2012-10-15 Atlantis Invades Gotham

It is nighttime in Gotham City. It is always dark here, but tonight there is a lot of cloud cover and it seems like the street lights just cannot penetrate the gloom very far. There is a rumble of thunder some where in the distance, but no rain as of yet. As it is getting close to the Witching Hour, most of Gotham City's denizens are at home and the streets are mostly deserted. A few cars go along the midtown of Gotham, but there are few people out.

As such, few people see a thick cloud of fog rolling along the streets of Gotham from the direction of the docks. The fog is not completely opaque and figures can be seen moving through the fog and along the street. It would appear to be a squad of about eight people. From the shades in the fog, it looks to be about six larger folks and two smaller, slight figures.

Selina shouldn't be out. She /should/ be home, recovering from the wounds she was given earlier today and the resulting medical treatment along with the shock of the news she recieved after coming to but it was clear she would not be able to relax. In other words, she's disobeying doctor's orders. But she promised herself she'd only be out for a little while and not wander too far from her home.

Looks like One isn't the only one she is breaking promises to as she has wandered further than she meant to. At least she dressed warm - black sweater, comfortable sweats to keep from having her bandaged wound rubbed again, coat... nondescript and casual. Maybe she'll escae the notice of anyone who might be around.

Walking out this late at night really isn't good for your health, well it is if your close to your neighborhood, but bad if your not taking the liberty to be a bit concious of where your going. Jynn had the day off from the Rec Center and figured with all the work he'd been doing he would just do that, come out walk, patrol a bit. With a black jacket on, a pair of baggy blue jeans, black Nikes.

Checking his watch, he lets out a sigh. He wasn't going to be out long tonight mainly due to having to be up early in the morning, he had martial arts classes he was teaching the next day and wanted to make sure the room he was using was ready.

For most people, the middle of the night is a quiet time, stepping back from the world to recuperate for the day ahead; for a select few, Gotham's nightlife is their busiest time. Well concealed in and around those drifting clouds, truly audible to only the most sensitive, augmented ears, Batman flies a sleek and rather unique aircraft. Within the stealth jet he conducts a rather thorough sweep-- and scan-- of Gotham's streets. Monitoring energy outputs, unusual motion, and a wide range of frequencies and communication protocols, the Dark Knight guides the prototype jetcraft with a practiced, graceful hand.. shadowing his newest protege from on high.

Along with the bird's eye vantage point of the city, and the chance to survey for the anomalous transmissions that vex him from his earlier operations, it's a good chance to survey Damian's own attitudes and approaches without being a visible influence on them. Whether his son is actually listening is even more important now, than before, after all.

The Surface. It is a place that King Orin... Arthur Curry... Aquaman has been traversing for quite some time now. With recent months having him spending many more days out of the water, it has become somewhat apparent that his focus has been on assisting those that may have been in need or in trouble. His life as Aquaman has been something that he has been attempting to solidify for quite some time. Perhaps, his latest ruination of harmful and ill-intent minded ruffians will help those in Gotham sleep even more sound this night.

Possible Bonus Effect: Maybe it'll piss off Batman.

At any rate, Aquaman is is striding down the streets of Gotham with not even the slightest care in the world. His facial expression is calm and stoic, as per the usual. His golden trident is on his back and every single step he takes is one taken with purpose, drive and focus. There is no stealth to the way Aquaman patrols. He is a man that is bent on protecting those that need it. And he's more than willing to let every one know this. Everyone.

Up on the rooftops lurks a figure clad in red, green and yellow. Damian Wayne, the newly-minted Robin, slinks along the narrow backbone of a steeped roof. A broad grin on his face, he runs to where the building gives away and throws his arms out to the side. He tumbles through the air, flinging a line out before him and using it to swing towards another building.

With barely a sound he lands on the next rooftop, crouching to look down over the edge and toying with a few buttons on his gauntlet. He surveils the street below, watching Jynn and Selina go about their business before murmuring low to a microphone set into his collar.

"Foggy. Nothing besides a few civilians asking to get mugged."

A pause, he even blinks behind his mask and quickly offers an addendum.

"And Aquaman."

Gotham. It's a city full of suffering. Like a Xanax commercial where the happy-go-lucky psychos are being given sugar tablets. Except they're not sugar tablets. They're laxatives. Happy little smiles, happy little lives, bereaving their total loss of bowel control.

Gotham. This is my city. For now. My people. Or not. Whatever. Are you reading this in Batman's voice? I'm totally doing that hoarse sort of faux-whisper he does. 'Oooh, lookit me, I have a secret identity that you'll never guess! I'm probably Bruce Wayne or something! I just wear a batcloak and whisper really softly, like I'm the Marlboro man's brother.

Of course, none of that exists anywhere but in Deadpool's head. And that's questionable, too, given how incredibly unbalanced the Merc with the Mouth is. He is (clumsily) following Damian's path of travel, sometimes getting tripped up in the giant batcloak that he found at a local costume shop. When Damian stops (sensibly) in the shadows, Deadpool leaps with a tremendous rattle on top of a convenient chimney stack. He stands upright, cloak sort of tugging awkwardly in the wind. "So, what's the situation, Sparrow?" Deadpool rasps, trying to sound like Robin's mentor. "WHere do the people need the hero they deserve?"

Or Rorshach's voice. That's acceptable too.

The fogbank seems odd as it behaves unlike any fog this side of Victorian London. It seems to move with the group of figures as they make their way towards the Gotham Museum. Hushed whispers can almost be heard from the fog, but that too seems almost muffled artifically so that no real coherent words can be distinguished. As the fog reaches the steps leading up to the museum, five of the eight begin to ascend the stairs. Four of them are the big ones and they appear to be men in full armor. The armor is dark purples and greens much like the deep waters. The armor covers all of the figures from head to toe. There is intricat carvings and designs, mostly of nautical sources, over the chestplates and arms. They carry spears and tridents themselves as they make their way up the step. The last figure is hidden by a cloak with a hood pulled up over the head.

While Gotham as a whole looks strange and slightly frightening when shrouded by mist this part is even more so, leaving Selina to shiver when she approaches the museum from the side. Common sense dictates that she should just keep going and get herself home safe where her cat and her bed can be found but something catches her attention, encouraging her to pause instead. Was it a sound that gets her to stop or was it something seen out of the corner of her eye...? No, she isn't seeing a damn thing and it's about silent as a graveyard right now which bolsters Selina's courage. Shrugging, she resumes her trek, turning the corner and slipping steadily closer towards the steps, not realizing there are something or someone there.

"Aquaman?" That's odd enough to confirm twice. The Dark Knight's voice doesn't come through particularly /angrily/, though-- at least, not any moreso than he tends to sound when focusing that deeply projected baritone that helps complete his (proverbial) stage persona. The Bat doesn't dwell on it, however, particularly with something else Damian says. "Strange. The fog seems to be localized to that street, it came off the dock but is dissipating as it moves. It's centered on the museum now."

That isn't exactly typical behavior of any weather pattern Batman is aware of; to say the least. There are several seconds worth of radio silence as the Caped Crusader conducts a closer flyby, "Thermal imaging shows a group within the fog-- they appear to be heading for the museum." Another beat. "Robin. Be careful, if that fog isn't natural.." and Batman has every reason to believe just that, right now, "It could be some kind of gas." Or a wizard did it. Sadly that's not just a joke around here.

Turning down the street unknown that high above he was watched by those more silent and possibly more deadly then he. Jynn allows himself to look from one side of teh street to the next before crossing over. As he does he does notice the fog, shrugging a little as it is a bit cold out tonight, Jynn continues walking. As he comes up to the corner of the street, Jynn looks down and notices a figure moving towards the museum. He couldn't tell who it was, but it wasn't like he was expecting to recognize any friends, to him possibly just someone out who wanted to get out for a bit. Turning the corner and moving towards the museum, he looks towards the steps leading up towards the building and honestly he wondered if the exhibit he seen some months back was still there, but then something catches his attention and he slows down. Looking at the fog and wondering if it's just it playing wiht him or his mind being paranoid, but nope something or someone....

It does not take Aquaman longer than a moment to recognize the armor. In fact, the moment he does, his brows furrow even more than they already were and he stops dead in his tracks. He watches for a moment, almost allowing those that are ascending the steps to get further along their path, before he makes his royal presence known. A hand is raised, "You there!" That hand immediately shifts to a more accusing and pointing style, his steps immediately taking him in the direction of the armored ones. "Before you are to take another step, you will explain yourselves. What business do you have on the surface world?"

Aquaman is more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Then again, he is not. While he hasn't been down below for a while, he is still one of the Kings and he does expect his authority to be both heeded and respected.

"I see them now," Robin says into his microphone as he looks down at the street, "Men in armor. Looks like the fog was there to conceal their approach. Aquaman has spotted them. He's mad about something. Also, I'm being followed."

He speaks the last into his microphone as Deadpool lands, immediately tucking into a roll to keep himself out of range. When he stops, he looks up at Deadpool and bares his teeth in what can only be described as a feral snarl. Straight into intimidation mode. He's got a mission here and he doesn't want to look bad in front of his boss by beating up an escaped mental patient in a cape.

"If you don't want to discover just how much a shattered patella hurts, you should go straight back the way you came."

He promised scaled threat solutions. This is his best effort. He tilts his head to one side, speaking to Deadpool like one might a puppy that just made a mess on the rug.

"That's your kneecap, by the way."

Deadpool goes for a badass crouch. It's not as badass as he hopes, so he frowns, turns, and then flares his cloak dramatically. "I am MIGHTY!" he declares in a really bad, throaty rasp. "I have a glow you cannot see. I have a heart as big as the moon, as warm as bathwater!" He aims a finger skyward, then points it at Robin. "We're superheroes, man! We don't have time to be charming! The boots of evil were made for walking." He leaps off the roof with a loud *thump*, striding a few paces away, then turning his masked face skywards with a dramatic flaire. "We're watching the big picture, friend. We know the score. We are a public service, not glamour boys! Not captains of industry! Not makers of... things! We are a justice sandwich, no toppings necessary!" He turns and aims a finger at all you gamers reading this diatribe, right now, who probably don't get this reference yet. "MUSHERs of America, do you catch my drift? Do... you... dig me?!"

He also produces a fully-automatic weapon and aims it in Robin's general direction. "Oh, also, if you try to break my knee, I'll shoot the /hell/ out of you," Deadpool adds, nonchalantly.

The armored men on the steps turn toward Aquaman as he calls out. Their faces are seen behind clear panels in their helmets and their voices sound like someone talking through a large funnel. There is a look of surprise on their faces for a moment as they recognize the Second King. Finally, the one in front shakes his head. "We serve Attuma now. He will bring an end to the Rule of Two, and unify the kingdom. We do not need you, Surface Lover." The one speaking lowers his spear tip towards Aquaman as the rest of the detached group continue up the stairs. There are still three hiding in the mist at the base of the museum. The fog does not seem to be disappating from them but just curls about. It also does not go up the stairs to the museum as if that is out of range.

Voices. That doesn't bode well. Especially when she can hear the threats and the banter but can't see just what the hell is going on. 'No, just walk on,' Selina thinks to herself, thinking that getting back home right now is a good idea. But whatever pain medication she's on dulls her wits and erases her common sense and she's walking /towards/ the source of all that instead of doing the smart thing. She tries to be quiet but she steps wrong, jarring her injured leg when her heel catches the edge of a step wrong, causing her to yelp loudly in pain.

Quirking a brow up as he hears the voices, someone in a commanding tone, and another. Stopping as he does, Jynn sees the figure ahead of him slow for a moment possibly having heard what he just did as well. Now with the distance this close Jynn moves a little clsoer as the man speaking lowers a weapon towards the other. He doesn't know of the other three hiding, but the people moving up the steps to the museum which is closed, nope. Not happening tonight, but hearing the woman who yelps as she stumbles, Jynn grumbles under his breath and moves to quickly help her and move her off to teh side, at the same time casting his glance at those armoured men moving up the stairs hoping they don't turn around. If Selina looks she would notice Jynns jacket bunch up and two hand guns handles could be seen just breifly.

There's no immediate contact from Batman on Damian's comm-- the Dark Knight is too busy frowning, eyes narrowed behind his cowl as he brings the Batwing back around. A few pre-programmed sequences are set into the automated systems, should he prove to need them, and then the canopy is simply opened high in the night sky, above the Gotham skyline. A rebreather and gas filter in place over his mouth, form fitted and secured to his cowl, the Bat fearlessly abandons his aircraft; simply leaping out into the night. Spreading his cape to either side, Batman triggers a concealed control and current renders the fabric rigid as its aerodynamically engineered width catches air, providing gliderlike control and resistance to the Caped Crusader's suddenly (slightly) less abrupt descent.

Carefully orienting and reorienting his approach on nearly silent wing, it would be difficult to pick him out even if one /were/ scanning the sky as the Dark Knight drops to the edge of an adjacent building, looking down over the museum entrance where Aquaman confronts the Atlanteans; then across to Robin's own perch. "Hostile?" He inquires singularly of his protege's purported stalker, taking careful survey of the forms in the fog below.. and the apparent civilians nearing the edges of it.

Aquaman kept his cool as the spear tip was turned on him. He does not even look at the weapon. He doesn't need to. "I do not like to repeat myself." are the words that come out of Aquaman's mouth. He doesn't continue his predatory steps towards the Attuma Guards, though he does seem more prepared for confrontation at this point than he did just a moment ago. "Here. Allow me make my intentions and commands much more clear." And with that there's a sudden rush, as Aquaman leaps towards the nearest armored traitor, yanking his trident off his back and sending the sharp and pointed end at the traitor. Engage.

Robin remains crouched, staring at Deadpool and the gun that he now points at him. This should be something to worry about. All the karate in the world comes up against a bullet like an ice cube against a furnace - that is to say poorly. Instead, the kid - because he can't be more than sixteen years old - grins like a maniac. The corners of his mouth slowly curl up as though he's heard the best of all possible news. He speaks into his mic, barely containing a malevolent little chuckle.

"Yes."

As soon as Robin got wind of Deadpool following him he palmed a small, silvery sphere from his belt and has been clutching it ever since. Now, he doesn't even blink as he heaves it at the man in the cape's feet and immediately dives out of harm's way. The capsule itself explodes, unleashing a burst of foul-smelling smoke in the man's immediate vicinity.

The smoke itself contains military-grade regurgitant gas, something that might cause discomfort for a man in a full face mask. As he moves, Robin also takes a fraction of a moment to fling a batarang at the barrel of the gun.

Scaled threat solutions.

Deadpool makes a choking sound and with ninja-awesome reflexes, pulls his mask aside. And he spews. Ninja style! And aimed at Damian to the greatest extent possible. Being also possessed of ninja-like skills, Deadpool backflips. Damian does briefly disable his gun with a batarang, inasmuch as it takes a moment for someone to withdraw a thin metal blade from the end of an SMG. Deadpool has an extra hand and a /lot/ of practice with left-handed draws. Insert entendre! His other SMG sweeps up almost in tandem with Robin's first motion and chatters in Robin's direction, taking advantage of the Boy Wonder's momentary imbalance as the batarang is hurled. "Game on! Ulph," Deadpool says cheerily, striking the batarang away from the disabled SMG and opening up a blistering two-handed rain of fire.

The Atlantean that had lowered his spear toward Aquaman quickly moves to engage Aquaman. His spear thrusts outward trying to catch the trident by prongs and thrusting it down to the ground. He is therefore looking down as Aquaman follows up behind the trident. The armor protects him from the worst of the impact, as the Royals are always overly strong, but he still falls to his knee. One of the Atlanteans that are climbing the steps now look at the hooded figure. "Now, Siren." The hood nods and suddenly a beautiful song fills the area with the power of a world class opera singer. That is to say the two fools on the roof are going to hear the Siren's song. The two other Atlanteans on the steps look at each other and nod. One continues up and into the museum. The other is coming down the steps towards Selina and Junn with a trident of his own in his hand.

The help is appreciated even if not exactly needed, Selina's balance returning just before Jynn gets a chance to steady her. "Thanks," she grunts while looking up, the sight of those guns missed by how she's looking straight ahead. When the Alantean starts his approach she grins impishly and curls a hand as if meaning to extend claws, forgetting that she's not in costume tonight until the point she glances down quickly to make sure her footing is sound. "Damn." Okay. So there will be /no/ claw-play tonight. Shame. Shrugging, she lets her martial arts training take hold and she turns, pivoting on a foot, spinning as she tries to get out of the range of the spear-like points of that weapon. It hurts and she's not as fast as she normally is but maybe she'll be able to get into position to disarm the attacker and, if she isn't able to disarm the fish man, maybe she'll be able to distract him enough to give Jynn a chance to do his thing.

Recognizing that the woman is Selina, there was no sense asking her what's she is doing here. Mainly because before he can say anything, he hears some errie song being sung. He's never heard anything like it, he shakes his head a bit and looks up in time to see Selina moving to get out of the way and possibly attack the Atlantian who is coming towards them. As she moves to one side trying to get an opening, Jynn doesn't need to worry about where to go seeing as it's two of them and one of him for now.

Jynn isn't hurt and held back and is able to react faster, his natural abilities kicking in, he moves to the right working in tandem with Selina, he moves in a bit closer to give the Atlantian more of a reason for him to come after the duo, but also Jynn is going to hopefully use the opening that may be brougt upon by Selina if things work out.

Gunfire, spears, and Siren songs, oh my. Even for a Gotham night, this is at least notably abnormal-- or at least, the magical opera part is. The Dark Knight is no stranger to attempts to subvert his will, however: he draws out a batarang, flips it open.. and feels the sudden and inexplicable desire to put it back in his belt and go to the strange women. Instead, teeth grit, mind focuses, and spirit centers. Part of his training in the martial disciplines is a clarity of focus, an ironclad intensity. The will to act. While the magic from the Atlantean mystics is mighty indeed.. the Bat only needs an instant. He doesn't even try to take a hostile action in said instant, instead triggering the sound dampeners in his cowl, simply cutting the outside world /out/ completely, for the moment.

A glimmering LED button is depressed on the bat-themed weapon, and Batman throws it end over end, its edged length crackling with electricity as it arcs a precise course for the first of the hooded figures-- seeking to discharge its ample voltage into the charming mystic.

Then, the Sirens get more than they might have wished for: the Batman does indeed approach, but it's by leaping directly off the roof ledge, spreading his cape once more, and descending at a sharp angle, the last few yards covered with no glider at all. Instead, arms flexed at his sides, the Dark Knight is like a human missile, seeking to collide-- none too gently-- with the other songstress and drive her abruptly into the street in a flying shoulder tackle.

Aquaman is not about to let such antics go down without a fight. The moment the word 'Siren' is said, he's already building up his mental defenses. He knows of the sirens. And so he is already protecting himself and his own mind from the Siren Song. But he is going to have to get to her to make sure that he can help the others. He can sense there are others.

"Traitors." comes from Aquaman's mouth as he proceeds to send his foot towards the side of the Atlantean soldier's head. Enough force behind it to send him down the stairs, because Orin is still on the move. He's already regaining control of his trident and leaping in the general direction of those other Atlantean Traitors. It only takes him a moment to fling himself in the direction of the fleeing traitor that has exited into the museum. Time to hunt.

Not exactly the reaction that Robin was hoping for but at least he's managed to avoid being shot and also made Deadpool marginally uncomfortable. He keeps moving as he hears the clattering report of the gun, turning handsprings, somersaults and just about every other trick in his acrobatic arsenal to evade the bullets. Getting a few feet away from the line of fire, Damian reaches behind his back to draw a collapsible sword that - ka-schick - springs from the hilt in his hand.

Robin suddenly looks away from Deadpool when the singing starts, the song leading him to lower the sword from an offensive stance. His eyes glaze over behind his mask, mouth slightly agape and he looks for a minute as though he's going to start marching towards the Siren. No, he's got to resist. They trained him for this kind of thing in the League. He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head and regaining control of his faculties for a moment.

The moment is all he needs to fish a pair of earbuds out of his belt, pressing them into his ears and flicking a button on his gauntlet's display. A split second later metal is blaring in his ears, enough to drown out the song. Growling vocals, wailing guitars and heavy drums doing their job. He clasps the sword tightly once again, looking up just in case Deadpool has gotten the drop on him in the meantime.

Robin? What Robin? Deadpool don't care! Like the proverbial honey badger, he's gonna mess someone /up/. He's already running towards the edge of the rooftops, towards the sweet, sweet sound of golden voices, soaring and lilting across the skyline like a lure to a promise of a better tomorrow. It's the song and the voice of the only woman Deadpool has ever loved- the only voice that soothes the savage beast within.

"I.. I hear you! I'm coming! Sweet lady of my dreams, I'm coming to you!" Deadpool sprints across the rooftops and gets a flying leap in the air- just as Batman goes for his classic swoop-kill kick. Deadpool makes a serious effort to land on Batman and rodeo Gotham's Greatest Detective like the ending to Dr. Strangelove, aiming for a swoop landing near the Sirens. Anyone who messes with the golden voice of his lost love gets a lead salad from midair! Midair, cackling manically, firing wild bursts of automatic fire, Deadpool makes his descent towards the Sirens, either by bat or by the flying crack of his well-toned butt.

"I'M COMIN' FOR YA, BEA! YOUR MAN IS COMIN' HOME!"

The fallen Atantean is down, but certainly not out. He rolls with the kick and then grabs at Aquaman's foot as the Royal tries to leap away. The Atlantean is much stronger than a normal human and tries to twist Orin so that he can slam the man into the stairs. "You are the traitor, Your Highness." The distain on the last word is obvious.

The Atlantean that is attacking Selina and Jynn takes advantage of Jynn's momentary distraction with the Siren song. In the time it took Jynn to shake his head to clear it, the Atlantean is pressing the attack. The Trident he carries is swung in an arc as he attempts to swat Jynn away with sharpened prongs. Selina is allowed to dart to the side as the Atlantean thinks Jynn is the bigger threat than this civilain woman.

The Siren is struck by the Batarang and screams as the electrical charge courses through the damp body. The hood drops back and the vision is not one of beauty but of hidious disfigurement. Any who are still under the spell of the Siren will be shocked back to reality when they see her true face.

As Batman attacks the second hooded figure in the mists, her two guards move to intercept the Dark Knight. Two large Atlantean fellows converge and try to drive the diving Detective into the ground hard. They certainly show no more gentleness than Batman was going to show their charge. The second hooded figure turns and has something in her hand. It looks like a bit of line with several knots in it. The actions of the guards and Batman are beginning to lose the fog around them now so the two guards are obviously Atlanteans. The second Hooded figure is also wearing a cloak and hood, but this one is much more ragged and frayed in appearance.

It took a bit for the Siren's music to get through to her medication-fogged brain which is good as it means Selina has a change to get out of the way before it takes hold. Eyes narrowing slightly, her chin lifts and she merely stands, lulled into inactivity for as long as it takes for Batman to take the witch out. Her recovery from the spell is faster than it took for it to stun her and she's back on the attack. With the subject of hers and Jynn's offensive not on her she moves behind him as much as possible, attempting to knock him out with a Catwoman neck pinch. Or something.

Well this is getting abit much, first Ghost Bucket man, now what is this mer people or something and thier creepy singing which actually sounds really good and comforting. Though Jynn manages to clear his head just a little, which is a good thing, but seems the armored man with the trident wasn't waiting on him to get his sense back. With only a fraction of a second, his reflexes kick in allowing him side step just enough to allow the blades to cut along his left arm. Luckily it didn't get a good purchase or else, shoulder, and arm would be gone or possibly useless.

"Damn it." he says as he catches sight of Selina moving behind the Atlantian and aiming a strike for the guys neck. Jynn doesn't hesitate, trying to get his body to move more he quickly does a back spin kick with the heel of his right foot hopefully into the Atlantians ribs sending him away from both him and Selina. The cuts along his left arm hurts, and blood is running down the length of his arms and into his jacket, but it's not very deep. He will need stitches but for now that will have to wait.

With the guards snapping their attention to his approach, and Deadpool's death-defying leap intercepting his descent, the Bat's target eludes him-- at least for the moment. Instead, he's taken down early, seemingly at the mercy of the charging soldiers. Luckily (?!?), Deadpool is there. Landing in a tumbling somersault that appears to be consciously improvised to be more painful for the Merc with the Mouth than it is for the Dark Knight, Batman twists free of his rodeo-fanatic new friend before coming up in a three point crouch and abruptly hurling himself, seemingly in the same motion, between the charging warriors in that hair's breadth of provided window. Once more, the unhesitating improvisational tactic seems consciously devised to put Deadpool at ground zero for some serious collision risk; not that the bruises rising under the Caped Crusader's armored batsuit are particularly /pleasant/, either.

As he finds his footing after the second, more graceful tumble-- too agile for a man his size-- the Dark Knight swiftly surveys his surroundings in the instants before he drops a smoke pellet to replace the dissipating fog.. on his terms. Rather than wading in on the apparent leader, there's the sound of a grapnel line from within the concealing smoke, and the Batman seeks to leave the fray for the moment in favor of the museum's covered entryway, radioing back to his partner-in-anticrime, "They're after something in the museum. Make sure no one gets hurt, the fight isn't the objective here." His own cowl cycles to track the thermal signature of the Atlantean within the building, as the Caped Crusader detours in through an upper window.

Aquaman actually gets tripped up. Which is not good form. His strong body hits the steps and it only takes Aquaman a moment to get even more angry at this entire situation right now. In that next moment, though, Aquaman is turning and pushing up onto his feet, balancing on the edge of the step that he's on and gives his trident a twirl, opening it up to the full five prong'd style and proceeds to come down with it and some Atlantean Strength to SHUNK this bad boy into the chest of this Atlantean soldier. And put some stank on it!

Robin blinks as Deadpool immediately loses interest and leaps off the rooftop. He quickly jumps to his feet, leaning over the edge in time to see the Mercenary land on Batman's shoulders. He growls. Selfish ball of hate he may be, but he's not about to sit around and watch such an assault. Yes, he knows Batman can handle it but better to be safe than sorry.

He plants both hands on the edge of the building and flings himself off of it, cape billowing out behind him before gaining sudden rigidity to slow his velocity. Not by much, though, and the other half of the Dynamic Duo is making up for his lack of strength by hurtling a two-footed kick at the back of Deadpool's head at twenty miles an hour. Thank goodness for shock-absorbent gel.

Springing off of the now-unconscious Merc With A Mouth, Robin pulls the earbuds from his ears in time to hear the radio chatter from Batman. He darts towards the stairs, aiming to get himself close to Jynn and Selina. The Atlanteans in his way are not forgotten, however, and the blade snaps out at his sides to try and catch them across the legs as he passes. He didn't mean the Atlanteans, right?

The Atlantean facing Jynn and Selina is armored from head to toe. The neck strike does little against the connection between helmet and armor and is promptly ignored. He brings his hand up to try and catch Jynn's foot with his superior strength and if not careful break the ankle that is attacking him. "Little surface dwellers are little match for Attuma's Guard," he snarls.

The Atlantean that grabbed Aquaman cries out in triumph, but then terror as he is suddenly shish kabobbed by the king's trident. He grabs at his chest in some vain attempt to pull the trident out of him, but he just falls back onto the steps, closing his eyes behind the glass of his helmet.

The two guards take Deadpool down as he is on top of Batman and beat him mercilessly. The Merc with a Mouth is left unconscious on the ground as the two guards now look about to what became of their original prey. That is when they see the Boy Wonder tries to hamstring them. One is hit in the knee, but the blade doesn't penetrate the armor. Large hands attempt to grab Robin's cape (won't Edith gloat on this one) and yank the young man off his feet *hard*

The second hooded figure drops her hood. She is no siren, but she is no beauty either. She cackles a witch's cackle and begins to undo the knots in the line she carries. A sudden wind picks up, blowing away Batman's smoke and trying to dislodge the Caped Crusader from his original course.

The Atlantean in the museum is back out now. He carries a trident that is similar to Aquaman's. He looks at the battle in front of him and darts the oppostie way trying to get to Plan B's escape route.

There's nothing Selina can do. She's unarmed without so much as her whip on her and she is really starting to hurt. More than good enough of a reason to fall back and let those who can do. "This is crap," she grouses under her breath while turning around, planning on getting out of the way. Here's for hoping the guys have a handle on this.

Seeing his hand come up to try and catch his foot, Jynn lowers his leg which makes him slide a bit towards the Atlantian. Hopping back away from the Attuma Guard, Jynn narrows his eyes and having seen Selina move away quickly, he grits his teeth. He reaches back behind his back then spinning in towards the Attuma Guard, Jynn pulls his guns out quickly, keeping himself between the Guard and Selina as she makes her way out of the area. Jynn spins the guns and quickly lunges forward aiming the butt of one gun to the guards faceplate, then aiming the second guns barrel towards the guards knee and fires a shot with the hardend jell rounds he uses in hopes of possibly hitting the joint area and possibly buckling the guys leg a bit.

Mid-flight for the museum, that sudden gust of magical wind sharply distorts the Bat's course, jarring him roughly to one side even as the resilient line inexorably, swiftly zips him forward. Rather than following it to its (potentially more haphazard) destination, however, the Dark Knight disengages the grapnel line and drops to the ground once more. An understated grunt emits as he lands in another painful roll before whipping a more standard, heftily weighted batarang back towards the head of the dangerous witch-- barely glancing back himself, yet throwing with masterful precision.

The Caped Crusader doesn't pause for an instant, the chaos of the attack leaving him with several priorities that he can't possibly cover alone. Trusting Damian to be capable of keeping the superpowered soldiers distracted at least long enough for Selina and the other unknown to get clear, he tags the fleeing Atlantean with the batsuit's systems.. and opens communications with the hovering batwing above. One of those preset programs the Dark Knight readied fires up, locking onto the stealing soldier as the jetcraft almost leisurely starts to tail him from on high. A second program is called up, diverted to a new source as Batman recovers his footing, rising to his full height.

"/Aquaman/." Now there's a bit of ire, "We need them /alive/." As ever, with the Bat. "Can you handle this?"

Aquaman's focus is on making sure that the traitorous bastard is dead. There's no reason to show mercy to those that dare to want to try and kill one of the Kings of Atlantis. Aquaman is holding the trident in place until he is quite sure that the traitorous soldier is no longer moving (or breathing) and then he yanks the trident out... just in time to get Batman'd.

"Go." is all that Aquaman says to the Batman. Either he /can/ handle this or he needs to get back into the water soon. But Batman's jet is definitely much faster than he is.

Robin frowns to himself as he feels his blade deflect harmlessly off of armor. He doesn't let that slow him down, however, as the guard grabbing his cape does that for him.

With an 'oof' as the Boy Wonder is taken off his feet but even as he falls backwards the latches that affix the cape and hood to his tunic come away. Robin tucks himself into a roll, going with the sudden momentum so as to try and keep himself out of grabbing range. For a moment a murderous pall is cast over his face and he looks as though he's about to charge the guards with everything he's got.

But the fight isn't the objective! Landing in a crouch, one leg cocked out to the side to steady him, he decides to test the durability of Atlantean armor. A handful of small, sticky globs are thrown at the guard holding his cape's faceplate. A mixture designed to explode on contact. Not all that powerful in and of themselves but certainly disorienting and they'd likely blow a normal human's head clean off. Robin is quietly banking on the guards being stronger than a normal human and not having to explain why he decapitated someone on his first night out.

"Yes," he calls at Aquaman (and its a wonder he kept his mouth shut this long), "Try not to kill /everyone/ we need to interrogate."

The Atlantean fighting Jynn cries out as Jynn strikes the face plate with the butt of his gun. There is a spiderweb crack running out from the point of impact and water begins leaking. The shell finds a crack in the joint of the armor, and the Atlantean falls to one knee in pain. One hand moves to press up to his face plate, trying to hold water in, even as he uses the other hand to backslap towards Jynn even as the Atlantean begins to run away; run back towards the docks and the escape into the water.

Yes, the one that Aquaman stabbed is dead. Maybe he twitches for a moment, but otherwise, he wouldn't VOOM if you put ten thousand volts through it.

The one guard is left holding Robin's cape and looks at it for a moment before his helmet is covered in little explosives. The face plate shatters with the explosion and water comes gushing out. There is a gasp and hands to the throat, dropping the cape, and the guard runs. The other guard there runs as well seeing as the object has been retrieved.

Count is: Siren down. Sea witch down. Atlantean dead. One with Trident running. Two with broken face plates trying to get back to the water. One running to cover the escape of his wounded compatriots.

The Atlantean running with the trident cannot help but see the Batplane above him, tracking him. His goal is the docks and the river. Let the plane track him all it wants, if he gets to the water, he is gone.

Seeing the faceplate spiderweb, and water starting to leak, Jynn is a bit taking back. Only thinking that the faceplate was there to protect well...their faces. But guess even when out of water these guys need it to breath. The incoming backhand slams into Jynn hard lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing along the steps. The force of the blow alone knocks him out and the steps only increases the pain he will feel later on. HIs guns still in his hands by some amazing luck, Jynn is unconcious.

The escaping, injured soldiers don't concern the Bat. The dead one? He's a bit of a concern, but not the primary focus now. The solitary sprinter ahead of the pack, taking that side route back to the docks? /That's/ the one Batman has his eye on. Proverbially, because he can't see the guy at all by this point, most likely; the Attuma loyalist has something of a notable headstart. Thankfully, the Dark Knight's speciality is thinking outside the box. On high, the batwing may be visible to the Atlantean, but it's also that low for a /reason/.

A grapnel line is fired upwards, launching Batman to the rooftops in the general direction of the Gotham harbor-- as the crow flies. The second comes even as he crests the gothic ledge, leaping beyond vigilant gargoyles to fire that line upwards for the belly of his own jet. It accelerates him vastly more swiftly than even the Dark Knight's olympian-calibre legs might, intent on intersecting the Atlantean's egress as quickly as possible. There's a certain recklessness to the procedure, from the sheer height and speed the Bat reaches in his ascent, to the way he simply cuts the grapnel out once he has sight of his prey and descends, launching a trio of his own matte black, explosive pellets downwards with a whipping flick of his wrist.

The descent back to the street itself is barely slowed in time to keep the Dark Knight from a rather dangerous impact, his landing honed-- executed with as much practiced skill as the rest of the maneuver, and /still/ bone-jarring. It's all about catching up.. before the thief's comrades can.. before he reaches the water. Of course, they're not the only ones with a plan 'b'...

Robin doesn't pause, taking off at a run after the guard with the broken faceplate. As he runs past his dropped cape he scoops it back up, reattaching it with a triumphant little smirk on his face. He lifts a finger, pressing it to his ear to radio Batman even as he runs.

"They can't breathe above water," he informs the Dark Knight, "I blasted one's faceplate out and now he seems like he's drowning. I'm going to make sure he doesn't die."

See? He's on-mission.

"Though, really, it's not /my/ fault he's on land with only a glass sheet to keep him from suffocating. If you ask me, he deserves to die."

Kinda.

The Atlantean with the trident is fast. He is still in contact with water within his armor and that gives him a little boost as he runs and makes his way through the city. They had planned and knew the fastest way to the docks from the Museum. He can see the docks as Batman zips up and then dive bombs towards him. He thinks he is almost home free when the bombs hit. He is knocked off of his feet but still goes forward as his momentum carries him. He glances behind him as he crashes, seeing the Bat coming down after him. He manages to get to his feet and hurls the trident. The golden weapon almost quivers as it flies through the air and drops into the water beyond the dock. Once he has thrown the trident, he turns to face Batman but gets crushed to the ground by the impact for his troubles.

Those escaping begin to split up as they attempt to lose Robin. The one with the mask still intact does double back, getting into the young man's field of vision and hoping to have Robin chase him even as the other two are almost back to the water themselves.

"That's /not/ our decision to make." is fired back to his son and student, "We need answers, not retribution." Where the trident disappears, the armored black hull of a submersible watercraft breaches the surface as it arrives an instant later-- instants /too/ late, with the trident already sinking into the depths, undoubtedly to be retrieved by more waiting Atlantean soldiers. It doesn't take the World's Greatest Detective to do the math, there.. Batman already knows he's lost this battle. Even as the Bat lands hard amidst his powerful quarry, a small spray gun is palmed into his hand from his utility belt, and he begins the work of lining the seams in the soldier's armor with explosive gel.

How far he gets before the dazed soldier starts to struggle is somewhat irrelevent, since he starts with the helmet and Damian's already told him what happens, there. "There's no /way/ I'm letting you make it to the shore. You come with me, you live." It's explained with no apparent patience or quarter in him; should be just what these extremists expect. Then the Bat triggers the gel; if he doesn't miss his guess, he'll have a lot more luck fighting this fish without the fishbowl.

"I know. I'm not going to let him drown or whatever you call it when a fish can't breathe."

As Robin runs, he fishes a bolas from his belt. Nothing fancy, just a length of black cable with weighted ends. He begins to twirl it over his head, eyes narrowing as he looks to aim it at the ankles of one of the fleeing Atlanteans. He won't let him die but he's not going to let him get away, either. There must be a fish tank of some sort back at the Cave.

When the undamaged guard comes into his field of vision, Robin simply sneers and lets the bolas fly at his feet.

"Don't go anywhere."

Fine, he'll just chase the one he exploded down on foot. It can't be that hard, can it?

THe undamaged Atlantean has done his job. He got Robin's attention and even as he is caught by the bolo and crashes to the ground, the other two with broken face plates make it to the dock. They dive into the water and they do not come back to the surface. The Atlantean that Batman has planned struggles at first but realizes what Batman is doing. He shakes his head and raises his hands a brief second before the gel goes off. His helmet is shattered and soon he is gasping for air as well. So the Bats have a Siren, a Sea Witch, and two Atlanteans to question.