9350/Super Problem, Man

Super Problem, Man
Date of Scene:	28 September 2019
Location:	Wayne Tower One - Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Batman requests Catwoman's help with a serious matter.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Catwoman

---

Batman has posed:
The Batman is not an easy person to keep track of. He might pop up here and there, but he also has an infuriating habit of simply disappearing even while he's being observed. He seems perpetually aware of his surroundings, able to slip in and out of notice as he might wish.

Tonight, he isn't hiding. He stands upon one of the gothic parapets that make up Wayne Tower, the steel blue cape he wears drawn about himself tightly to ensconce him in shadow. He's easily visible from afar, and he doesn't appear to be going anywhere just yet.

Instead, he waits.

Catwoman has posed:
The Batman is also a man who thrives on the element of surprise, often coming down from above on someone and instilling the fear of God (or insert other deity here) in the minds of those he targets. Even with this the way it is, most people don't think to look up. Most people also have a healthy fear of the Batman.

Catwoman falls under neither of these groupings.

Ever since she first laid eyes on him, Selina Kyle sought to find a way into his life, for better or worse. In order to do it she took on a guise of her own, putting all of her skills and knowledge to use, frequently as an adversary, occasionally as an ally. In spite of their many encounters, she has yet to truly catch him, yet to crack him open and see what really makes him tick, yet to even figure out who he was.

She does keep tabs on him enough to have an idea of some of his patrol routes, but there is another place she's often looked in on thanks to the magnification capabilities built into her goggles: Wayne Tower One, especially after they've had a meeting there not so long ago. And, sure enough, there he is on this blustery, chilly night. "Score," she says under her breath, making a move from an adjacent building that's tall, but not quite as tall. Enough, at least, that she won't have too far to go to make her way to the top. The climb begins.

Batman has posed:
Wayne Tower is regarded by some as the centerpiece of Gotham. It is also home to a great deal of the Batman's infrastructure, installations used as part of his unending mission. To this end, there are a great many sensors about it that keep him alert to any and everything that might get too close. Catwoman is one such presence, his cowl's HUD picking up biorhythms and at once alerting him that she is climbing his way.

Good.

He waits for a moment, and as Catwoman slowly climbs she will come to notice that he has turned and now watches her from his perch. Eyes fixated upon her from within that concealing cowl and the shadows he surrounds himself with.

Catwoman has posed:
The path is a nearly completely vertical one once passing a certain point, but thanks to suction tools over hands and feet, the catburglar is able to scale it with less danger of tumbling dozens of stories down. He'd catch her anyway even if she did, most likely. She'd rather not have to find out.

The pace is a steady one, indicative of someone in peak shape. Catwoman has to be in order to do what she does, in order to actually be a worthy challenge for the Batman. Anyone not measuring up wouldn't stand a chance, even if he's had a bit of a blind spot when it comes to some parts of her.

So it is that, as a hand curls around part of a statue at the edge of the tower's peak, she hauls herself up enough to look over the glove and claws at him, eyes betraying some of the effort needed to make this ascent. "Don't suppose you could be hanging out at the coffee shop on the corner next time," she huffs.

Batman has posed:
"And make it easy?" the Bat's voice is cool, serious. But, and Catwoman may note it, lacking the same easiness that he seemed to be enjoying the last few weeks or months. Not quite harsh, but mirthless. All business.

As she climbs up, he turns to look out over the city. In far distance, many miles away, the glittering spires of Metropolis can be seen across the water. He frowns, drawing his cloak about himself.

"I have a job for you," he begins, "If you'll take it."

Catwoman has posed:
The last time Catwoman really spoke with Batman, it didn't end on a very good note anyway. It left her feeling angry, scorned, and fighting the urge to go do something destructive in some form. And yet, here she is again, having come back in a figurative and literal sense.

Accustomed to the man's distance and guarded nature, she stays where she is for a few more seconds - feet have found a spot to gain purchase, so she's fairly stable in the current spot - but she finally makes it up the rest of the way thanks to a forward flip and roll that is completely her showing off.

"Is that so," she replies, more comment than question as a brow slides upward behind the tinted lenses. "You don't usually do that. What's the angle?"

Batman has posed:
"It's surveillance," he explains after a moment, still facing that distant golden halo that is the City of Tomorrow, "There's going to be ... trouble. Or there will be if I can't stop it before it comes."

He turns slowly now, glowing white eyelets of his mask locked on her: "I need you to do some digging on someone for me. I'll get the details to you later, if you agree. If this trouble does end up hitting us, I want to get out ahead of it. This wouldn't be an alliance of convenience. This would be me bringing you in, which means there are rules."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman slides the climbing tools off for now, tucking them away inside a pack at her side. The hand closest to it settles against a hip, the woman taking on a stance that suggests relaxation in spite of evidence her breathing is still returning to normal after the climb. "That's remarkably vague," she points out. "Since when did you need others to do surveillance for you?"

She lets the question sit there just long enough that whether or not he starts to answer, she's adding, "..oh. This must be the kind you can't be seen doing because it would be bad if you were spotted. Am I close?" If he's dead serious, she's taking it more like it's a game to her. There even comes a mild frown. "Cats and rules don't go well together, you know," she drawls, though he has much more of her attention now. "What do you mean, bringing me in? Do your little Robins and other birds know of this?"

Batman has posed:
"No," Batman's voice is harsh again, cutting as he looks down at Catwoman, "This isn't an embarrassment or a game. This is the sort of situation where, if I don't have every single asset at my disposal working against this it's over."

There's anger welling in his voice, perhaps tinged with concern. It seems unlike him, but he presses on.

"I don't mean this," he gestures between them, "is over. I mean the world. Global destruction. I'm not playing with you. You can help me, or you can stay the hell out of my way."

Catwoman has posed:
A period of silence follows from the thief. How to react to this? The tone of voice is clear to her, giving her something to go on, to measure. "Everything is a game," she answers as she strides to within a distance apart that could allow touch, a set of claws across the face, or batcuffs used. She makes no move except to hold up a hand to delay his answer. "But that doesn't mean it isn't taken seriously when it needs to be."

"You're uncomfortable," she decides. "It's plain as day. Of course you'd be if we're talking the end of the world. That'd put a crimp in my style. I like living." There's enough of a frown marring her expression that would give away the hint that if he's uncomfortable on some level, so too would she be. "Tell me what you can, then."

Batman has posed:
"There's something wrong," Batman explains, immediately regaining a measure of patience and not moving nor reacting to her approach, "An individual - a very powerful metahuman - may be losing control, if they haven't already lost it. My first hope here is to try and stop it before it goes that far, but if it does? I'm not convinced the combined might of every metahuman on the planet could stop it if it got far enough."

He shakes his head slightly: "I can't tell you much. Not yet. I have to investigate it for myself, first. But I'll tell you this - I've planned for this eventuality. An attack of this kind. The first step is to make sure everyone who can cooperate, will cooperate."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman refrains from taking advantage of the closeness to the Bat, hands kept to herself. It wouldn't fit given the weight of the situation as some of it is explained to her. "It wouldn't be like you to not have a plan, no matter who it's got to do with," she notes, arms crossing in front of her. The look she wears says she's weighing how to further respond.

When she does, it's to say, "And if you're actually looking for my help, I know it's big." As if 'very powerful metahuman in danger of losing control' isn't enough of a clue. "I'd rather not see you killed," she reveals.

Batman has posed:
"On that sentiment we agree."

Batman rolls his shoulders slightly, as though the tension in them has finally begun to twinge nerves and he is slowly working to loosen them up. He lets out a long sigh, shaking his head.

"All you need to do for now is be ready, and when I call you to act - you need to be ready to act immediately. I don't care if you question what I ask you to do when the time comes, so long as you do it while you're asking those questions. I'll brief you more once I know more."

Catwoman has posed:
The thoughts of the woman in the catsuit are running at a rapid-fire pace, and there's a suggestion in the subtle shift of her body language and flickering of her eyes that she's trying to work through what he's told her so far, to piece this or that into something more. Metahuman. Metropolis in the background. Maybe too early to guess, and he did say he'd tell her more when the time was right.

"You mentioned rules," she reminds. Best to get out in front of this and what his expectations are if she's actually going to attempt to aid him in possibly saving the world.

Batman has posed:
"The rules are simple," Batman explains, eyes still fixed on her, "You do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. You trust that I know what I'm doing here, and that my plan only works if all the pieces are moving the way they're supposed to. No killing. No guns."

It's as simple as that. Although even now there's something behind that 'no killing' rule. He seems to say it more for his own benefit than for hers. As though he has to remind himself.

"You're right that you and rules don't go hand in glove," he admits, "But these are extraordinary circumstances."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman hasn't got the benfit of eyes hidden completely behind white slits. At least the lenses hide the true color of hers. As soon as she hears him saying she has to do what he says, when he says, her mouth opens in initial silent protest that nearly goes beyond that, but she clamps her jaw shut. She lives to break rules.

Sometimes, exceptions are made. Exceptions are necessary.

"Who are you trying to convince with that?" she questions after the talk of no killing. Perceptive feline, isn't she? Hands settle at her hips, the look of a cat's defiance on display. "I'm not a big fan of guns, most of the time. And killing..tsss." The closest thing to a hiss she may have to offer. "Not really my style."

Batman has posed:
Batman nods his head, eyes narrowing behind those lenses as he focuses on her face carefully. Already, the camera in his cowl is recording every frame of their meeting in crisp high definition. He makes a mental note to come back and review it now. It's about time he leaned more heavily into learning just who it is Catwoman was beneath the mask.

Maybe. When he didn't have something quite so earth shattering on his plate.

"Then we're in agreement," he says, nodding his head once more, "I'll be setting up an operations base should I have need of it. You'll be given access. We'll meet there going forward."

Catwoman has posed:
"You'll warn your flock not to attack me on sight, I hope," Catwoman deadpans, expressing a lack of full trust. Batman, she wavers on the trust thing but she's given him more reasons to distrust her than not. "Since we're all in this together if it's as bad as you say.

The way she looks in costume has fooled a lot of people. On some level, it's a surprise he hasn't figured out the truth about Selina Kyle and Catwoman yet. If he makes it more of a priority that could change before much longer, especially if they all make it through this. That will be a bridge to cross when it's reached.

The cat lingers, a hand starting and stopping in lifting from where it is. Hesitation.

Batman has posed:
Batman's eyes flicker down to the hand, watching it rise and hesitate. He almost does nothing, almost leaves it where it is. This interpersonal thing is not his strong suit, and it shows sometimes. But this is an extraordinary time, and it calls for extraordinary efforts. His own hand turns slowly, palm outward, as though to beckon her to do whatever it is she is thinking to do.

"They won't hurt you," he agrees, "As far as we're concerned, you're working with us." The unspoken 'for now' hovers there in the air. Heavy.

Catwoman has posed:
"I wasn't worried about my own safety around them if any of them decided to try something," Catwoman replies, a brief flash of /something/ crossing her expression that may clue him in on just how independent, strong-willed, and confident she is in herself. Bold kitty.

There are reasons behind the hesitation but the indicated invitation leads to her right hand rising to rest for a couple seconds against the side of his face. It happens to be right over the spot she once marked during a time he pushed too far in trying to stop her from a score, leading to a severe loss of trust. This time, there's no trickery. The hand is there long enough to venture with an almost careful, single stroke of the cheek and jaw before it retreats back to her side.

"Be careful, and call on me when you're ready to send me off to do what I'm good at." They will work together on this. For now.