2014.04.20 - The Night of Owls - Assassins

April 21st; 10:34 pm. The Night of the Owls.

It comes suddenly, in south Gotham; an explosion that wracks the back-end of a dockhouse known for dealing squarely in smuggled contraband. It is a small eruption -- very little light, but lots of noise and heat. It is immediately followed by gunshots, screams -- more screams -- and the sound of bone and viscera.

Several seconds later, and two silhouettes emerge from the sundered remains of that building -- wisps of smoke emerging from their frames. They are built for battle; their bodies coated in sleek, black kevlar weave armor -- designed to exagerrate musculature. The armor is simple, functional, unstylish -- all save the hoods they wear.

The hoods are constructed to give them a resemblance to owls -- with bright, spotlight-like yellow eyes that gleam moon-yellow in the darkness. Their fingers end in claws -- claws currently dripping with blood.

One member of the small criminal entourage they're chasing has escaped the now-smoking building, stumbling along in his suit, armed with his little pistol, eyes as wide as saucers -- BLAM, BLAM, BLAM. Nope, bullets aren't stopping either of the Talons. Instead, they walk -- waltzing forward at a lazy pace after the man.

Knowing that this is the home of Batman, Lady Shiva has recently arrived in Gotham for her own reasons. What they are, no one knows...yet. She's been getting to know the city quietly by roaming the night of Gotham and generally not attracting much in the way of attention. An explosion nearby would definitely get her attention, however, and the criminal running away from and shooting at men dressed in Owl costumes is something that causes her to stop and watch quietly with her hands in the pockets of her longcoat.

Rook watches, but doesn't yet intervene. It's not clear if she was here before the explosion started or arrived shortly thereafter; Rook has a way of simply appearing when she wants to be somewhere. She is on the edge of the roof of a nearby building, impassively watching the carnage and mayhem unfolding below. Indeed, whatever emotions she has are hidden well behind her mask and goggles. "This isn't business as usual." She tells no one in particular, perhaps having a conversation with herself. Rook disappears, flickering out of existence, only to materialize behind the man as he retreats. "Don't panic." She tells him softly before attempting to teleport both herself and the goon back to her starting point.

Knives. Several of them; each well-balanced -- sleek, no thicker than paper, no wider than a thumb -- are thrown outward by both Talons. Nothing more than a flick of their wrists, and the gleaming implements lance out for the man -- for his eyes, his throat, his torso. Six in total.

All six of them miss -- as Rook appears and disappears with their quarry. The knives clatter delicately to the ground, leaving the Talons to stare at the place where their target had once lain.

"--ohgod, ohgod, what--what--" The man in Rook's grip is babbling wildly, eyes wide, squirming and wriggling with sheer terror as he's plucked up and teleported away. "They're, oh God they killed the boss who are you--" Yeah, he's freaking out.

The Talons, meanwhile, are surveying the area around them -- eyes sweeping slowly across the ground, followed by the rooftops. Several moments pass... before both sets of eyes lock upon Rook's position. At which point--


 * FWPT* - *FWPT*.

In unison, their arms swing out -- hurling small explosive charges upward, toward that building edge. To slap against it -- and *explode* with a bright flash of heat and concussive force. Enough to rupture concrete and take a chunk of the building out; hopefully (for them) also enough to send both Rook -- and their quarry -- tumbling to the street below.

Mostly hidden in the shadows of the building at this point, the woman known as Lady Shiva watches the interactions of the people and ... things involved. She can tell through her own training that something is ...off about these hooded Owl beings. She watches the action with a curious tilt to her head even as she follows the teleporting of Rook with the Owl's prey.

Rook grips her stomach when she arrives back on the rooftop with the goon whose life she just saved. She lets him babble for the moment, occupied with fighting back the wave of nausea that threatens to make her heave. "Oh, haven't done that in a while..." Rook seems to regain her composure and then reaches up to pull the goon's face to look at hers. "I'm Rook." She tells him. "Remember it. Remember my face. Now, get the hell out of-" Boom! The building shifts underneath Rook's feet and the explosion rings in her ears. She, along with the man she rescued, slide down in a heap of dust and drywall until they hit the ground, hard. Rook looks up, her hat somehow still on her head, and reaches to get a hold of the other man. "If I throw up on you don't hold it against me." She says, watching the Talons from her prone position very, very closely.

An explosion is something that will attract a lot of attention. Especially when people have very keen ears. Cats have keener ears than people and an even worse level of curiosity. There is no way that a certain purple vigilante of the Gotham persuasion wouldn't come running to the scene.

He's running along rooftops, to be precise, leading towards the dockhouse, his invisibility shrouding him for the moment.

He arrives to find that apparently Shirley Bassey had gotten this party started, because the rooftop right next to his gets taken out by a second explosion. He narrows his eyes and looks towards the two strange figures. He takes a deep breath and calculates, and then begins to make his descent from his own building, resisting the urge to use his constructs to sail across as they would reveal his position, but rather he takes the fire escape. Not as heroically acrobatic, but it adds points to sneaky-sneaky. He needs to get to the figures before they can fire again... and since his invisibility will shatter the moment he begins to attack, he wants to get as close as possible before that happens.

Oh, hey. Whaddya know? Rook might actually recognize this goon -- it's Skinny Pete! "OhGod," he groans, eyes wide as he sees her face. "Notyouagainnotyouagain--" And then they're cut off by that blinding, deafening explosion -- sending them both tumbling toward the ground. No sooner have they hit then is Skinny Pete, clad in his nice little suit (but still notably emanciated -- seriously, dude needs to eat some hamburgers), is struggling to reach his gun -- his ankle twisted, howling with pain.

Previously, the Talons were moving at a leisurely waltz, like men emerging from a coffee shop. But now that they catch sight of Rook with their prey -- they take on a different mien. Their bodies hunch forward; their claws lengthen -- their eyes dim. They hold the stances of trained, skilled assassins -- men who are familiar with the art of murder. Men who have dedicated their lives to it.

And, in an instant, they are moving forward -- with nearly preternatural speed -- toward their quarry. One comes low, nearly upon all fours; the other leaps high, springing several yards into the air. The former throws something ahead of him, right before the latter leaps -- another explosive charge, this one set to explode a moment before impact -- a bright, concussive flash detonating in front of Rook and Skinny Pete. Meant to disorient, to deafen, to blind.

Which serves as a distraction for the latter, who is airborn, descending upon them both -- three gleaming daggers thrown forth, aimed for Rook's face, and Skinny Pete's face and throat. The daggers, of course, are poisoned. And they're about to be followed up with claws -- descending for Skinny Pete's poor throat.

Assassins! A smile appears on Lady Shiva's face as soon as she see's the movements of the Owl men and before they begin moving, she's moving. Interception is her goal. With the grace, speed, and sheer determination that lies hidden below her seemingly innocuous form, she appears almost as if by magic in the path of the Talons. Lightning fast strikes of her hands and feet deflect away the poisoned blades from their targets. No normal human should be able to move that fast. Yet there is nothing about her that shows she's anything but to all but the most well versed Martial Artists. "I accept." is all that the woman says with that same curious smile.

This looks bad. Even Rook knows it, seeing those death machines bearing down on her and...god it's Skinny Pete. "The universe has a sense of humor." She notes, while keeping an eye on the encroaching Talons. She isn't confident of two-body teleportation right at this moment, skinny a Pete is. When the Talons begin to make their move, Rook's eyes go wide behind her goggles. "We're leaving!" She declares. As the missiles fly, Rook makes herself at Skinny Pete wholly intangible. A calculated risk, but one that pays off. They disappear, falling through the street to be deposited in a drainage tunnel below. Rook catches a glimpse of Shiva just as she arrives, but then she is gone. Fortunately it's not far to far, though she and Skinny Pete make a splash. Rook hauls him out and props him against the tunnel. "Stay here. Crawl out. I don..." Rook quickly reaches up to her mask and peels it back before vomiting on Skinny Pete's feet. "...Sorry about that."

The invisible cat runs towards the two Talons... only for them to run at the other two.

~Oh, yeah, sure, go make this difficult!~ He is about to teleport into the strike when a woman steps into the flow.

"Oh, come on, what is this, interrupt Vorpal day?" the Cheshire cat says, becoming visible as he appears behind one of the talons, kicking at the back of his knees to try to topple him.

"Ah! Ah ohGod, ohGod what the hell--" is all Skinny Pete manages as they apparently go -- intangible! And end up in a sewer tunnel -- stumbling about as he stares up at her... right before she vomits on his shoes. "What the hell what the hell I just bought this suit--"

Aho, but crawling away Skinny Pete goes! Eager to get the hell out of here. Meanwhile, the explosive charge launched by the first Talon detonates somewhere behind Lady Shiva a moment after she blurs forward; the blades knocked aside like so many playful tacks. Both Talons land -- the airborne one to Shiva's left, the one running on the ground directly in front of her -- and step back. Their stances change; their eyes darken. Assessing. Pondering. Considering.

Right before Vorpal appears behind the one to Shiva's left. That one -- we'll call him 'Talon One' -- jerks forward, kicked behind the leg; dropping to one knee, he spins -- claws scissoring out in an attempt to neatly slit open Vorpal's chest and stomach. Meanwhile, 'Talon Two' springs for Shiva, an armored, pointed knee slamming up for her solar plexus -- followed by a sharp jab of clawtips for her throat.

Meanwhile, atop of the warehouse that was recently gutted with flame and smoke, another set of glowing spot-light like eyes opens.

Motion. Form. Combat. These are the things that speak to Lady Shiva. They speak to her like a normal man shouts. Some call it Predictive Movement. Lady Shiva just calls it understanding. As Talon Two begins to move, she is already in motion. Her foot lashes out to turn the knee strike to her solar plexus away even as her forearm slips in and turns the claw jab aside. These motions are so fluid and seemingly easy that it's no surprise that she seems to just flow through Talon Two and at the very last moment, turns it into an airborne attack at Talon One's back. Motion should never be stopped when it can be used as a weapon.

Rook wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Part of her thinks about running away as well, it's not her fight, but...Rook pulls her mask back down. "I'm no one's bitch." She mutters before taking a deep breath to steady herself and her stomach. "No more free rides." Rook disappears, teleporting back to the battlefield above. But she does not immediately engage. Instead, she's about halfway between the Talons and the warehouse that they emerged from. Another moment to steady herself. "...More friends than I thought."

Vorpal steps back, bringing his arms down to try and intercept the claws. Normally this would be an incredibly stupid thing to do, but his time training with the Amazons and the exceptionally durable bracers on his arms make it a little less cuckoo-nanners of a choice. If he catches the claws, he's going to try and force the Talon's arms open wide and deliver a kick at the guy's head, if he can. "Geez, look at those nails, mama never told you to keep clean?"

CLANK! *Clrkt* -- Claws spark against Vorpal's bracers as the first attack is deflected along his wrists; Talon Two's own assault on Shiva is arrested -- momentum deferred -- before he is sent, spinning, directly into the back of Talon One. Which gives Vorpal a moment of clear space as both Talons tumble away, to the ground, before springing off of one another -- long, wickedly curved fingertips gouging deep into asphalt to slow their momentum, their brilliant gold eyes pulsing...

...right before they both flash, in unison -- at Vorpal and Shiva -- a blast of infrared light and straight-up normal light, courtesy of the LEDs mounted in their goggles. Enough to temporarily blind -- an assault that is accompanied by an ultra-sonic shriek from their hoods, sharp and agonizing. Briefly deafening.

And so -- an instant after launching an attack on both sight and hearing -- the Talons spring forward in unison, claws aiming for the torsos of Vorpal and Shiva, in concert.

Above, the third Talon -- Talon 'Three' -- descends, as silent as a ghost, to the street. 15 yards away. Crouched.

Lady Shiva has seen this trick before. She's even used it a time or three when facing particularly difficult opponants or those with heightened senses. A common 'Ninja' trick really. Her eyes flicker away from the light as soon as she see's the pulsing of their eyes but moments before that, she's already begun her movements -towards- the attacking Talons! Her hands flicker with motion as small, razor-sharp, almost pencil-thin darts are let fly aimed right at the eyes of the Talon attacking her. Her movement carries her up and over the attacking Talon and at the last moment, she lashes out with a foot right towards the Talon's spine. Intent on snapping it!

Well, that fighter woman and the...cat? seem to have things well in hand. Rook therefore does not put herself in harm's way, not yet knowing that she remains in harm's way. The infiltrator folds her arms over her narrow chest, trying to follow the fights but, frankly, finding herself a little out of the others' league. Instead, she turns around, trying to figure out just why the soldiers were targeting this building...and comes face to face with the third talon. She stiffens momentarily, but soon relaxes, arms dropping to her sides. "You guys don't strike me as the talkative types." Rook offers by way of greeting. "But Skinny Pete isn't exactly worth all this." She remains still, passively phased as a defensive precaution.

Vorpal had seen this trick before- but unfortunately his training is incipient when compared to that of The Lady Shiva. Yes, that merits a 'The' in there. Since his senses allow him to see perfectly at night, the attack of light is painful to him- as is the sonic assault, playing havok with his sensitive ears.

~You're blind and deaf and can't defend yourself! You're as good as dead.~ ~No, Batman will kill you if you die like this.~ ~I know, right?~

Without being able to hear his enemy approching, or what angle they're taking, the cat is effectively fighting at a loss. Banking on the only thing he can think of, he focuses and disappears into thin air, dropping on his back and rolling away in a random direction until he can have the use of his eyes again---

Or until one of those claws finishes him off.

Shiva's darts strike Talon Two's eyes, snuffing them out -- but apparently doing nothing to arrest his forward momentum. That brief distraction might have been sufficient to cause him to lose track of the fighter, however -- he does not seem to notice that she is now above him, and does not realize the strike is coming to his back until at the last moment -- that smashing toe cracking into his back, causing armor and bone to creak -- vertabrae splintering with a cruel, gruesome *crnch*. Talon Two arcs forward, arms over his head, before tumbling to the ground...

...and proceeding to roll right back up to his feet, spinning around to face Lady Shiva -- apparently not minding that his back is now broken. Claws fan out; he springs for her new position.

Talon One finds his quarry vanishing into thin air -- a moment of confusion leading him to pause, crouched where Vorpal once was... until -- ah. There you are, kitty; Talon One pounces forward for his new position, claws out and intent on slamming them down onto the figure of the prone feline!

Meanwhile, Rook finds herself confronted by the approaching figure of Talon 3... a little leaner, sleeker -- newer looking than the other ones. At her question, he quirks his head -- bird-like -- before... *fling*.

Three daggers; two for her eyes, one for her throat. Nope. They aren't much for talking.

Lady Shiva hasn't really even begun to fight. Noticing that Talon Two doesn't seem to be hampered by it's broken spine, she just waits for it to spring towards her. Calm, collected, seemingly careless but infinitely prepared. Almost casually she reaches out and seemingly gently grabs Talon Two's wrist. She guides her hand up it's arm to it's elbow before turning and redirecting Talon Two towards Talon One once again. Perhaps unknowingly saving Vorpal. Or perhaps she knew all along...

Rook decides not to wait for the daggers to reach her. You never can be too careful. Back in full control of her abilities, she teleports forward, arriving in front of the Talon in the blink of an eye. She's moving, remembering the attacks that the others laid on Vorpal and Shiva. Rook can't afford to be disoriented or blinded, so she reaches for the Talon's goggles and darts forward. She doesn't try to go around the Talon; Rook's intention is to phase right through him while phasing his goggles right off of his head.

Vorpal's hearing is the first thing to come back. He hears the Talon come for him- he must have some sort of infra-red visibility, to see him while invisible...

~Damnit, didn't think of that!~

~Called it~

His sight recovers just enough to see the Talon coming for him, too. But Lady Shiva's maneuver saves one of his nine lives.

Actually, he doesn't know if he has nine lives. Here's hoping, right?

He rolls away while the asassin gets tagged by his fellow and gets quickly to his feet, his eyes recovering more by the second.

"Alright, enough of this nonsense!" he says, presenting more confidence than he feels in the face of these obviously skilled assassins. Two purple, glowing Chakram appear in each hand, and he takes a few steps back to throw one of the weapons at Talon One, aimed at his head once he untangles himself from his fellow.

Talon Two is thrown like a rag-doll, right into Talon One -- crashing into him like a wave. They entangle, stumbling over one another in a clatter and flash of metal, struggling to untangle -- by the time Talon One's head is popping up, a vivid purple chakram is flashing out to smash roughly into his face -- a loud *CKRT!* heard as it snaps his head back.

At once, Talon Two is hurling Talon One up and off of him, the fellow assassin dismissed like so much dead weight; Talon One lands on his back, briefly stunned -- struggling to his feet -- as Two rises, claws at the ready.

Talon Three was not expecting... phasing. The goggles are, regrettably, attached to the hood -- which means they don't 'come off'. However, the whole hood does come off -- revealing... a dessicated, greyish-brown face -- resembling what you'd expect to see in a mummy's sarcophagus. Eyes that blaze with electricity shimmer; a toothless maw opens -- a low, soft hiss emerging as now-exposed Talon turns to face Rook, briefly stunned by its exposure to air. Well, apparently they're zombie owls.

"Very well." is all that Lady Shiva says as she reaches under her longcoat and draws forth a pair of Kerambit-stlye knives. With a flicker of motion, she spins the blades around her fingers as she quickly steps in to engage Talon Two. At first she uses a quick flick kick as a distraction before stepping to the side then lashing out towards Talon Two's neck. Her intent is plain. Cut off it's head and it usually stops fighting or at least targeting effectively.

"...Jesus fuck." Rook says after a stunned moment of silence upon seeing what lies beneath the owl's hood. She tucks the garment and the goggles into her belt-it could come in useful and it doesn't do to litter high tech on the streets. She looks past the undead assassin and then focuses on him. A plan forms, and without another word she executes three quick teleports. First, Rook teleports back to where the building partially collapsed earlier. She grabs onto a large piece of concrete and then teleports again. Spatial reasoning is Rook's strong suit, and she appears a few meters right above Talon Three's head, where she lets go of the concrete. The third teleport returns her to her starting position, all executed within a matter of seconds. Then, she waits for gravity to do the real work.

The dramatic unmasking isn't lost on Vorpal. They're not alive- not really. While Batman takes exception to killing, he doesn't mind a fair bit of zombie hunting. He advances, another chakram appearing in his free hand after the other one hits the mark and disappears.

"Alright, Zombie boy... let's dance." The Cheshire says with a large grin. He snaps his fingers and music begins to play out of nowhere*. Because it is appropriate.

He throws one of the chakram at the Dead Talon, knowing that it will be ducked now that his assailant is recovering. That's ok... he wants him to move.

~I call knives being thrown now. He hasn't tried that with you yet.~

~I hope he does.~

Talon Two is still dealing with the needle-sized darts in its eyes. It can see, but only in a limited fashion; its forward charge toward Lady Shiva is interrupted by that flick-kick -- causing it to hesitate in a manner that immediately prompts its destruction. The scissoring blade neatly beheads it; there is no blood, only the smell of dust -- followed by a faint sputter -- as the would-be assassin tumbles to the floor, unmoving. Minus one head.

Talon Three has just managed to adjust its gaze to the 'real world', minus its hood -- its eyes burning with lightning. Its mouth opens into a breathless hiss as Rook vanishes -- before reappearing a second later. Clawtips rush out to greet her -- right before -- *SKRNCHT!*. A large chunk of concrete drops atop of its exposed, unarmored head -- crushing it like dried out paper. The hands remain extended, toward Rook, for just a moment longer... before it kind of leans to the left, and... *WHUMP*.

The last remaining Talon -- Talon One -- ducks beneath the chakram, just as one would expect -- clawed hands sweeping out to hurl -- three knives toward Vorpal. Even as it charges toward him, its other hand extending those gleaming fingertips out for his throat...!

Lady Shiva seems unimpressed. She calmly turns away from the falling form of Talon Two even as she makes her blades vanish into the darkness within her coat. Catching sight of Talon Three's demise beneath the cement falling upon it's head, she merely tilts her head slightly to the left in curiosity. She reaches down and removes the hood and mask covering the severed head of Talon Two to see if it is the same.

Rook watches without obvious satisfaction as Talon Three is crushed before toppling to the ground. Not quite convinced, Rook gives the fallen assassin a wide berth while she strides towards the others. Even though the fight is still going on she doesn't move to interfere with Vorpal's battle, instead glancing at the woman fighter who has also managed to dispatch her zombie. Rook nods in recognition of another battle well fought.

Knives, called it! The knives strike him, drawing blood with a cry just as the talons reach for his throat--- and pass through!

Some would accuse Vorpal of lack of sportsmanship. It wasn't, strictly speaking, fighting fair but by now teleporting and leaving an illusory double behind is a move he's trademarked.

Well, in all honesty, it had been Booster who had suggested the move to him. But those were just details, really! The Cheshire appears behind the Talon as his illusory self gets the talons to the throat, and dismissing the Chakram, replaces it with a small glowing rope- he attempts to hook the Talon around the throat with his glowing garrote while at the same time pushing his foot at the small of his back, pushing away with all of his strength just as he pulls at the Talon's throat with both hands grasping onto the rope.

He could have gone the route of trying to snap his neck in the usual "I grab your head!" way, but it's easy to reach for someone right behind you with those claws. Reaching further back was trickier, and because of the way you had to reach, it wasn't nearly as effective.

Lady Shiva does, indeed, find much the same -- though the dessicated corpse under *her* hood looks a little less... dessicated. A little 'fresher', if you will.

Talon One has, for a moment, managed to seize Vorpal within its grasp -- only to discover, belatedly, that it is a Vorpal IMPOSTER. There's a moment of confusion -- right before that glowing lasso has swooped around its head, and -- *CRKT* -- its claws fling up to try and seize hold of the rope, but it's a moment too late. The pressure is violent enough to severe the spine -- and while the head still seems capable of sending messages to the body, those messages become deeply confused and sluggish, leading the Talon to twitch, spasm, and flail weakly, its head now crudely twisted back at an unnatural angle.

In the distance -- the far off distance -- police sirens have started up. Tonight, the city is on edge; this isn't the only act of violence occurring in Gotham. The police response will be sluggish, at best. But it is coming.

Taking note of the Talon's level of decomposition, Lady Shiva frowns slightly then turns to walk away. Again her hands are in her coat's pockets as she seemingly casually strolls off into the night. She has spoken four words in total and left a corpse in a fancy bit of armor behind. She doesn't even acknowledge the two 'heros' that showed up. She's quite sure that even all three Talons against her wouldn't have been much of a challenge. A pity. For a moment she was expecting so much more.

Rook keeps walking towards the others, though she doesn't call out to greet them. She does smirk behind her mask when Vorpal takes out the last remaining Talon, giving him a nod of recognition as he does so. Maybe this is why the heroes do it; Rook has to admit this kind of felt fun. Two things make her turn away: first, the sound of oncoming sirens. Her attention snaps in that direction and she stops, sliding her hands into her pockets. Second, the cold shoulder from Lady Shiva. "Just another stuck up hero." Rook mutters to herself. She brings two fingers to the brim of her hat and shoots a lackadaisacal salute to Vorpal before she teleports away to a nearby rooftop.

"I... er... " Vorpal frowns, with the awkwardl-twitching Talon on one end of a rope as the two other combatants leave the scene without really ... well. He has only been doing this close to a year, but there's -usually- some banter after something like this. He's left there feeling like a night full of flirtatious dancing at a nightclub leading to an offer for 'coffee' and then a slammed door on his face.

"... I'll just... talk to the police when they get here. 'cause I'm registered. And. Yeah." He says to the empty air in general. Some twitches from the Talon. "Oh, shut up." He mutters and summons one of his flamingo mallets to beat him over the head until he stops moving.

He will try to hide on of the bodies before the police get here. Something for Batman to look over once he got a hold of him to let him know.

How stereotypical, a cat dropping a dead body at someone else's feet.

"I knew I should have stayed in bed today."