6319/Cats and Birds Fighting Together

Cats and Birds Fighting Together
Date of Scene:	30 January 2019
Location:	Sandy Hook area of Gotham City
Synopsis:	Catwoman and Black Canary unintentionally team up to stop a kidnapping.
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Black Canary

---

Catwoman has posed:
It's late at night, and it's cold. South Hinkley, otherwise known as Sandy Hook, also otherwise known as Tricorner, is not for the faint of heart. It's rough, it's tough, it's an area the wealthy avoid like the plague unless they're here for sports or perhaps some PR stemming from an appearance at the Wayne Foundation Centre...and Catwoman likes it that way.

There is talk that she calls this area home, that it hides her base of operations. Some think she lives large, only the fanciest and most expensive of places for her. After all, she's stolen enough to afford it. To that end, why would she hole up in this dump? Others claim her as a protector of sorts, a few hushed whispers even favorably comparing her to The Bat more than once.

Amazing what a saved life here and there will do for one's reputation.

Tonight, the area is hardly quiet. It's often that way in the darkest of the trash-ridden alleys, but crime and danger do not take place only where the light fails to reach. Sometimes, it's done brazenly, out in the open, no qualms about who sees or hears it as it happens.

Catwoman herself is out on a patrol of sorts, leaping from one rooftop to the next as she traverses an area of a few blocks close to the southernmost tip of the island. It's not a night for thievery, but she'd caught wind of some abductions taking place. As a scream that's quickly muffled pierces the windy, bone-chilling night air, part of her thinks 'Jackpot.' Another part thinks 'Oh, shit.' Then a few gunshots ring out, striking a nearby vehicle parked by the curb. Why? Just because it can be done.

Adjusting the night-vision setting on her goggles, the catsuited woman leans over the edge of a three-story apartment building in time to see a pair of men stuffing a woman into the back of a nondescript van, the driver up front shouting for them to get a move on. She's putting up a struggle. One man cries out, shaking his hand where he was bitten. He strikes her across the face with the back of the other one.

Black Canary has posed:
vroom.... vroom... Vroom... VROOOOM! The sound of an old Harley is audible as someone else is approaching the area. A woman wearing black leather, masked, blonde hair streaming behind her. She pulls up nearby and jumps off the bike, studying the situation first, then braces herself - and begins to run right into the fray - apparently unarmed.

Catwoman has posed:
The sound of the motorcycle gives the feline fatale reason to pause. Is it a partner of theirs, or some other person? A potential innocent, or..no. Evidently, someone deciding to come in for a fight. Sometimes, that happens as well. There's no shortage of people connected to Batman himself, but there are also some who fancy themselves street-level vigilantes. Some of them have a clue. Some of them end up dead, in the river, in pieces, or just left behind, discarded like the garbage piled up in places few bother to clean.

Having been about to drop a couple smoke pellets on the people below, Catwoman goes through with it anyway as the woman with the hair gets involved. A lot of people relate smoke pellets to Batman, so why not play on that fear? As they land and break open, white smoke billowing forth, she uncurls her whip and uses it to swing herself down with the aid of a street light, driving the soles of her boots into the back of one of the thugs, thereby driving him into the side of the van, face first. He loses his grip on the would-be victim. "Ding, dong. Avon calling."

Black Canary has posed:
Black Canary hmmmmms as she is taking advantage of the smoke. A few muffled sounds and one of the thugs drops. She stretches as she goes for the back of the van, and shatters the window with one good kick, entering inside. She manages to dodge a few bullet-wounds as she propels hreself in feet-first and clobbers the kidnapper in the face, dropping him. She looks at the would-be prey. "You okay?" she asks as she begins to untie the knot.

Catwoman has posed:
One had been outside, one inside. Now with Canary in the van and working on the captive who'd been shoved and pulled inside, the driver tries to gun it and peel off with both of them still in the back, the doors wide open. They might fall out. They might brace themselves. Just as they get about ten or fifteen feet ahead, Catwoman reaches into her bag for something but shakes her head. Already too far. Her own wheels are a few blocks away, and there's just one alternative: the other motorcycle. The Harley.

The engine doesn't purr as much as it roars to life as she seats herself, gunning the throttle to pick up speed in no time. As soon as she's alongside the van, she shouts, "Pull it over! Now!" A muzzle flash and a bullet flying by is the answer she gets, along with a few curses sent between the driver and herself.

Black Canary has posed:
Black Canary manages to struggle to get the door closed... and then whispers to the woman to cover her ears. She gets to the front while the driver's distracted by Catwoman and shooting at her. She then taps the driver's shoulder. "Wanna hear a secret?" As the driver, shocked, turns to face her - she unleashes the Canary Cry - and blasts the driver out of the van, taking the door with him. She jumps into the driver's seat and kills the ignition, having the vheicle come to a stop. She does hope the kidnap victim's ears are okay - she did use a low-power Cry.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman eases back on the speed and barely spots the doors shutting. That's good for whoever's inside, at least. Back at the abduction site, the thug she introduced to the side of the van is picking up a couple teeth and holding his nose and mouth. Meanwhile, as she steadies the ride with one hand she goes in for what she was going to throw before, only for a scream from within the van itself leading to her grimacing, tightening her grip on the handlebars.

A moment later, the door and driver come flying off and she veers behind the van to avoid hitting either of them, and a couple moments after /that/ she veers again when it slows quickly. Her catsuit is good, but it's no motorcycle outfit. At this speed, impact with the pavement could still open up parts of it and risk road rash.

Fortunately that's not to be, and by the time the van's stopped she wheels the Harley around to park it in front, cutting the engine as she slides a leg over and off. Still pawing at one of her ears behind the cat cowl she wears, her eyes narrow. "All right, who's doing the Mariah Carey impression? Is it you, blondie?"

Black Canary has posed:
Black Canary stares. "You better not have scratched my baby," she states, gesturing to the bike. "I'm Black Canary. New to town - normally work Starling City, but expanding my reach." She smiles faintly. "Perhaps you've heard of me. Pun intended." She slides out of hte van, walking over to her hog.

The kidnap victim comes out, rubbing her forehead. "Sorry - take two aspirin and you'll be fine in the morning," she calls to her as she turns to look at you. "Judging by your outfit, you must be the infamous Catwoman."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman saunters her way around toward the now-open driver's side of the van, her whip having already been wound up and back in place once more. Her head is tilted in the direction of the other woman so she might hear a little more clearly while her ears stop ringing, and a thin smile comes and goes in the matter of a moment. "Oh, a songbird then. Decided to leave the nest, did you?" That's the conclusion she draws after Starling City and expanding that reach is brought up.

Before she can go on with Black Canary, she catches sight of the woman leaving the van. "Liz? Is that you?" The young woman's eyes turn downcast. She can't be past late teens at the most, and she tries to tug a knit cap lower over her head. "I told you you have to be more careful! Being out late like this, out here, do you know what they would have done? You should be home with your parents!"

She gets a murmured apology from Liz, "Sorry, Catwoman. I just needed to--"

"--needed to what? Go get yourself kidnapped, probably raped, maybe even killed? Look at me, Liz." Gloves tipped with claws center on the girl's shoulders. "What did you need that you'd be out here this late at night, by yourself?"

Liz sniffles, still looking down. "My mom's coughing a lot again, and dad's passed out drunk. I was going to get her some medicine. We ran out."

Catwoman frowns. "Shit..listen. Stay here a minute. Is there a blanket in the van? Grab one. You're shivering." It's cold, and the girl is scared. Then the black-clad woman turns back to the other one, returning to the prior observation. "Yeah, that's me. You gonna try to take me in? Some people like to come around thinking they're going to score one for themselves."

Black Canary has posed:
Black Canary shrugs. "You do have a checkered reputation. But for right now..." She trails off as Catwoman apparently knew the 'prize', and waited for the interaction to finish. "You look like a hero to me." She smiles faintly. "So... it's good to meet you." She extends her hand. "Don't worry - I won't sing again tonight most likely. I hope your friend will be alright."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman makes a face, her expression partly hidden by the goggles, which also help mask her eyes just enough. The look carries a frown. "I'm no hero. If you know who I am, you know what I like to do. That doesn't mean I don't look out for some people who need a hand once in a while."

A thumb is jerked toward Liz, who's found that blanket, even if it's a dirty one, and she's wrapped it around herself. Lowering her voice only for Canary, she adds, "Her parents? Not the best. I spotted her on a street corner one night. You can probably guess what she was trying to do." The hand is considered, but she keeps hers to herself. "Yeah, sure. Look. I don't play well with others, so we'll leave it at a thanks for the assist. If you do feel like singing, I'll make sure I get some earplugs."

Black Canary has posed:
Black Canary grins widely. "Make sure they're good ones. That was a quiet shout." She grins softly as she moves to climb her Harley. "Will you make sure that Liz gets home or to somewhere safe tonight - or should I be the one who takes her somewhere?" she finally asks as she turns it on and revs the engine. She makes a mental note to talk to someone about making sure it doens't get commandeered again as she pats the old hog.

Catwoman has posed:
"I got it. She and I need to have a little talk anyway," Catwoman mutters, keeping an aloof sort of posture around the heroine. "What you can do, especially if you want the credit for it, is make sure those three end up at the local precinct. I'm sure they'd like to know what these guys were up to. It's four blocks that way." She points down a street to their left, indicating the direction.

Once things are squared away with Black Canary, Catwoman returns her attention to Liz. "I gave you a number to call if you needed anything, and I'd make sure it got to you." The girl sniffles, explaining that she lost it and forgot to put it in her phone, leaving the cat burglar to shake her head. Kids these days. "Fine. Let's go get you that medicine, and get you back home. My bike's just down the way." Yes, she also has a motorcycle.