5006/Sunder

Sunder
Date of Scene:	25 July 2018
Location:	Foot Operations - East Warehouse
Synopsis:	June is rescued from the Foot by Batgirl and the Shadow. The embryonic Birds of Prey also find that they have more info on the Foot clan in the process.
Thanks to:	Extra thanks to Tyler Grant for emitting our baddies!
Cast of Characters:	June Connor, Shadow, Oracle

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June Connor has posed:
    "Donnie, it's June again, call me back." June hangs up the phone for the fifteenth time. She knows why he isn't answering, but doesn't want to admit it to herself. She takes the burn phone she picked up at the store and stuffs it back into her pocket as she hauls the duffle bag in her right hand. "Karai, I just escaped," she rehearses. "Drake had told them, and they were ready. They took me captive, but while I was there, I was able to learn the floorplan of the mansion, I saw their security system, I know the weaknesses. We can dismantle the Avengers, they won't ever see it coming." She nods. "Yeah, she'll like that, she wouldn't kill her only intel source." She called Babs to let her know what was happening, giving a good couple of hours before she returned to the Foot base of operations.
    She walks across the grass etched parking lot. "Hey Rahzar," she greets the large mutant wolf as she heads into the Family House. A few of the teens greet her, the one at the bar offers her a beer. They have no idea what happens below them. She thumbs the pad, and the electronic lock clicks off. Down the stairs she heads, into the lion's den. She steadies her nerves through the tricks taught to her by this very place, now using them to save herself from her teachers.

Shadow has posed:
    Interrogating Clarence had taken some time, but ultimately it's very hard to keep secrets from someone who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow has ways of making terrified young men - even young ninjas - talk if she feels the need. Of course, cannon fodder like Clarence is rarely trusted with much of anything, and usually told even less, but he was able to tell her where his 'family' gathered.

    Of course, invading a den full of ninjas of varying levels of skill isn't a viable plan unless she intends to go in guns blazing, and the Shadow is not yet convinced that degree of drastic measures is called for here. But she has been keeping an eye on the place recently, as time allowed, and it just so happens that when an obviously distressed young woman crosses the empty lot toward the entrance, one of the many pools of shadow cast by the flickering lamp light is less empty than it might otherwise be...

June Connor has posed:
    Natasha slips in undetected, or perhaps not. The mutant wolf tilts his head in her direction, sniffing the air curiously. He stirs a little, wandering inspecifically in her direction. If he is alert for battle, though, he has little indication. He stops after a few feet, looking around aimlessly, as if curious why he can't see the thing he smells, and then turns back away, and at no point do his ears turn back with aggression. He may look more intimidating than he actually is. Naturally most of the delinquent teens seem completely oblivious, engaged in some sort of game or conversation or debauchery throughout the main floor, and they have no awareness to her presence, nor does the red head with the piercings that opened the door.

    There are usually a few Foot in the basement, either working on drills, or receiving instruction. Karai stands, giving instructions to a group preparing for a mission.
    June walks up, and drops the bag next to her, dropping to both knees and placing her forehead to the ground. Karai turns upon hearing the bag drop, and the japanese young woman's eyes grow wide, somewhat surprised. "June," she says coldly. "You are certainly bold to come back here," she says. She snaps her fingers, and the team of twelve that she was speaking to surrounds June.
    "Master Karai," June says. "I just escaped. Drake had told the Avengers when he left, and he was suspicious." Karai starts walking to a cabinet as June speaks, retrieving something and returning to where June keeps her face to the ground. "They were prepared, and-"
    The blood stained kunai clatters to the ground in front of June's head, and she looks up. Her story is broken, and her mouth hangs open stupidly. "Fuck me," she grunts. Two stronger looking ninjas grab her by the arms, and hoist her up. "I can explain!" she pleads.
    "No, you can't," Karai answers. "Kill her."

Shadow has posed:
    Unseen, Natasha's eyes widen slightly at the mention of the name. Oracle had filled her in on some of the details, although when she'd described the girl she'd implied that she was cleverer than this. Still, if foolishness alone was deserving of a death sentence, there wouldn't be many people left in the world.

    The first hint for Karai that something isn't going as planned is when the overhead lights flicker and dim for no apparent reason.

    "Her life is not the one in danger today, onmitsu." comes a voice that echoes from all four walls simultaneously, sinister tones laden with menace and a promise of bared fangs. "I warned you before that this city does not welcome you..."

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara got the call from June, and immediately went on full alert. For her part, she knows that there is someone even better suited for this sort of thing than Batgirl, although she is definitely costumed-up. And within sight of the house, if out of reach.

    Listening through Natasha's headset, she hears what's going on while working through the building's security system on a wrist-mounted tablet. ~Security system firewalls aren't going to be a problem, there are just so many of them.~ she offers. ~I see a really big dog outside... no, it's not a dog. Wolf, maybe? Something that's definitely got a genus and species all to itself. Doesn't look at all friendly. Small windows at ground level. Assuming underground installation from infrared scans of the upper house.~

    ~Call it, Shadow. I can gas the wolf to get past, and crash into a window if you need me. Otherwise I'll remain on perimeter and wrangle stragglers.~

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
When the order to kill June comes the ninjas in the basement, aside from the two holding the girl still, simultaneously ready their weapons, taking fighting stances and moving towards their prey as one. The closest of the masked figures to June holds a yari in their hands, ready to plunge it into the heart of the one they've been ordered to slay when suddenly the lights dim and the strange voice seems to come from everywhere at once.

The ninjas all instantly begin to look around, trying to spot the interloper. There's hardly a noise coming from them, until the sound of spinning chain comes through from a pair that wield a manriki-gusari and a kusarigama.

Karai remains cool, imperturbable. She looks over her troops and motions for them spread out as she draws a sword from over her shoulder and approaches June herself.

June Connor has posed:
    June doesn't glance around at the lights, she is more concerned with her impending doom. As they flicker, She leaps up against the grip to break free with her right arm, and stuffs it onto a device that was on the front of her belt. The gravity gauntlet from the attack. Her fingers lace through, and she points at Karai, spreading her fingers to engage a gravity shift on her former master. If it hits her, it will shift 'down' to be the far wall. Of course, Karai will know exactly what the device does even if it does hit her. Still, June hopes to be able to catch her by surprise long enough to break free. Every second she lives is a blessing at this point.

Shadow has posed:
    The only immediate reaction to the sudden appearance of weapons is a sinister chuckle that seems to move throughout the room of its own accord, now distant, now close, now coming from one corner, now another... And suddenly the one with the kusarigama thinks he sees a stealthy shape looming over Karai's back, ready to strike unless he acts right now and at the same time a flicker of motion makes the spear bearer look up and see the chain wielder about to fling his sickle straight at Master Karai's back...

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl suppresses a giggle as the audio shifts and the sinister laughter fills the room. Oooh, she's GOOD alright. Fingers fly on the touchpad, and one by one the building's electronic defenses are peeled like an onion. ~Annnd, that's the doors. You're free and clear, whenever you're finished scaring everyone. I've got a Batarang loaded with bear mace for the puppy outside. Checking the wider perimeter now for extraction points.~

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
The gravity gauntlet catches Karai, the young master looking more angry than surprised as her world turns sideways. She's able to recover quickly as her 'down' changes and plunge her sword into the floor, holding on tightly to stop her rearward motion.

The ninjas keep looking around, attempting to find the source of the laughter. When the kusarigama wielder sees the shadowy figure about to strike at their leader they launch the weighted end of their weapon in an attempt to entangle whoever it may be in the chain. The chain doesn't get there before there's a yari darting in to tangle it up and a kick flying at the kusarigama wielder's face, striking hard enough to knock them backwards. At the sudden infighting amongst the Foot soldiers the ninjas look one another over. Manriki-gusari uses one end of their weighted chain to try to wrap up yari, only to find the other ninja able to dodge the attack at the last second.

The two larger ninjas that were holding June keep their attention on her. The one still holding her left arm attempts to also grab her right while the other draws a tessen from their belt and opens the deadly weapon up, bringing it's sharp edge towards June's weapon arm!

June Connor has posed:
    June releases the command on Karai's gravity, reflexively reaching up to block with the gravity gauntlet as the warfan slices toward her. It catches the strike, and a spark flies from the device. Looks like that is out of the picture for now.
    June uses her restrainer's weight as a vaulting point, leaping again as her left arm is caught, and throwing a kick with her converse shoes at the head of the ninja with the tessen. She isn't sure what is making the confusion or where the ominous voice originated from, but she certainly isn't going to wait for an explanation before taking advantage of it.

Oracle has posed:
~Surveillance going dark now.~ Batgirl offers almost casually as cameras feed static and motion sensors go offline. ~I'm registering a few pretty unusual objects out here on the grid. I'll keep an eye on them in case this goes sideways. A few people moving about with swords. Presumed ninjas or ninja-sympathizers.~

Shadow has posed:
    Just as June begins her vault, a kick snaps at the back of her captor's knee from out of seemingly nowhere, knocking him off-balance and unable to counter the girl's sudden move, then an elbow strike hits the back of his head before he has a chance to recover.

    At thje same time, June herself sees, just for a moment, a pair of sapphire blue eyes blazing at her from under a dark slouch hat and a voice pitched for her ears alone. "Go. We will cover your escape."

    Meanwhile, laughter continues to echo off the walls as the Foot ninjas try to sort out which threats are real, who is treacherous and who isn't...

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
The wielders of the yari and kusarigama launch themselves at one another. Ferocious blows strike out at each other as the Foot ninjas attempt to sort out their differences violently. This pair is clearly very skilled and based on the way they counter each other quite evenly matched. At one point the user of the manriki-gusari attempts to intervene only to find themselves getting struck in the temple by a bo staff from behind and dropped to the ground instantly.

The person with the tessen reaches back to attempt another strike with their weapon only to find feet striking their head. They fall backwards and land flat on their back!

Karai leaves her sword in the floor as she stalks back towards June, ready to finish her with her bare hands.

The person holding onto June is quickly overwhelmed by the surprise attack. The strikes leave them reeling before falling down to the floor in a heap.

The remaining ninja see June suddenly free and, ignoring their allies fighting, attempt to surround her again. One of them launches a trio of shuriken as another hurls a kunai. A naginata is leveled at her at close range.

Oracle has posed:
    The Shadow's words are Batgirl's cue. The building is as electronically dark as if she'd cut the power by now anyway. But for the moment she's still in a holding pattern. So far, at least, the ninjas on the ground aren't reacting to anything that's going on inside. ~Roger that. On hold and waiting for the package.~

June Connor has posed:
    June stumbles free, and Karai is her most significant concern. She dips back from the kunai as it whistles past, only to put her in the path of the shuriken. One strikes her in the tricep, while the other two catch her in the ribs. She has no time to complain about the pain, though, she's busy surviving.
    She backs away from the large blade, and then makes a dive for the black duffle bag that she brought. The landing shoves one of the shuriken deeper into her side, causing her to wince as she hoists it up, with her right arm.
     Her left pulls the three shurikens from her body, the last releasing more blood than she would like it to, and she quickly spins to send them speeding toward Karai as she tries to make her way to wall run up one side of the room, gripping the stone ledge to try to make her way to the window exit. The pain makes it difficult, and the heavy duffle on her shoulder makes it even harder.

Shadow has posed:
    One of the ninjas suddenly finds themselves seized from behind and lifted int the air like a doll before being flung at Karai's back, while the bo wielder spins to face movement behind her only to step straight into a punch to the face that knocks her off her feet...

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
Karai has to dive to the side to dodge the shuriken that are thrown her way, keeping her from her objective for a few more seconds. She's further hampered when suddenly a sai wielding minion is flung into her, knocking her off of her feet and sending her sprawling on floor, the pair now tangled up in a heap.

More shuriken and kunai find their way into the wall as June wall runs. As she gets to the window and starts to climb out a katana wielding ninja rushes from behind, swinging their blade around in an attempt to cut into the escapee.

Bo gets rocked hard. They may not be getting up any time soon after that strike.

The four other ninjas head for the windows themselves, intent on preventing June from escaping.

Oracle has posed:
    Windows start to open and Batgirl swings down from her vantage point now. Gas mask on, she hefts her canine care-package and launches it. She could've gone two ways with the mutant wolf: tranquilize or disable. While Batgirl carries enough tranquilizer in various devices to disable an adult T-Rex, too much would cause heart failure in a lesser animal.

    The Batarang is nearly silent, and hits from the back side. There's a small explosion of irritant gas that surrounds the creature, designed to bring a charging grizzly to a screeching halt with the distraction.

    Using the darkness (and lack of outside lighting) to her advantage, the female Bat watches the windows and waits, ready with flash-bangs or Batarangs or bolas. Depending on who she sees first and from which window.

June Connor has posed:
    June reaches up with her other hand, clenching teeth with the pain as she pulls her legs up, narrowly evading the katana strike. She hoists herself up to the window. She pulls it open with a wrenching squeak, looking at the four who are doing likewise. "Fuck this," she grunts, reaching into a side pouch on the bag as she slides herself through the opening. She pulls out several marble shaped orbs, and flings them indiscriminately at the wall of teh building, they explode with a flash of light, and a gagging thick smoke bursts from them, clouding the exterior of the warehouse, and she runs, using the handle of the bag like shoulderstraps over her shoulders, she makes her desperate flee, blood dripping from the wound on her side and from her bare arm. She doesn't have a location to flee to, she just knows that it has to be away from this warehouse.

Shadow has posed:
    Laughter still echoes through the rapidly worsening visual conditions inside the warehouse, and the four ninjas still trying to pursue June have only a bare moment's warning before a rack they were just running past topples over onto the ones who didn't stop or dive in time. A moment after it hits the floor, it shudders again as if someone just stepped heavily on it, followed by a slightly less loud noise on the windowsill where a flickering shadow is very briefly visible in what light penetrates from outside...

    Moments later, shadows and mist blur next to June, coalescing into a solid form that seems to tower over the young woman, blue eyes looking down at her from under a black slouch hat. The eyes narrow for a moment as the ex-ninja is looked over, focusing on her injuries. "Those will need seeing to - but this isn't the place or time. Batgirl?" The last seems almost a non-sequitur to June until she realizes it wasn't addressed to her...

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
As soon as she rolls free from under her sai wielding minion, Karai does a kip-up to get to her feet and runs towards one of the windows. The person previously laying atop her follows closely behind.

The ninjas climbing and jumping out through the windows soon find themselves trying to dodge a falling rack! The person wielding the naginata and his friend tossing kunai get caught underneath of it in a painful crush. The others emerge into a field of smoke, their vision obscured by it. They fan out, trying to determine where June might be fleeing to, one wielding a pair of kamas, another a katana and the last clutching a number of shuriken. The katana user is the only member of the Foot who has any idea of where she went to, it seems. They follow behind June at a short distance, letting out a whistle to alert the others to their location.

Rahzar grabs their face and roars with pain and confusion. The wolf stumbles blindly around, making loud, pained, angry noises. As it bumps into a fence it takes a swipe at it, tearing out a huge swath of the chain link.

Oracle has posed:
    Ah, the flash-bang is Batgirl's cue. A *pursuing* ninja wouldn't throw them, of course, only a fleeing one. Her attention focuses on the OTHER windows as the Shadow coalesces into existence outside of the building.

    ~I'm here, Shadow. Get clear, quickly.~ Just in case the commotion caused by the angry wolf-mutant isn't indication enough.

    With the two 'friendlies' safely out of the basement now, Batgirl tosses tear gas pellets into every open window and around the grounds with one hand. And a Batarang whirls silently towards the katana wielder.

June Connor has posed:
    June jumps nearly out of her skin as Natasha appears, "Holy shit!" she exclaims, slipping out of the handles on the duffle bag, and using the whole thing as a defensive weapon. "Who the hell are you?" A glance is cast to Batgirl. "He with you?" She spins around hearing the cries from the wolf. "Oh buddy," she says, actually sympathetic in her tone. "He's just a puppy, try not to him. Or let him hurt you, he can tear a grown man in half."
    She seems uninterested in the wound leaking red from her side or from her arm. "We should all get out of here. You can't beat her. She could kick the ass of all twelve of those soldiers in there without breaking a sweat." Of course, she isn't sure exactly how good the Batgirl is, either.

Shadow has posed:
    "I've warned her before that she is not welcome in this city," the Shadow replies, a shift of the trenchcoat revealing the gun harness underneath, but all they pull out is a roll of bandage, which is swiftly but efficiently wrapped around the bleeding wound without slowing their pace. "This will have to do until we can get you to more comprehensive medical attention."

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
The batarang finds it's mark, striking out through the smoke to hit the unsuspecting ninja in the bridge of the nose and causing them to hold their now bloodied and broken face.

The other two ninjas outside don't stop moving until they clear the smoke, now coughing and hacking as the gas begins to get to them. Behind them Karai emerges from the basement, seemingly unfazed by either the tear gas or the smoke. The young woman scoops up the katana dropped by her minion and begins to run towards the next building over, Karai using her acrobatic skills to ascend to the rooftops to get a better vantage point.

Rahzar is just having a bad day. The poor guy continues fighting the fence, not so much out of rage as confusion. It keeps moving, after all!

Oracle has posed:
    "He'll be fine once the gas dissipates." Batgirl offers as the two head away from the warehouse. "Promise." For her part, she's watching for pursuing ninja now as her primary concern. Yes, ninjas are dropping like flies, alright.

    All except for one. ~That Lady seems to want her quarry REALLY badly, Shadow. I'm going to give you the chance to get clear.~

    Batgirl shoots a grapple line, swinging up towards the rooftop on the OTHER side of the warehouse. Away from the retreating pair. She'll reach the ledge a few moments before Karai, and she's two rooftops away as she calls out.

    "Lady, you apparently didn't get the message: you really need to leave town."

June Connor has posed:
    June hesitates as the stranger offers bandages, and tries to take them from the Shadow, interrupting the bandaging process to try to take control of it herself. "I'm fine," she says dismissively, watching Batgirl fire her grappling hook to go engage Karai. "Hope she will be. Master Karai is on my definite 'do not fuck with' list. I've never seen her lose. She's not leader of the Foot for nothin'." She glances back at the warehouse. "You got a way out of here?"

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow takes hold of June's wrist. "This will be /slightly/ less disorienting if you keep your eyes closed for a moment," they warn before turning to face the approaching ninjas... And laughing, as shadows appear to flicker and move, then rise to cover the two of them before fading and leaving nothing behind but the laugh still echoing among the buildings - no trace of the fleeing pair, or any indication that the unremarkable cab pulling into traffic a block away would merit anyone's scrutiny...

    The cab driver doesn't so much as raise an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of an injured ex-ninja and a dark-clad vigilante in his back seat, and doesn't even bother to look up from traffic as he asks "Where to, boss?"

    "I believe first aid is going to be the first order of business," the Shadow responds. "We'll discuss where she intends to go afterwards when we're done there."

    "You got it," Benny replies, idly flicking the On Duty signal to on as he turns at the next intersection, driving off into the night in the unhurried manner of cabbies everywhere...

Tyler Grant (1792) has posed:
The young master moves swiftly and purposefully towards Batgirl, Karai readying her blade as she moves. The obstacles on the rooftop, AC units and the like, aren't much of an impediment to her as she either dodges around them or goes over, making either effort seem trivial. Karai radiates danger as she closes in on her new prey, eyes locking onto Batgirl's.

Oracle has posed:
    Dispite her words, Batgirl has no intention of engaging Karai right now. The ruse did its job and the 'package' has been safely extracted. She has a two-building head start, and a grappling gun, and plans on making good use of both.

    Karai reaches the first rooftop, and Babs shoots a line out to begin the chase. It's nothing worse than her 'final exams' with Batman, after all. Leading on a direct trail that's not *exactly* the opposite direction of the calmly-fleeing cab, she leads Karai more or less into the city.

    ~Okay, Shadow. She's taken the bait. We're going to play cat and mouse for a little while, then I'll head back. You can bring the 'package' back to my place, but stay with her until I return.~

June Connor has posed:
    June doesn't close her eyes, and to her credit, seems only very mildly disoriented, if at all. She glances around, bewildered, though. "Damn. That is a good exit," she comments. She looks out the windows, trying to determine which way they are even facing. All in all, she's just happy to not be dead.