899/Leviathan Rises

Leviathan Rises
Date of Scene:	11 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Talia al Ghul, Iron Fist, Claire Temple, Winter Soldier

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Talia al Ghul has posed:
It is late in the night in New York City, the city that never sleeps, the city has however slowed down, especially down on the waterfront of Brooklyn. The scene focuses in on the vicinity of the Red Hook Yard, a warehouse along the waterfront on the outside of the container yard itself, dark save a couple lone street lights, and no civilian's in sight.

The warehouse isn't unoccupied, however, several teenagers have just arrived in a van, and are in the process unloading boxes of flat screen TV's out of the back and starting to haul them inside, more ominously, however, is the ninja, in full costume, with a katana over his back standing near the door the teenagers are using, watching the flow of stolen goods coming into the building.

Iron Fist has posed:
It has been a hell of a day for Danny Rand. Back-to-back meetings throughout the morning poured into a business lunch with some visiting German clients. This was followed by a pile of paperwork. Only toward the end of the day did the young businessman have time for meditation. Maybe, he thought briefly, he should have stayed in K'un-Lun.

That was only a brief thought, however. New York City is where he needs to be. Not only to run the family business, but to protect it and those around him. And that means getting out there, into the thick of things. This is mostly the reason Danny finds himself (as the Iron Fist) here tonight. The other is because he thinks his new yellow-and-green costume is wicked cool.

So, the Iron Fist patrols, slinking through dark and shadows. The warehouse in question, it's occupants unseen by him just yet, looms ahead.

Claire Temple has posed:
New York never sleeps, and neither does Claire Temple for that matter -- especially in the past several months. And especially tonight, when ten hours deep into her twelve-hour shift at Metro-Gen, she received a panicked call on one of her burner phones asking for the night nurse's discreet emergency care. So bailing early, begging a colleague to cover her --

-- several hours later, at this late time of night, Claire wraps up her second, unpaid, helping-vigilantes job, heading out into the night, and pretty sure she's a good thirty-five hours without sleep. Dressed blandly, her trusty messenger bag at her side, and rubbing wearily at the shadow under her sleepless eyes, the woman crosses a street, treading the Brooklyn neighbourhoods in direction for the trains. All she wants to do is get home, get into bed, have the three hours of sleep she so deserves, and get up for another twelve-hour for work.

Of course, such things never seem to happen. Not here. Not when Claire, hugging herself, head down, trying to keep a low profile like any savvy urbanite who knows she's in a rough area -- notices something going on. Her lips press together in a frown.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Four hundred yards distant, on the roof of a building high enough to overlook the waterfront, a figure leans out over the edge and lifts a set of night-vision binoculars to his eyes. His gaze tracks back and forth, studying the teenagers, their cargo, and the odd ninja overseeing them all.

He has been following this activity for some time, since he saw it start to take form. It is a task to which he was assigned. His mind is still none too clear from recent events, but at the most basic level of his operation -- he always remembers his tasks.

His surveillance tracks enough to pick up a familiar nurse hurrying through the streets. His grasp on his binoculars tightens.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
A pair of teenagers step out of the alleyway in the path of Claire Temple as she makes her way down the waterfront street, "Street's closed lady." Teenager #1 says, holding a hand up to indicate Claire ought to stop, "Turn around and walk the other way." Teenager #2 adds.

The teens unloading the truck continue their work under the supervision of the intimidation ninja, a steady stream of Samsung's, and LexVision Televisions making their way out of the vehicle and into the warehouse, the steely gaze of the ninja following the youths in and out.

Meanwhile, out in the bay, four blacked out rigid hull inflatables are making their way in towards the wharf, hard to see, even with some sort of night vision equipment, with engines that are nearly silent propelling them, and each raft containing a group of men in dark clothing, wearing some manner of tactical gear. Their destination seems to be the vicinity of Warehouse.

Iron Fist has posed:
Iron fist strides silently along the waterfront side of a nearby warehouse, hunched slightly and drenched in shadow. While he doesn't necessarily suspect anything, he's tuned into his surroundings and thus becomes aware of two things up ahead: One, a pair of voices, and the other the sound of heavy movement, perhaps someone large or loaded down with something.

He decides to check on the voices and, so, pops between two buildings to head streetside. At the corner, he presses himself against a warehouse wall and peers around into the dim streetlight. Three people in the street, two teens and the Night Nurse.

He waits and listens before deciding whether or not to move on.

Claire Temple has posed:
Perhaps if it were six months ago, Claire would bite her tongue, avert her eyes, and hightail it off the instant she's warned. She would backtrack, walk the fifteen extra blocks, and take two unnecessary trains just to reorient herself back in the direction of Manhattan. She'd get home, hole up in her apartment, convince herself she's safe, all the while running that mantra through her head: coward coward coward /coward/.

Admittedly, the temptation is still there. It's all she knows. But she's just /so tired of it/.

So when told the street's cold by a couple of damn kids, the woman just gets ornery. But she puts up her hands, looks timid, and mutters something feebly like, "Oh -- oh, sorry." And she turns heel and heads off as warned -- as ordered.

A sensible person would end it there. But Claire, already past her limit, sick of being bullied in her own city, and getting enough an eyeful of a /ninja/ overseeing the redirection of a bunch of expensive somethings, decides she isn't done. She backtracks until she believes herself out of sight, then makes a detour, readjusting her messenger bag as she makes a shadowy stalk toward the quiet side of that warehouse. Time to see what the hell is going on.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Claire backtracks, circles, and detours to the other side of the warehouse. She moves in stealthy silence, a little lone wraith in the dark, streetwise and confident in the city of her birth.

Overhead, across rooftops, an errant presence shadows her. The Winter Soldier wants to get another angle on this transaction as well, and if his path should be chosen so he can maintain overwatch on a certain uppity Night Nurse -- well, that's just coincidence.

Cool blue eyes appraise more than just Claire Temple. When not watching her, they try to peer through the windows of the warehouse, trying to ascertain what might be happening within.

The approaching force, out in the bay, is not yet perceived.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
"I've got a bad feeling." One of the teenagers says, pulling out a really big television, one of those new LexVision 100inchers with the ultra 3D, the one helping him retorts, "Man, you always got a bad feeling about junk!" The two begin hauling the big prize off through the Warehouse's door.

From the vantage point on the rooftops that Winter Soldier has, he might notice a pair of these same dark clothed ninjas emerge out onto the warehouse roof, making their way in the direction of the water side of the building to take stock of the area from the elevated vantage point.

Claire's runabout with the two teens is successful, and she is able to maneuver her way around to get up to the warehouse, finding a window that's not too dirty, perhaps with a bit of a precarious perch on an overfull dumpster to peek into the window of the warehouse. Inside she will notice a few things. First, the warehouse is loaded with stolen goods, boxes of Electronics and other consumer goods sit stacked. Second, there are also more of those ninjas inside, lurking about and generally guarding the facility. Third, and most unusual, is the giant mutant Rhinoceros pacing back and forth, he has on an aviators cap with goggles, a dirty ragged tanktop with an ammo bandoleer, and a couple of pineapple grenades hanging from straps, a large sword looking thing over his back, and combat fatigues and boots on.

Out on the waterfront, the zodiacs have cut their engines and are drifting in the remainder of the distance to the docks, and the very first signs something else is amiss appear, as two crossbow bolts hit the rooftop Ninjas, both collapsing silently, though in easy view of the Winter Soldier from his perch.

Iron Fist has posed:
Iron Fist pauses for a beat after the encounter breaks up. Something about it seemed amiss, enough so for the martial artist to decide to stick around and take a closer look at things. Abandoning the street side of the warehouse, he slides back along the wall the way he came to end up on the opposite end. A peak around the corner reveals the teens unloading material into the warehouse. And the ninja. This piques his interest.

For a brief moment longer, Iron Fist watches them work, listens to the way they speak, and eyes the ninja warily. The teens don't seem to be very professional, perhaps hired help, and the ninja isn't dressed in any way that betrays an allegiance he's aware of.

Glancing back, he spots a window and steps over to it. Peeking in here now, the scene becomes even more bizare. What the hell is going on here?

Claire Temple has posed:
The dumpster makes a precarious perch at best, and especially to Claire Temple whose gymnastics prowess is -- we'll say between 'amateur' and 'non-existent.' She tries to be as quiet as possible, her tongue bitten down between the points of her molars as she navigates the lid without making any real noise -- and reaches out at the last minute to grab a stray tin can a moment before it rolls noisily to the ground. Exhaling sharply, and checking her six one last time, the errant nurse feels confident enough to spy in.

Unaware that she's already being watched, even if by afar -- and by the familiar eyes of the Winter Soldier -- the woman balances carefully to wipe a cleaning swath of dust and dirt from the window with her sleeve. And she looks in.

Those crossbow hits go unnoticed by the woman, oblivious, busy as she tries to glean whatever quick information she can. Whatever the hell might be going on. Looks like some burgeoning black market, little as she knows how all that works, but Claire screens the merchandise to try to take quick count of /more ninja./ What the hell? Looks like mob fare going on, why would any --

And that's just about when Claire's eyes stop on SOMETHING, and she has to blink them to make sure she's seeing it right. Seeing the giant mutant rhino with clothes on and shoes and weapons and --

Claire mouths silently, incredulously: /What. The. Fu--/

Winter Soldier has posed:
Blue eyes track instantly to the movement when two ninjas emerge onto the warehouse roof. The Winter Soldier studies them dispassionately, peering through the dark with his night vision binoculars. There aren't many criminal elements in the world that run around dressed as ninjas, that's for sure, but whatever the Soldier thinks about this will -- for the time being -- remain a mystery.

His gaze tracks down to Claire to check on her angle. She seems to be seeing something through a window, so he moves around behind her until he's able to get an angle on what she's seeing as well.

Oh. Oh, /that/.

The Winter Soldier frowns, mutely. And that's about when those ninjas get SNIPED by crossbow bolts.

The first hint Claire will get that she's not alone is, literally, the sound of a familiar voice behind her. The Soldier is that quiet, when he wants to be. "Time to go," he says, because that's helpful. "Hey -- do you ever /not/ get in trouble?"

Sass is clearly easier than addressing whatever happened the last time they crossed paths.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
One of the Ninjas on the rooftop wasn't quite dead, it would seem, and he manages to gasp out, "Attack!" before collapsing, possibly for good. The ninja at the front door seems to hear the sound, "Inside." He says curtly, "Foot Clan, we are under attack!" He exclaims, ninjas begin appearing from the woodwork, katana's and other assorted weapons drawn, the giant Rhinoceros man bellows out, "About time!"

From the water emerges the other group, these fellows dressed in a mix of tactical and civilian gear, like some sort of mercenary group, or maybe some Narco tactical unit, but whoever they are they're armed to the teeth, with an assortment of guns and blades. One lone feminine figure is amongst them, in a tight black bodysuit, a sword across her back, and a mask that covers her mouth and nose. The lead mercenary fires a silenced shot at the ninja out front, the teens scattering, and ignored.

Iron Fist has posed:
"Attack!" Though the warning comes from a dying ninja's lips, it's enough to spur not only the ninja faction into action, but also Iron Fist. He steps away from the window and looks up. Briefly, he scrutinizes the warehouse: windows, makeshift handholds, fire escape, piping. Drawing on his chi, the K'un-Lun warrior leaps impressively high and, with a series of acrobatic maneuvers, scales the building to reach the roof.

Once up top, Iron Fist scrambles low across the roof, making a bee-line for the ninjas there. "What the hell is going on here?" he asks in a whisper, noting the deadly wounds inflicted on both. He hopes enough life is left in one to get a straight answer.

Claire Temple has posed:
It's a giant rhino. She's staring at a giant rhino wearing pants.

Maybe it's just symptomatic of Claire's insomnia. Maybe it's some hallucination. Maybe she's dreaming all this, because /what the hell./

She needs to call Murdock. She needs to call Thompson -- she'd have an idea. Were-rhinos? Do were-rhinos exist? She needs to --

-- not nearly fall on her ass when some sort of /attack/ hits the perimeter of the warehouse, distant yells and sounds of ninja taking arm pressing Claire guardedly against the wall. Shit, she thinks. Shit shit --

And she jumps, terrified, when someone /speaks/ behind her. The nurse turns a shocked look over her shoulder, before her expression breaks twofold with surprise and relief. It's him, thinks Claire. He's back. And he's already intent on shuttling her off.

"I don't --" she whispers helplessly, as her eyes search his face. A pause. "Are you --" Another pause. "Did you /see/--?!" But no time. No time, especially, as distantly some closing unit comes in, and Claire slips back down to the ground. She gives the Winter Soldier her eyes in quiet assent. Time to go, indeed.

Winter Soldier has posed:
There are a few moments in which the Winter Soldier peers over the edge of the roof to surveil the unfolding drama. He makes a close study of the attacking faction, the one that wears no insignia or mark -- at laest, none he can recognize. The lead figure he takes particular note of, his sharp eyes narrowing with a frown of thought.

It's not his job to get involved tonight, however. And it's certainly not /Claire Temple's/ job, either.

Slipping over the edge of the roof and sliding soundlessly down the building's exterior wall, he's behind her within a few heartbeats. "I saw," he confirms. Whatever question she almost asks, but doesn't, he neither acknowledges nor answers. He just catches her by the arm. "And that's why we need to go."

A pause. "You would be more useful to me if you would stay put."

And if there's anyone who is a master of vanishing without leaving a trace, it's the Winter Soldier. He extends that to Claire tonight, leading her away into the dark.

Iron Fist has posed:
The surviving ninja on the roof bleeds heavily, his wound likely fatal. That warning gasp probably would have been his last had not Iron Fist arrived. Taking the crossbow bolt in hand, Danny yanks it out with a determined tug. More blood flows. "Ok, damnit. Stay with me."

For anyone with steady eyes on the roof, there's a faint glow. Iron Fist lays both hands on the ninja's wounds, centers himself, and concentrates. This chi skill is still fairly new to him, so it drains a bit of his energy, but in doing so he's able to mystically heal some of the damage done by the bolt. Enough to stabalize the ninja, at least. With a bit of luck, he can be dragged safely somewhere nearby.

Iron Fist goes to work, hoping the battle below will be enough of a distraction to get away.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Anybody who remains behind to watch will be treated to quite the show, commandos from the water engaging with the Ninja's of the foot clan, and surprisingly holding their own, perhaps even taking the upper hand in the engagement, thanks perhaps to numerical superiority, though amongst the crew of attackers are several who stand out leaps and bounds above the rest, and at the top of that list is the woman in black, who is currently engaging the Rhino-man in one on one combat, her sword against his big knife/sword/thing, the Rhino's raw strength offset by skill and speed of the woman. Several of the commandos attacking break from the fight and head into the warehouse and produce grenades from their kit, tossing them in amongst the boxes, the grenades, it turns out, are some manner of incendiary device, and flames begin dancing about the stolen goods.

The Ninja that has been rescued by Danny is healed, his wounds serious, but Danny has his chi going for him, and is able to save his life. The Foot Clan is notorious for their silence in the face of interrogation, however, unfortunately for the Iron Fist, he will likely be able to get some information out of him, and deduce through other means that he is a part of the fabled foot clan. As to the other group, he will admit he doesn't know who they are.

The warehouse will burn, the mysterious attackers disappearing into the night, just like they came, the stolen goods slag in the wreckage that was eventually put out by the brave firefighters of the FDNY. What motivated the attack, who these mysterious attackers were, and why they attacked the foot clan remains a question for another day.