2013.12.29 - What the Oracle Meant By That Was...

Sometimes, Alison Blaire actually remembers to *CHECK* her email - most of the time she doesn't bother. But the other day there was ACTUALLY something from Oracle. Who almost *never* gets in touch with her to do ANYTHING and when she does it tends to be by the communicator thingy she was given when she joined up.

But this email is about Domino. And Ali did not particularly like what she read. She was all set to ignore it, as she does most things, but then came the line: 'Be aware, she is also a mutant and prepare accordingly.'

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Ali yelled out loud at her email like it would answer her. Then it was a short call to Pete to get Domino's number - he didn't even blink. Then she called Domino - she LIKES Domino, Domino got gloriously drunk when she thought Ali was dead in Latveria! - and arranged to meet at Harry's. Like you do when you're even tangentially X-involved and have no desire to have it turn into a whole thing.

And so now, at the appointed time, Ali has been at the bar for a while. Staked out a booth, there's a half-full pitcher of decent beer, and there's a giant pile of greasy bar food.

A social meeting? At a bar? Aw, heck. Domino's not the most social of creatures, but it's Alison. And drinks. Drinks and Alison. It's also outside of Gotham, which is probably for the best.

She could have spent time patrolling the perimeter, making sure that this isn't some elaborate trap or something, but..meh! If it comes down to that, who's holding all of the wildcards?

Instead she's merely fashionably late. While forgetting the 'fashionable.' At least for anything outside of underground rave parties at two in the morning. Spotting Alison isn't difficult, not only does she know who to look for but with a name like Dazzler she's not expecting a lot of subtlety to be involved there.

And so, there's a monochromatic mercenary now sitting across the table from the other mutant. Drink prepped and ready. And already partly empty.

"You called. I'm here. I ..have absolutely no idea why you're wanting my company?"

"I got an email that I was going to ignore from someone who used to be able to be called a mutual friend," Ali says by way of 'Hello!' "I WAS going to ignore it, because you and me have history." She's not particularly pop-starred up today, plain clothes - popular enough to be within fashion guidelines but nothing so cutting edge she'd draw attention just for the wearing of them.

Leaning back a little, cheese-and-gravy-soaked fries on a fork, Ali notes, "I didn't print out this email, but it came with a *file* attached with your real name in the filename - which I didn't open because I'm *sure* Oracle would know I'd opened it."

Alison stops there for now, to both give Domino a chance to get some words in and also for herself to get some beer and fries down.

-Oracle?- Well, then. "Guess I can stop calling her Shodan," Dom mutters more for her own benefit than for the other woman. Because really, who else would it have been? Not to mention--

"She got my real name, huh?" The only way to ask something like this with any sense of grace is to have a disinterested smirk in place for the duration of the inquiry, followed up with some nonchalance thanks to the beer occupying her one hand. "Was wondering how long I could hold that secret. Well, now you know. Not sure how it is you managed to get absorbed into the whole 'Birds' thing, but that's kinda beside the point."

Lightly pushing the bottle aside, the albino leans forward with her arms lightly folding together across the table. She's looking fairly amused, all things considered. "So what's it gonna be, kiddo? Trying to figure out where everyone's heads are at or have you already made up your mind?"

"Oh, my mind's made up. I called you because I wanted to *warn* you. We're supposed to 'report sightings of you to Oracle immediately.'" Ali says with a derisive snort. She gives a little bit of a shrug, "To be completely honest, I was just going to ignore it and stay totally the hell out of it; Gotham's not my problem and you don't need *me* to help you keep yourself out of any trouble you've managed to attract. But one of the things in the email..."

Downing the rest of the beer in her glass, Ali sets the empty down at looks right at Domino, "It said 'She is also a mutant so prepare accordingly.' I don't like it, and if that's how things are going to be, you're not the only one who's going to have a disagreement with Oracle."

Alright, Dom didn't count on this approach. (What are those odds, again..?) She knew there was a reason why Alison was a good person to know, case in point. "Now every kid with a cowl and emotional distress is going to be keeping an eye out for me. Good times. Felt like things were getting a bit too slow back there, anyway."

The next bit of news is even more thought-provoking. The whole matter about her being a mutant had been mentally glazed over the first time around. She's used to it! Some things never change. But, when Alison puts it into proper perspective...

Crazy, crazy odds at play, right here.

"I'm flattered," she says in a flat tone devoid of any obvious emotion. "Though as awesome as it would be to get another underground war over that whole X-Gene started, I'd really prefer to not be the spark that ignited the whole thing. They tend to get a little messy."

Here she looks across the table, that pale stare leveled squarely upon the other mutant while she lets her thoughts settle into place.

"If it comes down to it you're free to figure out where you stand in the mess." And she's not about to apologize if all of this somehow happens to make Ali's life in Gotham any more difficult. "The intel's always appreciated, though. In the meantime, you need to remember that we're all dealing with a central intelligence hub for all of Gotham and surrounding territory. If Oracle figures out that you're dancing with people on both sides then your life is going to get a few extra twists in short order."

"I seem to spend half my life in an alternate dimension on the best of days, If this is just some poorly chosen words on Oracle's part I expect to give a lesson in sensitivity and leave it at that." Ali smirks just a bit, "But if not? I'm flexible enough to handle a few extra twists."

Sighing a little, Ali rubs the bridge of her nose for a bit and then shakes it off. "I can't say I approve of the mercenary life, but I'm not gonna throw shade on someone who handles street crime differently than I do. Strokes, folks, etcetera - I'm not gunning for you. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have to rely strictly on luck not to have a batarang thrown at you every third step in Gotham City."

This time Domino leans back (way back) in her seat, after grabbing a handful of greasy fried bar food. Once more she looks amused, though this time it's a genuine emotional response rather than something staged. "Good deal. I get tired of trying to explain my lifestyle."

For that matter she's now debating slipping some cash across the table for this information. Old habits, and all.

"While we're on the topic, what's it gonna cost me to read the message with my own eyes?"

She'd just -love- to know what all Oracle happens to have on her, partly because a lot of the details about her are only available from one location on the planet. It's like playing connect the dots on a global scale, except that the picture is often confusing and more likely to frustrate the person with the pencil.

"You can be there when I let Pete read it," Ali offers. "I didn't even tell him *why* I wanted your number -- so unless you don't want him to know, there's that. I'll show it to you at my place without him. If you're really hot to pay for it, you can settle up the bill from our 'meeting' here and we'll call it square, otherwise - no charge."

A lone black eyebrow hooks upward slightly. The one not currently wrapped up in a large black tattoo. Easier to see that way. It holds for a moment before Domino chuckles, grinning enough to show some teeth.

"You've done this before. Fair enough. By all means, get Pete involved. I need to smack him for passing my number around without just cause."

Probably not too roughly, though. She's amused, not upset.

Next she glances at the watch pinned to the underside of her wrist. "Oh good, there's time. If I'm covering the bill then I'm not leaving the joint until I'm at least eighty-five percent sloshed, give or take. Stick around if you want, gonna be here a while. Either way, now that you've got my number go ahead and ping me when you've rounded up Wisdom. We'll have some words."

"BARKEEP!" is Alison's answer to the open question; it'll be MUCH more fun to drunk-dial Oracle and harass the disembodied-voiced-computer thingimaperson while slurring. Ali bangs the empty pitcher on the table, "Two more of these! Full up!"

The rest of it can be dealt with later

--  STAR-WIPE TO 'LATER!'  --

An hour! An entire hour has passed since Dazzler and Domino -- the scariest team-up since... since something funnily scary... -- anyway, since they rang up Pete and told him to get his ass to Harry's.

He was in the middle of stuff. He usually is, even if stuff is 'getting blasted'. This time it totally wasn't 'getting blasted' he was in the middle of, it was a frankly absurd amount of paperwork that's eventually going to have to be redacted for cussing. So in a way, he was happy to pick up and go.

On the other hand, picking up and going meant, for him, hitching a ride in any number of thoroughly undignified ways. We won't describe which way he eventually settled on, save to say that when he comes into Harry's, straightening out his suit jacket, he looks like he just stepped out of a wind tunnel. He's also smoking, which is illegal in bars in New York, but he's also not being given shit for it, which could mean any number of things. "What."

Ask (and wait) and a Pete shall arrive. Domino was about ready to give up on watching the door when he finally does show up, which gets him flagged over by a pasty merc that's already got a healthy collection of emptied glasses and food baskets spread out around her. And Alison. They did some damage while they waited.

"You're looking well," she offers in greeting. The last time she saw Pete he was kinda missing an eye. That was somewhat awkward.

"Pull up a seat, we've got some things to talk about. Now that Alison here has direct access to my phone. Thanks to a mutual acquaintance. But I know he'd never pass that info around without a real..good..cause to," she says in a slow and deliberate (and fairly chilly) tone.

All eyes on you, Pete.

"Some people in Gotham I know are cranky with Domino because she killed people there," Ali explains - VISIBLY drunk but not sloppy or anything yet; but there are at least 3 empty pitchers and two of them are next to her. Take it for what you will.

"Tell the nice lady you only gave me her number because I don't ask you for things like that for no reason, and she *probably* won't beat you," Ali states, with one finger raised. Suddenly, she's very thoughtful about that. "Probably. Unless she thinks it might be fun." Baaaah. "But you *know* that already!"

Still unfazed, still irritable -- he obviously came by air, and obviously without a pressurized cabin -- Wisdom lifts his eyebrows incredulously, first at Domino, and then at Alison. "That's what you got me to come out here for? For fuck's sake." He hasn't even taken a seat yet. Instead, he plants his hands on the tabletop and leans in a little, voice lowered. "Don't tell me what to tell her, Blaire," he says sharply, then focuses on Domino. "If she needed your number, it was for a good reason. Let me repeat that for clarity's sake. If Alison Blaire needed Domino's phone number, it was for a good reason."

He straightens and drops his cigarette in the dregs of an empty glass, then takes out another, lighting it with a disposable lighter; it underlights his face and looks almost offensively noir. Goes well with the suit. "And I was right, wasn't I."

It can't be helped. The reactions, both of them, leave Dom's head pitched forward with laughter. Pete's one of those few individuals that she has history with, not all of it even -bad- as far as working history goes. His opinion is about as close to being trusted as she's going to get with someone.

This is why she holds a hand up away from the tabletop in silent protest. "It's cool, Wisdom. You know I have to give you flak. Now c'mon, quit bein' an ass and park it. Alison here's got some intel regarding the 'Gotham Situation' and she's not willing to share unless you're here. And I," she says while picking up a yet full shot of amber fluid between her fingers, "am not leaving without it."

Down goes the shot, then the glass.

"Just so everyone knows, knowing people who knows people who can magic things to you so you don't have to make use of an overpriced Stark Enterprises PA to run out and get your stuff when you're drunk is *awesome*," Ali announces - seriously, about 20 minutes ago someone magicked her laptop to her so she didn't have to go get it. Or leave. OR stop drinking. Win!

"So, just so we're all aware, I did *not* open the attachment because as soon as I do I'm *sure* Oracle's gonna know. I'm only doing this once in case we get a Mission Impossible thing going on here;" Luckily, Dazzler can type while she talks. Password, click click click, password, click; and then she turns her computer so Pete and Domino can see the email from Oracle for themselves.

-=--=-

ORACLE-NET Alert: Rogue operative Fri Dec 27    Oracle

-=--=-

ORACLE NET UPDATE

Be advised:

Domino is no longer a sanctioned member of the Birds of Prey. On the night of Thursday, December 26, 2013, she murdered at least 15 people in cold blood as part of a mercenary contract she accepted within the confines of Gotham City. This comes on the heels of a similar incident on Friday, December 20, 2013, wherein she was observed in the company of Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, and the mutant vigilante Cable, that resulted in the deaths of approximately a dozen other Gotham citizens. (Possibly more.)

Admittedly, in both cases, the deceased were part of the Gotham City criminal underworld and in the process of perpetrating crimes, however, Domino's actions as a paid hit-woman, particularly in the latter case, have put her in breach of the agreement she made when she became part of the Birds of Prey network -- not to mention denied the deceased of their right to due process under the law.

Domino is wanted in several jurisdictions throughout the US and internationally for her mercenary activity. She should be considered armed and dangerous. Be aware, she is also a mutant and prepare accordingly.

Attached is the currently available information on Domino's activities past and present. Any sightings should be reported to ORACLE immediately.

[ATTACHMENT: ORACLE-NET file on Neena Thurman, a.k.a. Domino.]

-=--=-

As soon as Domino starts laughing, Pete's scowl goes darker still, but it's obviously less actually annoyed; he drops into the closest chair and slouches there after dragging his makeshift ashtray over. He has the courtesy to ash into it instead of on the floor, at least. "You're a couple of right arseholes, both of you. I've been putting together a bullshit report for Fury all day on zombies, for the love of god. Give me some of that."

Sitting up again: it was a rhetorical order, since he's just nicking one of the other empty glasses to pour horrible watered-down American beer into. "You know, you can just shut off your internet switch if you don't want it broadcasting you're opening it," he tells Alison, in that way of someone who heard something he understands less well than magic and is doing his best to repeat it.

This is also rhetorical, since as he takes a swig of his beer, he feels along the side of the laptop and flips every switch he can find by groping. This means Ali's internet gets shut off, sure, but it also means that her volume is now all the way up. Pete squints at the screen, leaning forward, also sure that he isn't blocking Domino's view.

There's a long silence on his part. He ashes into the glass.

Eventually he says, contemplatively, "'Assassin' is less unwieldy a term than 'hit-woman'."

"Zombies? Some people get all the damned fun."

Magic, man... -Creepy!- Though now that they're getting to the guts of the message from Oracle, Domino's right there leaning closer to the screen. After Pete's done messing with Ali's laptop. "Gees man, why don't ya ping the flight stewardess while you're at it?"

"'At least' fifteen. Didn't feel like that many."

Yep. Castle's name comes up, which is not that surprising. Cable's, too. Which..also..is not that surprising. But, it is worth noting that he's been tagged by the system, as it were. She'll have to get in touch with the guy about it later.

"Definitely more," she says to no one in particular with a slight nod.

"Oh hey, she left out the part about being a wanted terrorist," she starts in before looking through the attached documents that follow the general message. "..Oh. Nevermind." Blink. Squint. "How the -hell- did she get hold of this?" Pause. "I don't even remember this operation." Another pause. Smirk. "Oh yeah. Heh, that was awesome. Oracle's thorough, I'll give 'em that."

Leaning back and lifting a glass into the air slightly, she says "Here's to an informative evening. Nothing like a data dump while getting trashed."

Assassin? "You say the sweetest things, Wisdom."

"Ok, now that the thing's been opened and whoever-it-is probably KNOWS that I've opened the damned thing..." Ali starts to say, then after a second thinking about it she grabs a napkin, folds it in half, then drapes it over the webcam spot on her laptop. YOU NEVER KNOW!

Clearing her throat, Ali pulls up her comm-device and plays with switches and things on it until it's the channel she's pretty sure is the one Oracle gets to her on; "Hey... Hey, Oracle. You there?"

"Zombies are not fun," Wisdom says, finally, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. "Three things. One, this file's a lot more in-depth and thorough than SHIELD's. Two, what's the Birds of Prey? Aside from Klingon battlecruisers. Three, don't take contracts in Gotham, they're fucking weird there. No, four things. Four, what the fuck does this fuck mean by 'prepare accordingly'? Are they handing out inhibitor guns? And if they are, I think there a lot of people should know about that."

Then Ali starts talking, and Pete eyes her, then reaches across the table to drape another napkin over Alison's comm device. You Never Know. Otherwise, he keeps himself shut up, and starts one-handed smoking and one-handed patting himself down for a notepad and pen.

[X-Men Comms] Warren Worthington says, "Sweetie, nobody here by that name. Everything all right?"

While she waits for a response.... there's a distinctly UNdistorted man's voice over the signal; which makes Ali sputter a bit. "I... what? WARREN! Nevermind." The napkin gets draped over her comm while it's in her hand, and she *eyes* Pete and flings the napkin back at him saying quickly, "Oh knock that off don't be ridiculous!" (Pot, Kettle! They've met!)

"Just never mind!" Ali shouts back into her comm, and there are some other voices but Domino chimes in and OH GOD embarassing. Ali turns her comm *off*, then goes fishing in her pockets for the right one, "I gotta get some way to combine all these damned things into one thing and label the damned buttons." Grumble grumble grumble.

[X-Men Comms] Warren Worthington says, "You sure?"

[X-Men Comms] Shift says, "I don't recognize 'Orahcle' as any of de encoded messages. Dazz, something wrong? What's your status?"

The proper device found, Alison clears her throat and tries again. "Hey, Dazzler to Oracle. You there?"

There Dom sits, watching Alison as she fiddles with her com, and--

She's hearing the question twice. Oh, no. Oh, no no no.

"She's sure, nothing to see here. Go back to being festive, kids," she promptly says into her own com while a pale white hand -darts- across the table to try and take the com away from the other woman. "Really, Daz? -Really?-"

[X-Men Comms] Rachel Summers says, faintly, in the background, "Shift? Is something up or are you just trying to bail on a pool game you're losing?"

[X-Men Comms] Shift says very quickly afterward, "Copy dat, Shift out."

Finally back to Pete, Domino says "Zombies by their nature are fun! C'mon, where's your apocalyptic spirit?" As for the questions... "Duly noted. I'm not at liberty to say. They can pay damned well. I have no bloody idea. I think that's the part that we're all the most concerned about, here."

When Alison goes for the -other- com Domino keeps quiet, just in case. She did have a communicator for -that- channel but it's no longer working. It's also been thrown into the bay, just in case Oracle was tracking Dom through it.

You never know.

There is no damned way Pete is speaking while any of those comm channels is open, and, in fact, when Alison throws the napkin back at him he turns around in his seat, scowling.

And then he's glancing aside toward Domino -- face still not visible to Ali's position -- because /what/? And all of a sudden he's reaching back behind him to drop his cigarette in the glass and covering his face with his other hand. And trying very, very hard not to laugh.

[BOP Comms] Oracle says, "Dazzler?"

When Domino grabs her X-comm, Ali *scowls* at her but isn't quick enough to keep her from taking it. But then Oracle's distorted voice can barely be heard, and it sounds.. confused? "YES, Dazzler!" Ali shouts. "I don't remember how this whole setup with me doing things for you now and then works either at the moment, it's not important!" Taking a moment, Ali holds the communicator away from her mouth and takes a deep breath. Whew.

"I just read your email." The retort is quick and questioning, and Ali explains further; "What did you mean by 'She is also a mutant so prepare accordingly'?" She may be mildly drunk, but she is SO SERIOUS right now.

It's kinda difficult to keep from snickering, isn't it? Domino settles back just slightly into her seat with the goofiest grin cast within ebony-stained lips. And Alison's X-Com. Alison is a bit tipsy looking, alright. This -could- become a problem for the albino, but so long as it isn't it's just damned hilarious.

She's drunk-comming Oracle. This may well end in tears.

[BOP Comms] Oracle says, "Just what I said. *a beat* Wait. This is not an anti-mutant thing, Dazzler. If she were Kryptonian, I'd have issued a similar warning. Her combat training is exemplary, but no more so than the combat training any of our people can boast. However, Domino's mutant abilities add a unique dimension to any pursuit or combat scenario -- as do yours. It was a warning to be prepared, not some sort of anti-mutant propaganda."

When the question is responded to Domino makes a show of polishing her blacked out nails with the 'exemplary' bit Oracle makes note of. Oracle's response is difficult to make out but not impossible. Just enough here and there to get the general idea of what's being said. 'Kryptonian,' 'combat training,' 'unique dimension,' 'not anti-mutant propaganda.'

If she could add her own thoughts she would actually be speaking out in Oracle's defense. But, first Alison needs to put the com away, and both Dom and Pete need to be assured that it is, indeed, -turned off.-

In the meantime she flicks a cold fry at Wisdom.

A cold fry. Thing #875437589 hotknives are useful for: Pete catches the cold fry and eats a hot one. At Domino. And then he wipes his hand off on his trouser leg and scribbles, with the pad and pen he's procured. What is he scribbling? He shows it to Dom: 'Want to play Battleship while she sinks?'

Dazzler wrinkles her nose a bit at Oracle's response - she's mollified-ISH, but the drunkenness... well, 'Here's my High Horse let me show you it!' "You've got to be more careful with your word choice when you're issuing a general alert then, Oracle; you can't just blanket 'It's a mutant, get the Kryptonite' - it doesn't *work* that way with us. I mean come on, Kryptonians have a pretty specific list of things people have to worry about."

Spearing some more of her own cold fries with her fork - hers are covered with cheese and gravy - Ali gesticulates a bit, "'It's a mutant! Prepare!' Prepare for what, Mutant Cooties? Come on, you're a 'pull the strings behind the scenes' type you should know better than to send something like that to a whole list of people that include mutants!"

Here Dom silently golf-claps when Pete brings his powers out for small amounts of immediate personal gain. Wasting the hours away at a bar is so much more interesting when your pals all have their own fun little powers. Then with the written question she just grins further before reaching for her phone, rapping on the screen a few times.

Seconds later Pete's phone would receive an incoming text. 'Modern living, it's a thing.'

'It's a mutant, get the Kryptonite.' Dom nearly falls out of her chair while trying to stifle her laughter! -Mutant Cooties?!-

[BOP] Dancin' the night away, Barbara Gordon says, "Did you read the file, Dazzler? It is very specific about her."

After the first bit, yeaaah... Ali pauses to listen to what was a fairly pointed statement, "I'm reading it right now, actually, but this general warning about mutants stuck in my craw! Be more sensitive to these things, we're supposed to be doing good work right?" Yeah, Ali's red and it's not just the elevated blood alcohol level. "...I'm a little drunk. Specific directions instead of blanket statements. I'm gonna sign off now." She leaves the comm-line open for a moment longer before turning it off... and quietly putting it awaaaaay. Uhm.

When the message is finished with Ali admitting to being drunk...

The instant she's certain that the com is disengaged Dom slaps her palm onto the table, buries her head within her arms, and -laughs.- "Oh my god this is such a trainwreck!"

There's a moment where Pete struggles with expressing himself over the touchscreen keyboard of his phone, and by the time he's figured it out all over again, Alison's making bat-politics and he gives up.

Phone, pad, pen, all back in pocket. Pete's forehead, against the back of his chair. He may actually rupture something with keeping the laughter in.

Wisdom basically guffaws in nigh-unison with Domino. It's a long moment before he can gasp out, "Alcohol is a solution!"

Dom needs to wipe the tears out of her eyes when she lifts her head away from the table, still more than a little breathless from cackling. "You guys are too damned fun, I swear..."

And all of this because a warning was put out about her being rogue and dangerous. How cool is that?

"Okay, seriously now... We've got our intel and we haven't made any catastrophic blunders yet. I'm gonna get the tab before you guys drink me into debt then I think we need to split for a couple of days."

It's followed with her lightly tossing the X-com back to Alison. She's -still- grinning.

"Thanks, kids. It's been worth it."

END!