| Two if by Sea | |||||
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| What: Jack and Angela have a discussion after a rescue | |||||
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Angela stands on the shore looking over at the Cape Carmine lighthouse. The story goes that a few years back a prisoner from the penitentiary escaped and did a few robberies before seemingly jumping off the roof of that lighthouse. He was known as the Firefly, and the story was he may have been working with the Creeper. It is hard to tell on the Creeper, would he work with anyone, might he have thrown the Firefly from the lighthouse. There is no statute of limitations on murder, but no one really investigated the crime since the victim was a criminal.
While Angela regards the lighthouse, she'll hear a SPLASH. Followed a moment later by a second SPLASH. Both splashes come from the vicinity of one of the yachts moored in the harbor - a big, expensive boat that currently has lights on in the cabin but none on the deck. The second splash was louder than the first...and the first sounded like somebody just entered the harbor, voluntarily or otherwise.
The splashes came from the far side of the boat, but she can now see a disturbance in the water towards its stern."
It looks like something may have been thrown from the boat, or someone. Angela spots a nearby motorboat with a man putting fishing tackle into it. She runs over and shows her badge, "Police, I need you to take me over near that yacht."
As she changes angle...yes, there are two people in the water by the yacht, neither of whom appears to be wearing a life jacket. One is supporting the other, treading water and starting to shift position to swim towards the docks. Angela directs the fisherman to take his boat close and extends the mooring rope,
"Here, grab this and pull yourself to the boat, I will help you in." The smaller of the two figures appears to be a teenage girl. The larger appears to be a Jack Hawksmoor. "Pull her in first. She ain't swimming too well." The girl looks pretty bruised and beaten up, too. Pair of shiners, etc. "Then call some uniforms 'cause I left some trash on that boat."
Angela wonders, as she pulls the girl aboard, how Jack got on the boat. His powers supposedly limit him to within the city mostly. It must be a long story. She is no expert, but she has some first aid training, all police are required to. She checks the girl for bleeding, breathing, and broken before helping Jack aboard.
Jack Hawksmoor doesn't need much help...but also weighs rather more than you might expect. "Was worried he was going to light out of the harbor with me still on board," the citywalker grumbles. Dripping on the fisherman's deck. His jacket is missing - still on the boat no doubt - his arms bare. And he's very wet indeed. Angela pulls a radio out of her purse and calls in, "Dispatch, I have an injured female, age approximately fifteen. We should be at pier 4 soon, please send a Black and White and an Ambulance." Dispatch calls a Roger.
Angela notes, "I assume you are not responsible for the girls condition?"
"No, the guy on the boat is. Lured her out there, then..." The girl's shivering a bit. "Kept her for like three days. He's trash, like I said." He moves to sit on the rail...unlike the girl, he's clearly unhurt. "He'll probably need a medic too, 'cause I had to hit him."
Angela frowns, trying to figure put Jurisdiction, and decided to let the officers in the squad figure it out.
The girl sobs. "He...he..." She curls up against the rail, and Jack turns back to her. "We'll get you to a hospital and we'll call your mother, okay?" He sounds a lot more gentle than usual.
Angela shows the girl her badge, "I am Detective del Toro, we will help you. I have an ambulance on the way to treat your injuries. If you can tell me your name and address, I can have someone call your parents." The girl nods slightly, then rattles off her name and address. She's about 14, maybe 15. Jack moves to the front of the boat, offering his help with mooring to the fisherman. Nope. Definitely no injuries on HIM. Angela says to the radio the name and address she is given and asks that the parents be notified, as well as the officer in charge of the case (assuming the kidnapping has been reported).
It was. Probably how Jack found out about it. It's not like he's above using police scanners and the like. He takes the painter and jumps lightly ashore with it.
Angela helps the girl ashore and informs the fisherman that he is entitled to be paid for the use of his boat, though he will have to fill in some forms at the station to be paid. Red tape can be annoying.
Jack Hawksmoor will then move to help the girl out of the boat, looking around for that ambulance. She's limping on top of everything else.
The sirens can be hears approaching, though whether the ambulance or the police will arrive first is the question. Angela goes to her car and pulls out a blanket for the girl, and another for Jack.
Jack Hawksmoor doesn't turn the blanket down. He doesn't seem to be cold, but it might help him dry off. "Also, if whoever goes onto the boat could retrieve my jacket, I'd appreciate it." He only has so many, after all.
"It will probably wind up being held as evidence until the trial, but we have a number f unclaimed things down at the station, we can probably replace it with something," Angela informs him.
"Speaking of the station, do you want to work on a report here, or wait until we get there," she inquires?
"Strikes me that the station's a good place to dry off...and eh, it's not that important. I can get more. If you have one I could borrow, though, I'd appreciate it." Especially if it's, you know, dry. Poor wet cityboy.
The police cruiser arrives, and Angela goes to speak with them. She points out the yacht and says she has reason to believe a crime was committed on board, and that some one on board is hurt. That gives them probable cause...
The Ambulance is not too far behind, and also the unmarked car holding the Detective in charge of the Kidnapping case.
When they go on the boat, they'll find a woozy "gentleman," term used very loosely, with bruising on his jaw, a mild concussion and an injured hand. Looks like he punched a wall. Probably a wall named "Jack Hawksmoor."
Jack Hawksmoor waits...drying off slowly...while Angela does her job. He still seems pretty relaxed, given the situation. Another car arrives as the paramedics are looking over the girl, it is her mother.
The Uniformed police go out to the boat, along with a paramedic, and bring the mobster ashore. Once things are under control here, Angela will offer Jack a ride to the station.
Jack Hawksmoor accepts the ride. Sure, he could get there on his own faster, but it would almost be rude to refuse. "So...why were you out here?" he asks once they're in the car.
Angela replies, "I was considering a cold case involving one of the resident Loonies. I was trying to figure out if it was worth investigation, especially considering who is involved."
"Gotham is not a sane city," Jack opines. Is he implying the city herself is a little bit nuts?
Angela notes, "Most big cities are crazy, Gotham and Bludhaven more than others." "Gotham is crazy. Bludhaven...makes me need a shower after dealing with her." Jack considers that. "Cities reflect the people, and they reflect how they're viewed."
Angela notes, "I read in school a theory called the 'rats in the cage syndrome', which implies that population density has much to do with it."
"It's not the only issue, though. Why is Bludhaven so much worse than any part of New York?" A pause. "They have *personalities*."
"So they say, but it is my job to try to keep things as sane as possible," Angela responds. Hers, and every other honest cop. Vigilantes are a bit harder to pin down, are they part of the cure, or a symptom of the problem?
"I'm glad you were there. It's always good to have good cops around." Jack shakes his head. "But yeah. Gotham...does she reflect the larger number of insane and weird people here, cause them, or both?"
"Probably both, it is synergy. One causes the other and reciprocates," Angela suggests.
"Either way, I try to do what I can. Bludhaven..." A pause. "I can't heal her because too many people there don't want the problems fixed."
Angela quotes, "First it has to want to change..." She adds, "We can only do so much, after that it is up to the people to change themselves."
"Exactly. But there are things I can do. Adjust the...energies, as it were." He glances across at her. Then, quietly, "You don't like using it, do you. Whatever it is, that gives you your powers."
"It is very much like a drug. Tempting, makes you feel great while you re on it, makes you want more...and lets you down HARD when you are not using," Angela explains softly. Jack Hawksmoor ahs. "Understandable." A pause then, thoughtfully, "None of us have the power without some kind of price attached to it." Now she's close to him, she might notice faded scars on his arms.
Angela considers, then warns Jack, "There is a LOT more to it than just that, the power, well it comes from some place really dangerous. If I ever go to deep, if it ever controls me, I will have a LOT of power, but the world we know might not survive."
"I sometimes worry about what might happen if I somehow lost control, but..." Hers is worse. Serious eyes turn towards her.
"I ran into Loki a while back, he told me if I simply used my power I could easily stop the Juggernaut. That is frightening really..." She adds
"Loki is a trickster. How do you know he wasn't lying to intimidate you?" Jack points out, settling back into the seat.
"Oh, he arranged for me to fight the Juggernaut, and was thoroughly disgusted when I refused to draw deeper on my powers," Angela remembers.
Jack Hawksmoor ahs. "Well, then, he probably just thought it was funny or something. I only know him by rep anyway." "Some day, I need to see if I can find more clues yo that murder investigation we met on. The killer apparently calls himself Ragnarok, not a good sign even in Gotham," Angela states.
"Maybe somebody should ask Thor or Sif about that. I met them once." He lifts his shoulders. "Could be somebody just using the name, could be a connection."
"It scarcely matter whether he was the real Loki or not," notes Angela. "He made me realize, even more than before, how dangerous my powers can be."
Jack Hawksmoor shrugs. "We're all dangerous. Some of the stuff I can do if I have to. The trick is to only do it when you have to." "Exactly, and most of the time, I can handle things on my own.
Jack Hawksmoor nods. "Just as most of the time I can handle things without dropping buildings on people." Wait, he can do that?
Well, he probably can do that. Why, even the White Tiger can do that, bu damaging the central support of the building. She states, "Angela is who I am, and she is good enough for most things."
"No separating the two, for me. Sometimes, it's even hard to separate myself from the city." A pause. "So, if I sometimes seem a little...different depending on where I am, nudge me. Means I'm listening rather than thinking."
Angela admits, "The good thing about knowing other supers, there is someone you can hope will handle you if you get out of control."
Jack Hawksmoor nods. "Definitely. I mean, if I have problems, there's a few people around who can sit on me if needed." He quirks a grin. "MY problem is finding people who can repair me if I'm damaged."
Angela admits, "At least in theory, I heal. I have not really tested that, but the previous White Tiger could."
"I have pretty good self-repair...better than a regular human, but nothing like some of those crazy mutants who just keep coming. But..." He shrugs a bit. "I just try not to get that badly damaged and I'm hoping Hank understands enough of what makes me tick to at least know what things are *supposed* to look like." Angela starts to pull into the station, "Now, forget I am anything other than Detective del Toro. That is who I am, Jack."
"Right. Don't worry. Just because I don't bother with a secret ID myself doesn't mean I go around blowing other people's."