8899/China Basin Wall

China Basin Wall
Date of Scene:	21 August 2019
Location:	China Basin, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Misfit returns to Gotham. Oracle sends Silk to make 'the offer'... and things go pearl shaped. Tears.
Cast of Characters:	Misfit, Oracle, Silk

---

Misfit has posed:
It has been four evenings since Batwoman kicked Charlie's butt sparing and told her she couldn't call herself Batgirl and some Drone Lady told her to tell Charlie her temporary codename was Misfit.

Charlie hasn't been back to China Basin to protect the inhabitants for those four evenings, MIA from Gotham entirely. She seems to have been bouncing about Metropolis and not leaving what may be her neighborhood.

That changed Tuesday evening as the blip in Metropolis vanishes and reappears literally a heartbeat later on a rooftop in China Basin.

Oracle has posed:
Babs is sitting at the Oracle Array monitoring comms traffics with a lazy sort of expression. One arm up on the rest beside her, fingers brushing her chin as another armed robbery ends with an arrest for the GCPD. It's gotten to where she really only routes anything that are of an overtly dangerous nature to Bat or Bird.

So all in all it's kind of quiet night.

On one screen she's been monitoring Misfits movements. Not really spying on her, so much as waiting for the young vigilante to return to Gotham so she can send another Bird to intercept her.. maybe make an official offer this time. She was reaching out for her coffee when that chance arrives.

<This is Oracle. Any Birds in the vacinity of China Basin, please report in for available diplomacy mission.>

Sipping her coffee, waiting for a response.

Silk has posed:
    Cindy is busy eating from the piles of Chinese leftovers ironically enough, a faint smile on her lips as she crunches into a crab rangoon - cold but still delicious. She pauses mid bite, fingers still holding the other end as she turns her head towards the com unit that goes off. She listens. Waits. Chews. CRUUUUUUUUNCH.

    She shoves the rangoon into her maw and then grabs for the com and brings it up, realizing that she's gotta get around the rest of the food. She chews hastily and swallows, "Silk here, I am not far away. I can go." Hopeful. That is the sound in her tone as she starts to rise already, quickly guzzling some water and moving for her closet that is lined in more than one black leotard with black silicone web detail. She's adopted the Gotham eye mask look and pulls it up and over her eyes before she's hopping on one foot trying to tug it on even before she gets the go ahead.

Misfit has posed:
Whatever the knockoff Batgirl is up to she is moving from building to building now in China Basin, some of it looks to be running and jumping. Some of it looks to be just .... ceasing to be on one roof and then on a higher roof without moving between, much too fast.

If Babs were to be identityfing phones switching towers in that pattern she could get a lock on Charlie's phone now that she is in Wayne Industries controlled Gotham vs. Metropolis where it may be a smidge more difficult, but not too much for the Oracle Array.

Charlie is on the hunt, listening to police bands from a free app on her phone in an earbud and trying to pick up some crime to stop.

Also looking for muggings, burglaries, or carjackings.

Oracle has posed:
Once Charlie is back in Gotham she does run a switch server check to isolate a sudden pop on the Wayne Enterprise towers, triangulates that to Misfits' location, and locks on her signal with a little grin. "Gotcha." Plugging it over to into her database so that she can use that later to communicate with the newest vigilante.

Silk. You are healed? If so, your mission is to meet with vigilante codenamed: Misfit. I will send a data package with last known location to your phone in three... Exactly three seconds later a small map of Gotham pops on the screen, Do not instigate an altercation. This is a diplomatic mission. My intention is to make her an offer.

Babs sits back and monitors her screens, clicking through cameras to find one that gives her a view of Misfit while launching an aerial drone to assist as necessary.

Silk has posed:
    Hop. Hop. Hop. SUCCESS! It sounds out in how Cindy looks relived to get a foot into the spandex and then is tugging in an arm. She reaches for the com once that is done and sandwiches it against her shoulder and ear. "Copy that, Oracle. All healed, little sore but serviceable." She sounds strained - she really is - she's dressing. She pulls back her hair, brushing fingers through the damp locks and then is looking down at the info. She has a moment where she hesitates, and reaches out - that silk sense is a damned mess and gives up.

    She moves for one of the large windows of her run industrial loft in Cobble Hill and slips out.

*THWIP*

The chase is on. She's got her pinpointed and with Oracle in her ear, Cindy fills the thrill run through her. She waits for updates as she nears China Town. She begins searching the rooftops as she smoothly moves from strand to strand.

Misfit has posed:
Honestly Oracle is pretty creepy when one breaks it right down.

Charlie is just skipping along rooftop to rooftop as she patrols. It isn't horrible instincts though she is still not a sneaky ninja girl like the bats are about it. Green in that regard for sure.

Which means it isn't hard for the drone to get a lock on her and a good shot first.

She has changed everything except the cape (thank goodness right for the tracker). She no longer has the cowl though, instead rocking a domino mask. The jeans are replaced with a denim skirt and black leggings. The shirt is new, it looks like she took a bat blue shirt and spray painted with a stencil a .. sort of bat symbol.. it almost looks like someone creatively crossed an M with the Bat symbol. Same converse sneakers. Same belt.

God she embraced the new codename.

https://www.unitedheroesmush.com/index.php?title=File:Misfit8.jpg

Oracle has posed:
Babs sees the new costume and /actually/ laughs out loud, "Well, I'll be damned... you show'em, babe." Seeing someone grab up something and embrace it, make it their own? That's the kind of stuff that wins credit in the Bank of Oracle.

Right now, however, she's sitting back letting Cindy do the heavy lifting.

She provides the occational information update. "I need to update her mask with a HUD and uplink.." Taking notes on things she needs to do to improve the newest Birds suit... but also watching how she follows orders.

This is as much a field test for Silk as it is a diplomatic mission to Misfit.

Silk has posed:
    As new directions come in, the swift sleek spider is quick to react. THWIP. THWIP. THWIP. "Spotted. Approaching." By approaching she means keeping up with an trying to come along side like one would do on the highway in a revved up red corvette trying to pick up chicks next to them.

    Hand over hand she goes, pulling herself up along side Misfit - if she is not about to suddenly port. "Hello, greetings," she begins and lands atop the rooftop beside her to keep running with her.

    "Welcome to Gotham..I like yer..uhh.." Miles awkward is rubbing off on her. "Skirt. Real original."

Misfit has posed:
Charlie trips when Silk swings down into view beside her there.

She was not at all expecting this and while she ends up falling over her feet and then goes sailing right over the edge of the building with a startled squeak instead of making the leap off it to the next roof top.

A moment later the squeak is cut off, even if a webline is shot to try to catch her, and there is a slash of smoke >pink and purple> and then from behind Silk. "Jinkees.... I mean... you aren't spiderman.. definitely a girl... also Spiderwoman is an Avenger.... and I have never heard of you or seen pics... I had no idea Gotham had spiders!" she is chipperly rambling along "Also thanks... I thought the skirt looked better than jeans with this costume." she seems proud.

Oracle has posed:
Babs is listening to the conversation from two different angles. From Charlie's phone and through Cindy's comms. It gives her a back and forth audio that simulates really being there and picks up fine details in the vocal tracks.

One, then the other, bunny slippered feet comes up to cross on the edge of the computer desk. "Oh good, two motor-mouths. This wont be a long night /at all/."

Silk has posed:
    "Great," Silk says as suddenly Charlie is falling. Cindy pushes off the edge of the building and is extending her hand at her, the pointer and middle of her right shooting a web towards - PINK SMOKE..no purple..both?! SHock hits her first and then she is turning, quickly grasping the building and crawling herself back up. "I lost her..ah!"

    Senses are all whacked out still and finally she's getting a focus on Misfit. "OH uh, glad to see you are well." She goes quiet, the chipper attitude wholly unexpected it would seem. Diplomacy? It is looking like there might be a girls night but Cindy merely tilts her head.

    "Yeah, I am Silk. Spiderwoman was already taken," she expresses and dips her chin. "Spiders are everywhere, seems like Gotham could use one."

    She then straightens up and crosses her arms before her. "What brings you to Gotham, Misfit?"

Misfit has posed:
Charlie adopts this hands on her hips superhero pose to show off her outfit now.

Very striking.

"Really... awesome... Silk... do you have an ispace page... I have one." she does too. It is adorable really.

"I guess I'm Misfit. The drone oracle person told Batwoman to call me that and I mean... I just can't believe they gave me my own code name!" she rocks on her heels a bit, not quite bouncing.

"I'm fighting Crime... I mean not right this moment.. I am on patrol.. but I am in Gotham for crime fighting... some dark vengeance."

Silk has posed:
    "uhh ispace?" Cindy looks a little lost but a decade in a bunker will do that. She clears her throat and then presses her lips to a thin line. "No...I do not." Silk needs to stay off the radar.

    "I heard that was your name. I think it might be a place holder but if you like it? Run with it," pause as she looks down at the skirt again, "Which you technically were already doing." She clears her throat, trying to be more professional but really Cindy is just trying to find a light in the dark.

    "Ahh crime fighting, that can be a bit tough around Gotham. The goons here tend to play for keeps. How has that been going? I know from experience it is not always a winning situation."

Misfit has posed:
Misfit ohs and fishes her phone out of a pocket, she unlocks her phone and messes around with it. She offers showing it to Silk. It is a basic profile/person of interest page and says Misfit, very mature 16, etc under the bio. It is adorable.

"I mean.. I want to be Batgirl but... I never expected someone to give me a codename. For a minute there I thought it might be mean.. but Batwoman wouldn't be mean so I figured I should just redo my outfit."

The young woman looks down at her shirt and then points. "Do you like the emblem... I thought if I took the bat emblem but made it kind of off kiltery and like an M...." she looks hopeful despite the domino mask.

God what are they encouraging.

"Oh.. it isn't so bad. I've solved a few muggings. One liqueur store robbery. A purse snatcher. So far I was only shot at a little bit... though I needed to patch my cape..." she tugs it a bit where she sewed in the patch over the shotgun blast spot. "I'm made of winning!"

Silk has posed:
    Silk goes so far as to lean in to look at what is presented to her on the phone. Does this make her old? It definitely dates her though. Amongst other things. Cindy gives a shake of her dark hair back from her face, "That's lovely but...you don't have your location on there do you?" She hopes not.

    She listens, somewhat enamored with how quickly the girl speaks. She blinks a moment and winces at the mention of being shot, "On that matter, maybe...you should consider just low key stuff. Nothing where anyone is armed but quite impressive." SHe tries to be supportive but Silk is rubbing at her side in sympathy.

    "I am sorry is that a saying? Or a meme?" She knows what a meme is! "I'm made of winning." Amusement trickles into her voice as her smile grows only for Silk to focus once more.

    "So, I think the idea was the next time you come into town there is a bit more of a conversation to be had."

Oracle has posed:
<It is from an interview with Charlie Sheen circa 2014. It also refers to his having tigers blood. It was amusing>

Oracle is helpful.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie looks down at her phone. "I put Gotham. I figured that was safe since I am fighting crime in Gotham?" she studies it. "I didn't put anything really personal." there is totally a post about liking her page set public, like the whole profile.

"I mean.. I'd never been hit with a shotgun before.. those little BBs hurt." shot, not bbs but still. "I think it was a very good teachable moment to not be shot really." she nods slowly to herself then blinks.

"I.. well I am made of winning. Also Dark Vengeance." she gives a little hsss, and yes at that she bounces a little and throws a punch into the night air.

"Oh.. so are you like a Bat Spider.. do you know Batwoman?" she blinks "Is she as awesome as she seemed to be.. I mean man she hit me in the knee really hard but she seemed really nice. We did the whole do battle thing and then become friends and are totes friends now. Are you her friend and did she make you fight her?" like she is wondering if Silk had to go through it to.

Of course in 2014 this kid was what, 3 years old so god knows where she picked it up, maybe her own head.

Silk has posed:
    "Mmm maybe don't put location? Just a suggestion really. I remember when that Pokemon Go thing was popular. THere were people getting mugged because others could find them." Super heroes did not have social pages that she can ever recall. Now they do?"

    Misfit is genuinely all over the place with an exuberance that is leaving Cindy a little speechless. "Oh okay...yes I can see you are very Dark, works for Gotham as I have found out and no..I did not fight Batwoman. I met Huntress," she explains and then tilts her head, "No fighting, just a conversation and then .." she spreads her hands to indicate - here she is.

    "I suppose since you are visitin Gotham and not staying you are a bit harder to pin down."

Misfit has posed:
There is a small Oh from Charlie as she is told not to put location. She is already messing with the cheap smartphone, it is not at all a deluxe or new model. She edits her profile and then shows it to Silk. It now says. Residence: The Night.

"How is that?"

"Oh.. well I mean we can fight it out if you want." seems to be worried about letting Silk down there.

"Also no.. I am totally not just visiting. I am here to stay and protect the citizenery of Gotham from varlets and cads.... " she reaches out to pluck at Silk's sleeve. "Did you use to be red and blue like spiderman and Gotham made you so dark?"

Silk has posed:
    "Ambigious, ominous just the right amount of mystery. I like it," she says. Cindy gives her a smile as Cindy is filing away bits of information for herself including reacquainting herself with Charlie Sheen. Oracle /is/ helpful.

    "Fight it out...you want to fight me?" Silk uncrosses her arms to let them hang at her side as if readying for Misfit's blink in and out of reallity trick. Her senses are not going to win her any favors with that one. There is a faint cough from Cindy at the mention of cads and a crooked grin starting to spread when her sleeve is plucked - which means her arm gets a little pinch.

    Hesitation. "Never had the chance to be red and blue. Gotham embraced me," she says. "Its laos easier to blend in with all those shadows. I get why the chosen color is black by the big bat. It just works."

    Shes gives the younger girl a warmer smile, her gaze lingering. "So look, I am here as sort of a diplomat. No fighting just infomration gathering. If you are going to be here, where are you staying?"

Misfit has posed:
"Hmmm." notes Charlie as she studies Silk and lets go of the sleeve stepping back and tilting her head to the side for a better look. It helps honest.

"Have you met Batman... how am I supposed to know you are actually a batspider instead of like a... um.."

Thinking.

Thinking

"Some sort of trap door spider... you could be on the side of villainy!" she crosses her arms waiting for proof.

Silk has posed:
    Trap door spider. Cindy really considers tshat in silence. "Uhh no I have not. I have met Huntress and Oracle is in my ear," she taps the com and smiles a bit. "I am new too, recent arrival, recent recruit but good to be wary. Can never really tell here," that's praise really.

    "So then. You are staying somewhere, probably not the safest of places. What are we going to do about that?" That question is not really for Misfit but for the person who has gone quiet in her ear. The Charlie Sheen comment was helpful but really not for what direction that Cindy was angling towards.

Oracle has posed:
The drone, at least one is always present when Oracle is actively involved on the case, circles above but Babs is doing very little to keep it hidden. Misfit knows that there /are/ drones and this /is/ a diplomatic missions, so she makes herself kind of obvious by flying a little lower, if not directly overt, in the moonlight.

<Offer her the same safehouse you were given, Silk. Inform her of that she will be monitored. Tell her that she will be provided a small monitary stiphend to acquire her own residence once she has been properly vet by a senior agent. This offer is non-negociable and only extended once.>

Misfit has posed:
"I've seen some news on Huntress.. but that isn't really proof of ... oh..." she pauses and the teenager looks up and around then spots the drone up in the sky.

She waves up to it enthusiastically.

"I'm totally safe. Like I told Batwoman I live in a mansion with my mom. We have a dope butler." there is a shrug there. She seems pretty confident and chipper still.

"Do you want to go patrolling with me.. we could bust up a car jacking or something. There is like.. always crime in this part of Gotham. It is crazy how much crime really...." she muses shaking her head just a tiny bit. "So much crime fighting to be done!" back to chipper after that moment of introspection.

Silk has posed:
    "Ahh yeah, safe..." Cindy thought so too. There is always a time to be proven wrong. Silk makes a thoughtful sound, her eyes ticking to the side as Oracle speaks in her ear. She lets Misfit go on and then inclines her head, "I would absolutely love to but Raincheck?" She offers her.

    She wets her lips, clearing her throat. "So, Oracle would like to extend the beginnings of a working partnership with you and the rest of us. Like she did for me. A safehouse so you can be monitored and vetted properly, really easy honestly," she says and then rubs at the back of her neck. "But once that is done you will get paid a stipen for your own place and become part of the group. Like me." Like me is only going to work so many times but Cindy's never really done this sort of thing. Propaganda is not her deal. Leave that to Cap.

    "So she says that the offer is non-negotiable and only extended once. From experience, I would take her up on it."

Oracle has posed:
<Tell her that we are aware that she is staying in a burnt out tenament building in Metropolis. That if she wishes to remain alone in her patrols, she is free to do so. Tell her that her identity will be protected. Inform her that her information will be stored on our database should she prove problematic for Gotham City, but otherwise she will have autonomy.>

Babs prefers to work through physical people rather than hacking Misfits phone directly, which she already has done. Things always come better from a voice that has a face rather than the disembodied voice of the mythic Oracle.

At least in her experience.

<You are doing well, Silk.>

Misfit has posed:
"Definitely a raincheck for sure... I mean you have a free night you just let me know somehow ... maybe a Misfit singal projected onto a cloud.. and we will fight crime." she doesn't seem to be joking or making light of the bat signal either.

"I don't need anywhere to live or any handouts though. I have a place to live and my mom and butler would be really upset if I moved out."

Then she brightens "Are you safehouse like a secret lair.. I could use a lair where my mom won't find it! I could fill it with gear... and intelligence on the criminal elements in the city."

She gestures widely there "You know one of those walls with pictures and maps... with strings and pins and all..."

The thing is, if she is as old as she looks and sounds, there is no way anyone will rent to her or let her have her own place. Even if what Oracle says is true to Silk. Probably especially if what Oracle just said, because where are the kids parents. The system would try to put her back with them if they are around or into foster care at her age. Or well ignore her as homeless but certainly not rent her a place of her own.

Also there is something to be said for her big talk about moms and butlers and a mansion, how is the kid going to react to Silk confronting her about living in a burnt out apartment building. Like why is she living in the burnt out apartment building. It is scheduled to be demolished because it is fundamentally unsafe. It isn't a haven for the homelelss or runaways.

Charlie keeps her hands spread. "I bet if you mapped it all out like that you would have that Arkham place right in the middle!"

She looks to Silk "We could work on it together.. and Batwoman. Bet we could show Batman how to crack the case and then we would all get to fly the batwing."

"Well one at a time."

Silk has posed:
    Oof! Blindsided. Cindy did not see that one coming from Oracle. Not one bit. SHe actually believed Misfit because really the girl /is/ young. Family indeed. For a moment there is a shadow of understanding, maybe not for the enthusiasm but more the predicament. The lack of family. Sucking in a breath, she offers a smile and murmurs to herself, "Here we go..."

    "Misift," She tries to gather her attention and focus her. "Such wonderful ideas but Oracle knows a great deal. SHe knew who I was behind all this...and well let us say you and are not all that different, just a decade apart. So listen. Okay? I would like to work with you but Oracle knows you do not live in a mansion. SHe knows the truth. She always seems to."

    "Now so see.." she clears her throat. "She will keep your info, log you in her database and the like and you can work on your own. You could consider this place they set you up with like your lair but it would be your home too. And you would have all of us as well like one big crime fighting family..." Cindy is still adjusting so she's doing her best at sincerity which is not all that hard. She might just want a family too. "We could be sisters. But Oracle needs truths from you to be able to trust you. Think you can do that?"

Oracle has posed:
Babs doesn't interrupt Cindy's redress of the information she was provided, she even grins a little and reaches out for her coffee to take a long drink, "Nicely done, Cindy." one foot comes up and they reverse which is on top and not against the corner of her desk. The drone hovers lower, wobbling a little with only minor adjustments with Babs' thumb when the wind kicks up across the rooftop.

Misfit has posed:
Silk isn't the only one blindsided.

I mean first Silk has to get Charlie to focus on her instead of the big plans she is gesturing about concerning Arkham.

Then she cocks her head trying to understand what is being said. The redheaded teen gets a little more pale, which shouldn't be possible. I mean she looks like she would sunburn in the noon sun in an instant. Heritage and all. Also that hair is definitely not a dye, so red.

"I do to." she notes in protest there about the mansion living.

Then the rest from Silk and the teen looks torn... her eyes widen a little bit because well a lot of what Silk is saying strikes some emotional shots.

The problem is the emotional hits are mixed.

Does Charlie want to be part of a big crime fighting family, of course. Gosh she wants that so very badly it hurts really.

But for some reason the comment about being sisters seems to land differently. It is all in her expression. She looks more like she was punched and it hurt than any of the very painful were nothing compared to this wound.

She is just silent for a moment a mix of conflict and speechless, then she rasps "I have a mom and a butler and a mansion and a little sister!" she looks like she is going to cry

Then the slash of pink and purple smoke and she is gone ....

...

...

The blip shows up in Metropolis on top of that unsafe building.

Oracle has posed:
The drone is focused in on that troubled expression and all at once Babs knows why... not exactly why.. but why. She's seen it at least two other times in two other sets of eyes when they don't think she's watching. Safe in her Clocktower, her feet drop down off the console so she can get to work on the keyboard. Specifically regarding that /particular/ tenament building.

Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Jim Gordon and trained by the Worlds Greatest Detective, but she tends to forget the human element while sitting back in her seat watching from behind a computer screen "Dammit, Babs, you really should have seen that.. it wasn't just... dammit."

her fingers blaze, moving quickly, pulling up files on a fire six months ago.. of a mother and sister lost... of a farse of a trial that saw the negligent slumloard walking free... Her red hair falls back with the lull of her head, glasses tossed forward onto her desk with a clatter.

"Fuck." Babs doesn't swear often. Because Babs doesn't /fail/ often.

She seems to realize how that silence must seem to Silk,

<You did well Silk. This is my fault. I... am sorry.>

She sent a rookie who would have been able to give her the details she missed.. someone who's worked with Oracle long enough to know the limitations of her technology. She cannot and does not fault Cindy.

Babs leans forward with her arms laid across her forearms, eyes closed.

"Alright, babe, we have to fix this."

First things first... find evidence on that slumloard and /destroy/ him.

Silk has posed:
    The look. Cindy feels her stomach drop and she steps slightly forward. "Hey, Missy," she begins, clearing her throat. Brows peak up over that black mask and she clears her throat when Charlie reiterates that she 'does to' have a mansion. All she can do is continue and then everything goes downhill from there. A personal approach usually works with younger souls. It might have even worked on Cindy but life hits everyone different and Cindy did not know how different yet.

    Oh no. That cry from misfit is all the tell she needs. "Wait, Misfit, please.." Cindy feels her stomach twist when her hand meets purple and pink smoke, waving it away from her face to clear the air.

    Gotham is loud. It has its life and noise and all sorts of distractions but suddenly the rooftop atmosphere is deadening. So still and quiet save for the drone...well droning. Cindy stares through the air where Misfit stood, processing everything she said and gaining a sort of uncertain expression that is a mix of many things.

    Oracle's voice makes her blink once, twice and she nods. "Right. I stepped on something I couldn't see. I went a little too personal," she says and clears her throat. "I am going to head back. If she returns, let me know? I would like to try again." BUt that's it, Silk goes quiet and the THWIP of her web hitting a building is the only warning before she's gone.

Gotham's shadows are long and hide just about anything.