5930/Black Sky: Daring the Devil.

Black Sky: Daring the Devil.
Date of Scene:	06 December 2018
Location:	Hell's Kitchen - Warehouse
Synopsis:	Matt and Kate try to stop the transfer of files as the Hand attempts to relocate. It's a setup, things don't go quite as planned.
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Daredevil, Hawkeye (Bishop)
Tinyplot:	Black Sky

---

Shredder has posed:
    Hell's Kitchen always has trouble. It always has crime. The Hand has never helped this. However, with Elektra's death, there are all sorts of changes happening. One of them has been the movement of the Purple Dragons. A loose lipped young man named Link has been talking about how the Hand is moving their most sensitive information and goods out, and how the Purple Dragons were able to strike a deal. They are getting paid good money to help move stuff. Their reputation in Manhattan is pretty impressive. They can move large amounts of goods very quickly, and tonight, they are supposed to move all of what they have out on a series of trucks. At least, that's the word.

    The Warehouse looks as empty as it ever does, a few sparse lights casting an orange glow on the sides of the building, but none of the lights within can be seen shining out. It smells like oil, someone's truck has a slow oil leak that burns on the manifold. Inside, there is not nearly as much care about sound, as there are loud bangings of materials, flats are thrown, and a booming voice of a large man orders the lackeys around. "That's right, scrubs, lets get this on here. You know our orders, move it fast or don't move it at all. Be a sweet pay day. Hey, you ninja man," he says to one of the Hand lieutenants on hand. "Your people are slow loaders. Thought ninjas were supposed to be fast, huh?"

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil had been looking for a fresh lead on the Hand, so, Link's tip had been timely.

His first call after that was to Kate, cancelling their 'date' and suggesting she meet him at the address Link had laid out in the tip.

Then it was on to the warehouse, where he crouches a good hundred feet distant, watching and listening to what was going on below. Since they were going to the trouble of loading the Hand's files for him, he didn't see a reason to stop them, not when he, or well, Kate, could still the truck.

Or at least, that was the plan in his head. The reality of the situation would likely be very different, Matt was never that lucky.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate had smirked, and totally razzed Matt about cancelling. "Sure, ask the cutie in purple out instead. See if I care.." But heck, when push came to shove, she'd rather spend an evening dressed to kill (so to speak) in her purple outfit and a bow, rather than heels and a dress.

Katre knew the address, and arrives early, and let Matt do his thing while she scouted out for the perfect location for her part of the job. He was right -- she could hotwire a car in less then ten seconds flat. 15 if it had fancy security, but who was counting?

"What's the scoop, boss," she asks him quietly before finding her perch.

Shredder has posed:
    "Blades, go check to make sure nobody's out there snoopin, will ya?" the large man says. "Don't need none of the city hero wannabe's or cops stickin' their noses in." A young black man with dredlocks appears out the door, pistol on his hip, tank top and blue jeans. He glances around the door, then casually walks out to the edge of the property, looking around. "Ain't nobody here, Hun!" he calls back, not very good at being stealthy.

    Meanwhile, the loading door opens to the warehouse, and a series of similar ratty punks suddenly dive out, carrying boxes, others pulling hand trucks to load flats onto the truck. It is only a matter of seconds, and they close the door to the truck again, most of them on the outside of it, two heartbeats still inside.
    "There, gett his stuff down to the dock," says the large man, getting out to where he is visible from the street. "Rest a you, get the other truck back here." The man is a mountain, a good 6'10" tall with blond hair, and is built like a mack truck himself. He must be Hun. Known leader for the purple dragons, and likely someone the Kingpin would find a challenge in a fight.

Daredevil has posed:
"I don't know, just like how the girl in purple looks," Matt jokes on the phone as he's pulling on the suit. "See you there."

He hangs up.

Later, when she joins him on the roof, he greets with a simple. "Hawkeye," nodding down to the scene below. "Looks like they just finished loading the Hand's files, how are you at driving? I figure, since they went to all the trouble, might as well help ourselves."

The big guy though, that catches his attention, the size of him, it fit what he heard about this Hun, but this was the first time Matt had 'seen' him.

"Got any smoke arrows? Or anything to give us a bit of cover to the truck? Probably not the best idea to fight these guys hand to hand for too long."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate had laughed at the blind joke and let it go. She could grab a bite to eat with him after if they really wanted to make a statement.

She watches pretty much the same thing he's feeling out and sensing. "I can drive," she says like she's not as good at it as she is. "Haven't been caught yet." Impishly tossed out before she gets all serious-like taking in the movement below.

"Looks like the word on the street was right. They're moving everything in sight. You'd think they'd have digitized it all by no - what do you mean, do I have anything to give us cover? Is this my first rodeo? I think not. And I've been out with you before. I stocked up extra on things to stop the bad guys in ways they don't expect. Of course I have smoke arrows."

She had two.

"What's the plan?"

Shredder has posed:
    There is the scent of drugs, and...something else. A chemical of some sort. The first truck is fired up. It's the one with the oil leak, and it starts to rumbled out toward the gate. Blades opens the chain gate, and it starts to roll through while the second truck is backed up to the gate. Hun looks out at the street, unaware of those watching, but he seems suspicious of something. He turns around. "Ninja boy," he grunts. "What's the deal? You guys must be small potatoes now, huh? Gettin' bossed around by guys like me. Thought you said he'd be here? He ain't here yet." The Hand representative appears in the doorway. "I won't complain if he does not arrive, it allows for us to succeed in our operation tonight without any further setbacks."

    "You really are scared like a little girl," Hun remarks, folding his massive arms. "Get your boys, lets load up this other truck."

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil had wondered the same thing when he got here, why paper files, but by the time Kate arrived he had the answer: Elektra.

"The way Elektra and Genus burned them with their digital files, I'm guessing they'll be sticking with pen and paper for now on," he reasons. "Can't hack those," a smile. "Well except for how we're going to hack them."

"Figure send one smoke arrow somewhere over there," he gestures far to the right. "Draw a few guys off, then hit the truck with another smoke, we'll zip down in during the chaos, you steal the truck, I keep people off your back while you do, then we ride off with their files."

What was that old adage about plans and contact with the enemy? The truck rolls out and a new one comes in. Matt grits his teeth. "We'll let that one go, same plan for this truck. We'll hit it as soon as they're done loading. Only change is I'm going to grab one of their guys if I can, someone to tell us where these trucks were supposed to be headed."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"I don't know," Kate mutters. "You'd think they'd have better ways of hiding digital than paper. Paper is pretty hard to deny, or slip a redacted copy into on the fly, and takes up real estate. This could be older records, though?"

Matt had a point about the hacking. But she had a point about real estate. It really could be six of one, half dozen of the other at this point.

"They have more than one vehicle," she remarks as the truck switch is made. "But looks like some of the stuff is equipment. We want the file boxes, right? They're still moving those."

She surveys the layout below.

"Wish we knew how much more was left inside that building. For all we know, there's another switchoff happening." Still, she could see the truck below was most definitely getting its share of files. If they had to choose between a go, or a wait, she'd rather the bird in hand here.

"I think I see a spot I can draw them off to. If I send a ricochet off first, then draw their attention to the same spot with smoke, they'll think it came from there, rather than here. If you can keep their attention while I hotwire, I think we can pull this off?"

Shredder has posed:
    "Your rag tag crew will be useless," the Hand leader says. "You will see."
    Hun laughs, "Yeah, we'll see," he says smugly. The team of thugs hops to it again, and they start flying back and forth for the second truck, loading it quickly just as they did the first.

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil nods, "It has it's disadvantages, for sure," he agrees before she brings up the idea of them being old files. "Could be, stuff they never got to digitizing when Elektra was in charge." She had been trying to drag the Hand into the future. "Either way, it's a shot for us."

As to the warehouse, Daredevil has to agree, "Would like a look inside, but we can call the cops on the place once we're away, might as well let someone on the side of the angels get those files.

When Kate explains her shots, he nods, "That works. I'll make sure you've got the time to hotwire."

The truck finishes loading.

"Okay, Hawkeye, you're up," he says already pulling out his baton in preparation for rapelling down to the ground once the second smoke arrow pops at the truck.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Dude, you get one or the other. The truck and the files, or a peek inside. They aren't likely to be here by the time we get a call in. That, smartiepants, you should have done before we got started. Actually.. I suppose I could still put a call in?"

That would delay the shots fired, though. And Daredevil takes the decision into his own hands by telling her to take the shots.

Kate has her second arrow - the smoke arrow - ready at hand, and sights the concussive one first. While she could shoot both at once, that would defeat the purpose of trying to create the illusion that shots weren't coming from where they were, and take a whole lot of the value of confusion out of the equation.

"You have to make enough time for me to get down there and hotwire the van. I need.." She peers. "Ten for the van. Ten to scale. Five for bad life choices... Gimme twenty secs."

Yes, she knows she counted a need of 25. It's Kate. She's sassy. Roll with it.

Shredder has posed:
    The explosion of the first arrow draws the attention of Blades at the gate. "Hey Hun!" Got a noise here!" he calls out. Hun turns from his next snarky remark to see the dark cloud. it's difficult enough to see without even further guaranteed obstructions. Blades starts over in the direction, taking him out of Hun's clear view, but Hun is walking behind, on his way in the same direction.
    "Well, looks like we'll find out, your ninja boys ready?" Hun asks the Hand officer.
    "You just move the equipment, we'll take care of him."
    "Yeah, cuz that's why you needed help." Hun turns, and starts casually walking toward the smoke cloud, while the crew finishes loading the truck. They certainly are fast.
    A few seconds later, the familiar Hand ninjas appear out the door, two of them scaling to the roof, another two dropping beneath the truck to lie in wait.

Daredevil has posed:
"We'll call once we have the truck," Daredevil explains.

It'd give the Dragons and the Hand a chance to destroy more files but the move was more about denying the files to the Hand than anything else.

The rest though earns a grin, "Twenty seconds it is."

Then it's down to business as Daredevil drops down into the smoke then strides towards the truck, whipping the line back into his baton as he goes. His plan is simple clear the road to the truck for Kate and then hold that ground for the promised twenty seconds.

Of course it doesn't hold. He senses the two ninja rolling under the truck and hurls hi baton at the closest of them. Better to take them out now before they had a chance to set up.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Shoulda told him 15," Kate grins to herself, shooting her arrows as Matt disappears, and once she's done so, she herself grabs up bow and quiver, and makes her way down the side of the building (firescapes and some parkour. what? she's not Spidey) and over to the truck. Hopefully without anyone being alerted to her presence. From the front seat - should she make it there without being spotted - she settles in to expose the wiring she needs to get the thing going.

Shredder has posed:
    The first of the ninjas takes the baton to the head, having never seen it coming. "<Hatsu, he is here!>" the other says in Japanese. The Hand officer answers, "<Then kill him, you fool!>"

    Hun turns at the talking and yelling in Japanese. "What'd I say about that foreign jabber? I don't like it!" He looks back, but since the ninjas were hidden, he sees neither Matt nor the ninja he knocked out. Blades, of course, is completely out of the know, unaware of Kate as she passes almost directly over him.

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil rolls low, grabbing the baton and hurling it under the truck at the other ninja. The alarm's raised but it'll be one less guy to deal with later.

Getting to his feet he draws his other baton, yanks the cord out in the middle and sets it to spinning like the iron loop on the end of a kyoketsu-shoge, making figure eights in front of him letting the rest of the ninjas and Dragons to come to him.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate holds her breath as she passes by the guy (Blades) nearest her, but it *seems* like he's not noticed? She hopes so. ~Now this,~ she tells herself, ~This is where that extra five seconds for bad life choices would have been helpful.~

Of course her internal monologue was usually quite on point about such things, even if they were always offered with a side order of snark.

Because of course Kate was going to make a bad life choice here. If she took out Blades, he couldn't alert the others, which hopefully would help them in the long run. And since he hadn't noticed her... that's why she always had gadgets like ye olde handy dandy blackjack on hand. Because strangling folks was hard, and concussions easy!

Kate thwacks the man hard enough to the base of his skull that it should knock him out.

Shredder has posed:
    The second ninja takes the baton to the face before he spots Daredevil, and is knocked unconscious. This time, though, the other ninjas are alerted, and the Hand ninjas drop to either side of the Daredevil, drawing their katanas and assaulting, one high and the other low.

    Meanwhile Blades, the poor thug, had no idea that Kate was there, he takes the blow sharply to the back of his head, falling forward in a faceplant into the concrete. That's gonna leave a mark.
    Hun, however, seems more casual about the encounter. "Aha, see, he's a little guy," He tells the Hand officer. "You guys been afraid of this shrimp?"

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil feels the ninja dropping beside him, he doesn't need to waste time turning his head to look he just strikes, swinging the half of his baton on the cord around in a wide high circle, aimed at the guy striking high.

That opens him up to the guy coming low, there's no time for a block, but he shifts so the thickest parts of his suit takes the blow as he turns, bringing the baton and cord low to try to entangle the man's feet before yanking them out from under him.

Provided his first attack went like it plan. If not, he was in a bit of trouble.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate takes a second or three to push/drag Blade's body out of the immediate line of sight. Let his fellows thing the guy had wandered back inside or something, and now that she's dealt with him, she's off for the front door of the truck, and once inside, she'll peel that panel off underneath the steeringwheel and get working on those wires. Really, the hard part of stealing a car was that panel.

Don't ask how Kate knows.

Shredder has posed:
    The first did go off without too much trouble, knocking the ninja back and stumbling from the baton blow. This one wasn't completely unprepared. The second was a little more ready, stepping over the maneuver and then following by trying to deliver a roundhouse kick to the Daredevil's head.

    Hun is not so distracted though that he doesn't notice Kate going for the door. His massive hand reaches out as she enters through the front door, grabbing her by the leg and pulling her out as if she was a rag doll. His arm is almost as big around as she is.
    "Hi there," he laughs. "Thought you would just drive off, huh? The Daredevil guy has himself a sidekick?" He lifts up to hold her upside down as casually as one might lift a stick off the ground. He's a really big guy.

Daredevil has posed:
/Kate!/

Even fighting the Hand ninja Daredevil is aware of the fight with Hun and Kate. There was no time to wait. He ducks the roundhouse and rises with a punshing uppercut to the ninjas' jaw.

Then when he's down (if he's down) Daredevil lashes out with the baton on the wire sending it flying at Hun's eyes to distract as much as wound.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Okay, *that* was unexpected (and truth be known, possibly her own fault for being overconfident and cocky that she wasn't going to get caught). One minute she's almost in the truck; the next she's tugged outside of it and dangled upside down by a meaty hand.

A problem, and not just because her bow is useless in this situation, and her quiver has spilled several of her arrows upon the ground.

The only saving grace of this situation is that, as a large man, Hun's protectables are right there at eye level. And if there was one thing Kate had learned about men, it was that is you fed them drinks all evening and let them talk about themselves.. wait. no.. that was the other thing. This thing. Hun's family jewels were right there, and Kate threw a mean right hook.

Hun is going to be very sorry he met Kate.

Kate hauls off and punches him. Yes. There. Exactly there.

Shredder has posed:
    The baton wasn't on Hun's center of attention, so when Daredevil threw it, he didn't see it coming. It catches him just above the right eyebrow. He growls, and it's clear from his reaction that it did more to distract than to wound indeed.
    As for Kate, she has a good opening due to the attack, and her punch lands solidly. Yep, he's big everywhere. He grunts, dropping her from the punch, but he doesn't double all the way over, instead taking a moment to hold the offense, "Oooh, you gonna pay for that," he growls.

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil whips the line back into his baton as he rushes towards Hun, coming at him low, driving the thing into the back of the big man's knee. Then scooping up one of Kate's dropped arrows, he tosses it up to the archer, maybe that will make more of an impact.

Matt's rules were clear about killing, but they were a little less so about castration.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Now, see, that was a solid hit, and it accomplished what she'd intended, but like so many things, there was a catch, and in this case the catch was Hun drops her.

Fiiiine. That was also the intent, if we're going to split hairs. The abrupt dropping of Kate on her head has the girl doing a backwards tumble and pushing up off the ground and back onto her feet. But it's not without a decent clunk to her head, and the loss of a couple arrows that lie between her and Hun.

Okay, maybe more than a few.

Kate manages to pull up her bow - thankfully not damaged in the altercation and subsequent kissing of the pavement. But she has one arrow. One. And by the looks of it, it's just your standrad poke someone's eye out arrow. Which is a problem given the close quarters she's got to work with here. She can shoot Hun, but if he makes a dive or anything, even a shot aimed for his kneecaps is liable to hit him somewhere else rather more pointedly than she's like, or, just as bad, go flying off ineffectually.

Still, it's the first thing that comes to mind, and she's willing to bluff him out while she goes through an inventory of the rest of things she has at hand.

Fewer things than she's comfortable with given she'd not really expected up close and personal to be on today's menu.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun Doesn't give her time to think, instead, as she catches the arrow, he lunges forward, his arm having an impressive range naturally, a closed superman fist aiming to bash her in the face. Apparently he doesn't have a qualm about hitting girls.
    He doesn't hesitate, however, knowing that he has two targets the fist to Kate is followed by a spin and a swing at the Daredevil, this one a haymaker that swings up from below. With most combatants, a haymaker wouldn't be considered the best punch, but when you have a reach like this man, it has a pretty wide range that it covers.

Daredevil has posed:
Daredevil's reflexes border on the superhuman and so the red suited vigilante snakes out of the way of that haymaker. A good thing too, it'd break him in two if it connected.

Flipping backwards Daredevil lands, grinning up at Hun. "That all you got?" he asks spinning the baton in his hand. He keeps out of range for the moment, trying to keep the big man's attention fixed on him.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate? Not so lucky.

She hadn't expected Hun to have that kind of reach. In fact, she'd thought she'd leapt back far enough. Nope. Turns out she's wrong. And with that fist flying for her face she goes with plan B, which is using her bow in self-defense.

The knocked arrow - her last - goes flying off somewhere. No matter. That bow is toast. And he still manages to connect with her jaw in a hit that has her shaking her head to keep things from tilting sideways. She is sooo going to have a nasty bruise there tomorrow.

"Little help here," she mutters, grabbing at her pockets and belt now, scrabbling to come up with something useful.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun laughs, "You think a little fancy footwork is going to save you?" he asks, spinning back toward Kate. Seeing her off balance, he decides to take advantage of the situation, and the large blond-haired man is looking all too at ease in the combat. He reaches forward to try to catch her by the neck. "Your little girlfriend shoulda stayed at home," he taunts.

Daredevil has posed:
The 'Little help here' from Kate echoes in his ears, mutter or not and Daredevil leaps into action.

He might have ditched his black suit ages ago, but Daredevil's tactic comes straight from the 'Man in Black' handbook. Not the alien guys, the Dread Pirate Roberts.

Pushing off with his legs, he leaps onto Hun's back and drives the end of his baton at the man's eye, while he tries to grab hold of the man's neck with his other arm.

Okay less sporting than Westley might have been but they needed this fight done and soon before the Hand and Foot overwhelmed them.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate forgets, for the moment, that she and Daredevil are dating. (Easy enough to do when he's in the suit -- besides, Hun can't really mean he knows who Daredevil is, can he?)

"Not my boyfriend," Kate mutters. "And you hit hard."

Her hands scrabble at her belt, and come up with small throwing daggers. "What I wouldn't give for a big stick. Or a bigger blade." But what she's got are throwing daggers.

She backs up (more of that fancy footwork Hun is unimpressed with) and takes a shot at the man. Aiming for disabling and creating a diversion, but honestly, she's taking less care than she should because of circumstances.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun is interrupted by Daredevil's assault, and turns his face so that he takes the baton to the cheek instead of the eye. It's a solid hit, but not enough to stop him. The blade sinks into his thigh, and he growls in response as blood comes from the wound. He takes hold of the arm around his neck with one hand, and tucks low to flip the Daredevil over his head, keeping hold of the hand to try to keep him from righting himself. "That's the spirit!" he declares, "You're supposed to be a tough guy, right? You two think you can take me? I'm the toughest sucker in this city." A bold claim, considering just who all is in this city.

Daredevil has posed:
Dardevil goes with the flip when Hun ducks forward, he hits the ground hard, with an oof. There'd be bruises all over his back but for now he'd be alright.

He vaults to his feet. "Well then, take your shot," Daredevil says, but he doesn't wait for Hun. Instead, whipping his arm he lashes out with the grapple in the baton trying wrap up Hun's feet in the steel cable.

"Run," he says to Kate.

Discretion is the better part of valour after all. This battle wasn't going their way.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Things might not being going their way, but Kate did have a way to help out with their retreat... and help ensure they might still be able to find that van, and its contents, later.

Kate pulls some smake pellets from her belt with one hand, and a magnetic tracking device from another little pouch with the other.

One hand tosses the smoke pellet, and under the cover of that grey, smoggy pall, Kate slips the tracker onto the van. Go-go gadget US army tech. Just.. don't look too hard into how she got her hands on the things.

Shredder has posed:
    "Run? Cowards!" Hun announces. "You aren't gonna get away that easy!" He is caught around the legs by the grapple, and as he tries to lurch forward, he trips, falling face first into the pavement. The pellet of smoke erupts before him, covering his face. "Hey! You little wimps! Stay and fight me!" He demands, kicking at his feet, trying to free them.

Daredevil has posed:
Even Matt wouldn't turn up his nose at a little stolen spy tech, and through the smoke Dardevil can see her tag it to the van. There's a quick nod, glad someone had toys!

There is a faint smirk for Hun as he falls back into the smoke. "Maybe next time," then he's moving, trying to get out over the fence around the property before more badguys catch up.

As he goes he says quietly to Kate: "Tracker?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate is getting the hell out of dodge - Hun can taunt all he wants, but she knows when running is the better choice. You can't live to fight another day if you don't live to fight another day. As it is, she's not entirely sure he didn't break her jaw with that blow he landed, and that was with blocking the bulk of it.

"Heck yeah, it's a tracker," she says when they're far enough away, and she's had time to catch her breath. "Darn. He broke one of my favourite bows. Rats."

Arrows? She was used to losing arrows. Occupational hazard. But you never liked to lose a bow.

Shredder has posed:
    Hun kicks his feet furiously, freeing them from the entanglement, he leaps back up to his feet, pushing the smoke around with his hands as he looks around, but he's too late, his target is gone.
    "Wasn't so tough," he tells the Hand agent.
    "You didn't get him either," the agent answer. Hun gives a sniff and rubs his nose in protest. "Not my fault they're wimps. We'll get'm next time."