a pair of armored fatigues, motorcycle boots, and a fully-loaded utility belt make up his outfit. The Red Hood...somebody still viewed as a violent criminal and psychopath to much of Gotham. The Bat Family has found that the rep he built while still a villain has helped him make contacts and handle issues the rest of them cannot.

He hates that crowd-control rounds are loaded into his shotgun, and he chafes at his father's control but...one rule Batman will NOT let him buck at is killing. He often goes a bit too far into maiming still, though, but...it is what he is.

As soon as the order is given, Jason leaps over the hood of the car and begins to sprint towards the building...before the explosion occurs. His helmet scans the 'boulder' and he says something very improper into the mic.

"That is not rubble! That is Basil Karlo! I repeat! Basil Karlo! CLAYFACE!"

The Red Hood moves to the edge of the dock and curses, staring down into the water as he clicks the button under his helmet to seal it and kick his small stored oxygen supply on. He drops his shotgun and draws a wicked looking knife...diving down into the sea!

Crusader has posed:
As of nearly 10 minuts ago, Crusader was a last moment addition to the strike team. An unknown that one way or another was going to be a part of this... so may as well be part of a team!

When the explosion goes off, Crusader waste no time going nearly invisible and slipping inside, being just a distortion in the enviroment. Hopefully to get a better idea of where the mutants are vs where the traffickers are!

He transmits over the comms "Searching for exact locations of the mutants now." as they are the ones they were trying to rescue

Batman has posed:
The traffickers appear to be militia types, outfitted in body armor and sporting submachine guns and sidearms. They sport a stylized dog-head icon on their chest, visually declaring their affiliation to be the Watchdogs. Five minutes ago, they were patrolling the warehouse space in a relatively ordered fashion, some along the perimeter and others keeping close watch on their cuffed and bagged prisoners.

Once Batman and company begin their infiltration, however, all hell breaks loose. Hundreds of rounds are fired. Several prisoners take the initiative to free themselves. Multiple smoke grenades and flashbangs are thrown, radically altering visibility within the building.

As this happens, one of the Watchdogs shakes his head and sighs, his body growing larger as Batman drops in from a rafter to kick him in the head. Unfortunately for the caped crusader, his target morphs into a muddy brown blob that simply absorbs the attacker and grows rock-hard in consistency. One of the blob's more gung-ho allies, however, throws a grenade at Batman, and it promptly explodes, blowing the rock out into the night air and the water below.

As Aquagirl strikes at the rock, two things happen: Batman's hand flexes, trying to find its way free ... and the rock grows a face that scowls at the girl. Part of the rock shape recedes--allowing Batman's legs to kick about--and a torso-sized hand attemps to reach out in the water to grab Lorena.

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter staggers to his feet amid running, screaming, shotgunning chaos - 'mad' does not really match up to his mood. Little bubbles of warehouse flooring surround him as he wipes sweat and dust off his face. "Oh you are gonna pay for this," he growls, apparently not too concerned over who 'you' is. He knows the Watchdogs, though, so he lashes out at the first people in he sees - thankfully not the strike team as yet - "Good of you $^#1550 to all dress alike," he grins savagely, blood staining his teeth from his encounter with the cement floor. So, anyone with a dog on his shirt is getting the treatment: turning guns, clothes, probably some outer layers of skin into a froth of steaming liquid that splashes to the warehouse floor.

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
As Aquagirl watches the reaction to the strange boulder, she does a little double take. "Neptune's Beard!?" Then there is a face and a freaking hand?! Really? "Esto es LOCO!" She shouts as she dodges the hand.

Okay Time to evaluate. This creature is handling being under water. It's got someone inside apparently who isn't going to last very long. "Okay, Surface Dweller! I'm pretty sure you're not wanted down here. So here. Let me help you to leave!" She takes off swimming at high speed toward Clayface. She's going for Batman, though by all rights it looks like she is swimming in to punch him. She isn't slowing. Her goal is to punch through and get the man out of the clay creature. Even if she gets stuck, she'll last longer under water then a Surface Dweller.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason is loaded down with guns, knives and armor, so when he hits the cold Gotham water he sinks like a rock. Good thing he was trained for this kind og garbage. He swims his way deeper to where the ball of clay is stuck, and his helmet adjusts to the lightning beneath the surface. He spots Lorena, and for a moment he is prepared to start stabbing.

He sees she is trying to help Batman, however, and instead he speaks into the Mic as he begins cutting at the containing clay. "Some girl is down here trying to free you, Bats. I'm here too." He may be nineteen, but he spent most of those years being trained by Batman, and then numerous terrorists around the world, including the League. Now, he uses those skills to try and save the day

Crusader has posed:
Crusader is glad for the hellscape. Panic and dissarray made it easier to deal with opponents at times! He begins picking up and throwing watchdogs at other watch dogs, trying to take out mutiple birds with one stone so to speak!

However... there were civilians, the mutans caged and bagged. He begins tearing into the cages in order to free the trapped people, instructing them to get out as quick as possible.

With the bullets still raining hell though, he shapeshifts into a wall to shield the people he has freed so far, soaking up as much as he could.

Batman has posed:
Watchdogs scream in agony as Melter and the other escapees exact their revenge; while one's skin sloughs off in layers, another is transmuted to glass and shattered, while yet another is telepathically reduced to a catatonic state. Their split attention--to their mutant prisoners and invaders like the invisible Crusader--is rendering the Watchdogs' discipline all but extinct. The mutants still under lock and key are huddled just out of the building's center, in a space surrounded by crates nearly reaching the ceiling and blocked off save for a narrow entrance/exit point.

It's almost impossible for the Watchdogs to notice when the cuffed mutants' bonds begin to fall to the ground, although at least one tries to point out to his companions the moving wall. A brief round of semiautomatic bursts head Crusader's way, while another Watchdog is emboldened--or desperate--enough to try and shout down Melter. "Stop or die, freak!" cries the trafficker.

Meanwhile, under the harbor waters, Batman begins slowly slipping his hand back into the Clayface mass, which seems to have its focus on swatting away Lorena, its substance gloopy and absorbing much of the initial blow she throws at him. Batman's legs continue to kick as though he were treading water despite being mostly upside-down.

"Understood," Batman replies tersely. "Just ... need ... to ..." He trails off as his glove disappears within the clay mass. A moment later, there's a split-second burst of electrical current that dissipates through the water--but in that moment, Clayface noticeably becomes hard as marble, the color of his mass growing pale as well.

"Now!" Batman's voice cries out, muffled by his enemy but audible in the Red Hood's ear piece ... and, perhaps, by someone who can hear speech underwater.

Melter (82) has posed:
"You first," Chris growls as he tries to disarm the Watchdog aiming at him, and winds up literally doing that. His eyes widen and he stumbles back from the screaming soon-to-be-dead Watchdog, scrambling over crates as he hyperventilates. "Oh frack me," he groans as he sees other Watchdogs go down. Hero. What would a hero do? He wipes his mouth as he sees the stack of crates near the center and tries to draw together his shards of concentration. I can do this. I can do this. He makes fists and sends his power out to the barriers and cages, trying to weaken or destroy them. Just them. Please God, just the crates.

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
Well that didn't work. She does manage to get away. Then, things start getting a little more interesting. She notes that there is another surface dweller in the water near her. This one armed and ready to go. She doesn't do anything concerning him as she figures he's down here for this weird creature.

Then she hears the voice saying 'Now!" Aquagirl notices that the creature is solidifying. Thats all she needed to see. With a thunderous strike, she punches at the Marble like creature and makes sure to give plent of room for the other surface dweller to do his thing. The impact from her strike shows an impact ripple going around her.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason nods as Batman gives the order. He begins striking with the knife. Calculated, swift stabs and slashes. He cannot fight in the water as well as someone like Lorena, but he -did- train to murder people in it, so...he is doing alright. He stabs and cuts until he can get a hand on Batman and pull.

"Not much air left," he grunts.

Crusader has posed:
So Many Bullets!

Crusader can feel each one striking him, wearing down at him. He no longer bother being invisible, instead appearing as a wall of metal cobolt, gold and white. One can see the various indentations forming... and refilling as he tries his best to not let bullets get through

At the same time, though he could see Melter trying to gear up for something. His deep voice booms out "Kid, if your going to do something, do it soon!" as he wasn't sure how long it be before a hole does break through him with this concentrated fire.

Batman has posed:
Clayface's hardened form cracks in response to Red Hood's prying knife, and then it completely shatters with a BOODOOM sound from Aquagirl's punch. Shards of Basil Karlo careen in almost every direction.

Batman grasps Jason's forearm and offers the slightest of nods before beginning to kick himself up toward the surface, a trail of air bubbles behind him.

Above, the warehouse interior is peppered with crate splinters and chunks of cage bars.

When the dust clears, most of the Watchdogs are unconscious on the ground or worse. Some are horribly injured and screaming or silent in shock. A few that had the ability to flee have begun to do so, leaving their allies behind in a new question for self-preservation.

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter stands there in the midst of steaming puddles of former metal, wood, bone, meat, guns, and other substances -- he backs away as the small tidal wave of thick goop rolls out from the center, hopping atop an intact crate as mutant kids flee in all directions. At last, he remembers to pull up his 'mask', the ragged bandana he wears around his neck, up over his mouth and nose.

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
Lorena watches the two surface dwellers make their way to the surface. She sees the shattered clayface and just sighs, "Don't tell me you are going to leave this bruto down here!" She rolls her eyes and quickly swims upward.

"Anyone want to tell me what that... THING was?!" She looks at the Batman and finally realizes who the hell was stuck in the weird creature. "Batman, Nice to meet you. I'm Aquagirl." She states as she looks over Red Hood. "Nice to meet you too."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason kicks to the surface and breaks free. He gasps for air, as he emerges just a moment after his helmet's oxygen supply runs out. "Jesus $%&@$* Christ. I hate Clayface!" He moves to the edge of the dock and hauls himself up. He glances down at Lorena and climbs to his feet with a grunt. "Clayface. Psycho former actor turned giant shapeshifting monster. Welcome to Gotham."

He crouches and scoops up his shotgun. "Now...I wanna shoot some racists."

Crusader has posed:
The wall, shifts into Crusader basic heroic form once the Watchdogs stop shooting and stop running. Melted puddles of goo....everywhere. He glances behind himself to see alot of the mutants have tried to get out of the way... but not all

He turns around "Well, guess it time to put a shock to their system" he reaches down into one of the puddles and unleashes a surge of powerful electricity. He didn't know if it would conduct through the goo... but if it does, it will (hopefully) be enough to knock out at least some of the bad guys running away and a few mutant stragglers if their hit potentially.

Batman has posed:
In the warehouse, it's all over except for the crying--Watchdogs in pain, mutants in shock or elation. Whatever furnishings or cargo had been present is all ruined, whether splintered, shattered, exploded, melted, or otherwise obliterated.

"Where is my momma?" asks one of the younger mutants to Crusader.

As Batman breaks the surface of the water, he inhales deeply and turns to acknowledge Aquagirl's presence. After the Red Hood provides some context, Batman calmly adds, "He's not dead, but he needs time to reassemble himself. With any luck, I'll be able to locate his position when he manages to begin re-forming." The Bat makes his way toward the nearest piling. "Your help is appreciated, Aquagirl. To be honest, I expected a well-timed explosive to do the trick."

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter glares around at the ruined warehouse, looking for anyone in a dog-shirt who isn't screaming yet. Seeing none, he takes a deep shuddering breath and starts to gather some of the mutants together. His people. Yeah, but what else has he got? "Come on, um, there are.. um, blankets.. somewhere.." he says as he looks around for more stragglers.

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
Lorena Marquez frowns. "So that Bruto is going to be left in my home until he pulls himself together? Thank you, I didn't get you guys anything." She sighs and rubs her head. "I will notify Aquaman about this Clayface. If he causes trouble I'll give him a tour of the Mariana Trench. The pressure would keep him imprisoned for a while." She states as she glances down toward the shattered person.

"Is everything sorted or would you need a little more help? I am wide awake and able to do stuff now." Much more awake then she was a bit earlier anyway.

Red Hood has posed:
"Are you SERIOUS? You guys beat all the racists without me?!"

Red Hood strides into the battered, rubble-strewn warehouse and growls. He stands over one of the groaning, defeated Watchdogs and levels his shotgun. "We should round your kind up, not Muties." Hey, he tries, but nobody said he was perfect. He pulls the trigger on his shotgun and fires off a rubber crowd-control pellet into the man's crotch. He cries out...and passes out from the pain.

"Alright, I feel better. My helmet is going to smell like saltwater for a damn week now." He glances about, before his gaze lands curiously on Melter. "You do a lot of this damage? Cool. You like abandoned subway stations?" What a weird question.

"You folks wanna grab some Big Belly Burger after this? Nothing is better after some nice ultra-violence like a double bacon buddy. Bats is paying." One of the Watchdogs struggles to his feet and begins to run...and the Red Hood cocks the pump-action shotgun and fires the rubber pellet right into the man's rear. He lets out a strangled yell and collapses. "Down, mutt.

Crusader has posed:
Crusader carefully pick up the young mutant, so they wouldn't have to be standing in the goop "No little one. But, hopefully the police will know where she is" his deep voice says gently.

And while carrying the young mutant he walks over towards the other mutants that are with Melter, hopefully one of them knows this particular mutant "Excuse me, do any of you know this child or their mother? Anyone at all?" he hopes the authroties get here soon

That being said, he turns his head sharply to Red Hood and shakes his head. But all heros have their own style, and isn't about to lecture someone on how to handle things.

Batman has posed:
"Aquagirl," Batman says as he steps into the warehouse behind the Red Hood, "if you're awake, Gotham's waters are just as threatening as its streets. Killer Croc has not been seen for some time..."

"You heard the man," he says loudly enough for all to hear. "It's been a traumatic week for you all, I know. But we'll get you fed and back to your parents--or to other living arrangements, if life at home is just as frightening."

Batman turns toward some of the nearby Watchdogs, withdrawing a cluster of zip ties from his belt. "Gotham PD will see to your injuries, too. You'll need to be healed up to stand trial." Batman tugs a zip tie tight on the wrists of the criminal shot in the groin before moving to the next.

In the distance, the faint sound of police sirens and ambulances can be heard steadily growing louder.

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter turns around as the costumes arrive, and as his eyes rake over the dark form of Batman, his stomach doesn't flip-flop, it does a full half-gainer. Being sixteen, though, he will die before he shows it.

"Holy late-to-the-party," he mutters, then he looks up as Red Hood addresses him. He starts to answer, but then the invite to Big Belly Burger, and he has not had a burger that didn't come off someone else's plate or dumpster for over a year now. "I'm in," he says with an affected shrug to cover both his eagerness and the tearing rumble his stomach puts out. And yes, he has to quirk a smile as the Watchdog get crotch-shot. "Heh."

Aquagirl (Lorena Marquez) has posed:
Aquagirl had of course been following Batman and Red Hood. When she is addressed, She smiles. "Alright. I will see if I can track him down. Maybe some of my friends seen him around. I am guessing he looks like he sounds. A Croc. Be safe out there, Surface Dwellers." She snickers.

With that, Its a real quick thing. She dives back in the water and is clear out of sight. The hunt is on. Its been a while since she's gotten to flex her detective muscles and she is definitely going to flex them tonight!

Red Hood has posed:
Red Hood shoulders his shotgun and glances about as Batman begins zip-tieing folks. "Well, Bats, you know I'm not one for pausing to talk to the cops." As mentioned before, he is still considered to be a terrifying criminal by most of Gotham...which the Bat Family uses to their advantage. He turns to watch the woman dive into the water and considers.

"You think she lays eggs like a fish or..." He shakes his head. "Not voicing the rest of that thought. There are kids about." He smirks under his helmet and glances about again. "Alright, lets get some greasy burgers and fries in some hungry stomachs.

He then points at Melter. "...And then I wanna talk to you."

Crusader has posed:
Crusader mean while helps to tie up some of the watchdogs. Though he was keeping an eye out on the younger mutants "Well some fish give birth to live young" apparently Crusader didn't have a filter when it came to kids. It all part of the cycle of life

Batman has posed:
Once the Watchdogs are roused and lined up in preparation for the police, Batman assembles the mutant children and asks the name of each. "Don't worry," he says. "We only scare the bad guys. And they can't do anything any more.

"Ah, look!" Batman adds, pointing out to the visible squad cars racing toward the warehouse. "Here they come."

As attention is turned elsewhere, Batman disappears into the shadows.

Melter (82) has posed:
Melter stares at Aquagirl for a bit. "Frack, I don't care if she does," he says quietly. Then to nods pointedly at Red Hood. "OK, then.." he says. He's read about the Hood, of course, but he likes his style.