Young Justice Plus

DeAnno · Apr 13, 2015

So, for what it's worth I don't think this is Catwoman (I have no inside intel or anything one way or another.) Running to daddy and asking for help with her problems is much NOT the sort of thing Catwoman would do. Also, she tends to be pretty personal, and using minispeakers instead of her acrobatic expertise dodging around seems wrong too. So the possibilities that seem likely are:

1) This isn't Catwoman, which means whoever it is is already lying, so telling the League on us is probably a meaningless bluff too. this would be weird, since it is OOC for Catwoman to tell the League on us so impersonating her to bluff about telling the League makes no sense.

2) This isn't Catwoman, but telling the League is no bluff. This would be weird, as why lie about being Catwoman if the whole purpose of the exercise is to use the League to blackmail us?

3) This is Catwoman, and she is bluffing about telling the League. This is weird, as Catwoman would know we probably will call such a bluff from her based on her reputation. Possibly this is the reaction she is fishing for. It's also weird that she's using such indirect means, so it could maybe be Catwoman pretending not to be Catwoman in a very reverse psychology manner.

4) This is Catwoman and she really will contact the League. This seems very OOC on the surface, and combined with additional OOC behavior in the fight the possibility seems sort of remote.

Continuing Speculation:

Whoever this is, I can see three things that seem like their possible motives:

1) They want Ivo's tech, and think Tess is an easier target. The clear response in this case should be murder since if other villains think you're weak you never get anywhere.

2) They don't care about Ivo's tech, and want to distract Tess from Ethan's job. The clear response in this case is run away, and try to ignore or minimize the distraction in favor of the auction. Leaving the Belt will do no good, as if their motive is to distract us giving them the Belt won't change that motive.

3) They don't care about either, and want to evaluate Tess' reaction. Unsure what to do in this case, but probably don't give them the Belt.

So my conclusion is we should run away if we think this is a distraction, or seek out our blackmailer and kill if we think this is a stab at our weakness. In no event should we give up the Belt, as that won't accomplish anything at all.

Delcer · Apr 13, 2015

Did we get hit by fear gas?

[X] You turn your superhearing back on and try to find Catwoman. You have to stop her before she ruins everything.

Nai · Apr 13, 2015

[X] You turn your superhearing back on and try to find Catwoman. You have to stop her before she ruins everything.

DeAnno · Apr 13, 2015

[X] You run for it. Maybe she's telling the truth, maybe she's not. Either way your best shot is to run into Gotham.

The more I think about it, attacking this person seems to be exactly what they want us to do. Therefore, we probably shouldn't do it. Ethan's spell component is the important thing here, we need to get away from this distraction and focus on that.

Even worse, our enemy has clearly prepared the battlefield, and done it for us specifically. We on the other hand, have no allies and no trump cards here.

mc2rpg · Apr 13, 2015

[X] You run for it. Maybe she's telling the truth, maybe she's not. Either way your best shot is to run into gotham

We have an amazing power set for running, and at least this might force her into the open.

Delcer · Apr 13, 2015

I think we got fear gassed. Catwoman nabbed the gas from that mook she took out, sprayed us with it and that's why we're so terrified. I see your points to run and I agree with the reasoning, I'm actually just voting to fight because I'm annoyed she pulled this on us and I don't want her to get away unscathed. Bonus points for looking good to Professor Ivo if we manage to deal with her.

Karnven · Apr 13, 2015

[X] You turn your superhearing back on and try to find Catwoman. You have to stop her before she ruins everything.

WyldCard4 · Apr 14, 2015

Voting closed.

WyldCard4 · Apr 15, 2015

Gotham City, New Jersey- July 25, 08: 39 EDT

You hear a shuffling and move forward, and come face to face with a frantic cat instead of a human. A beautiful color between black and gray, the cat hisses and jumps past you, running away.

That was weird. You keep looking.

"Time is running out dear girl. The Justice League is only a phone call away, and your dreams will die with a speed dial." Catwoman's voice is melancholy. "Imagine all you are working for evaporating in the blink of an eye." You find another microphone and focus your hearing further. The cat rushes past you again and in the direction of the rustling. Following the cat's streak you see a crouching figure who leaps away from the beast and into view. You see a long, grotesque smile fixed on the face of Catwoman as she swings by her whip from a broken street lamp and rolls underneath a car quick as lightning.

You advance slowly, cautiously, keeping your illusion in place as you answer Catwoman. "You have more to lose. The League will arrest me, but I will kill you and wash your body down into the sewers." You let your superhearing drop out in order to prepare an attack.

"Will you now? I-" You fire furiously at her shoulders, struggling to maintain your illusion as it happens to give her absolutely no warning. Catwoman rolls out from under the car at an incredible pace, leaving a long trail of hot blood as it streams from her shoulder. You see a huge, maniac grin fixed on her face, which does not strike you as a good sign.

"Dear Figment, you do break your toys don't you?" The thief's voice is subdued, and she leaps forward with her bullwhip swinging from her good arm. The whip dissolves before it strikes you and then you shudder with the realization you messed up as you see her fingers bleeding freely along the undissolved handle.

"You're not a toy," You answer.

"You must be mad to go against the Justice League. But then again, I'm not all there myself." Catwoman hits the ground in a crouch, her dissolved fingertips pointing at you while more blood drips from her failing arm. After a moment's thought you burn her hip, which causes her to fall, but she hurls something at you which you fail to catch which hits you in the face. Coughing, you feel the panic rise in your veins. She probably dosed you with fear toxin earlier, somehow. Breaking into a run you see her on the ground, hopping forward in a disturbing gate using all fours, balanced between her less injured arm and less injured leg.

"Mind warped," You realize out loud. You should have seen it earlier. She's ignoring the pain because she can't not ignore it. You turn the ground around her into one of your quicksand pits and think desperately about what to try next. Your heart is pounding, your ears rushing. The cat is circling around the pit, mewling frantically and pawing at the edge.

Then you feel a heavy blow across your back. Distracted with your powers and fear you didn't even notice Bugbear sneaking up behind you with a heavy board. You bleed from a nail embedded in the board. Flexing back you see the vacant look in his eyes and a card perched against his ear. When you dissolve the card he slumps, muttering vaguely.

"Ms. Cat says. Ms..." You ignore him and turn around. Catwoman is pulling herself out of the solidified ground. If the control is anything like Bugbear's it should be a device somewhere around the head, so you dissolve the top of the costume.

The thief screams a long and blood curdling sound. The cat leaps at her and presses its head against her own. "Isis!" The first coherent word from her doesn't make any sense, but it's a better sign.

"Do you remember anything?" You ask her.

She looks up, her face a mess of pain and costume goo. "Walrus. Big walrus." She shakes her head. "What's happening?"

"You were mind controlled into attacking me. Is the Justice League really in Gotham?" You try to control the chemically induced panic in your voice.

"Zatara, Martian Manhunter, I think they were coming tomorrow. Wolfram and Hart leaked it to the papers. Hired..." She shakes her head again, the pain getting to her. You cast a tactile illusion and her body relaxes as the pain vanishes. "You're better than heroin. Jesus, been a while since I felt something like that."

"Figment, illusionist. You pull her out of the ground and the cat leaps protectively on her belly.

"Catwoman, thief. Do you want to call them? Please, this is bad enough as it is."

You shake your head. "You, mind controlled you, was talking about it. I'm afraid whoever was doing that will make the call."

The injured woman flinches, but gains control back at once. "Get me out of here and I will pay you." You look back at Bugbear. He is an ally.

"Do you have a phone on you?" You ask her.

"There's no one I could call. Do you have anyone?" Scarecrow, maybe, but he could take far too long. Every shadow looks like a Green Manhunter and you can't stop shaking just because someone threw a poison at you.

"No one good," You answer honestly. "Even if it's not the League, he could have other people on this, if he has mind control tech." He'd used it on Bugbear so he probably has a lot. You hear sirens off in the distance, but it is Gotham, so it could be for anything.

"We need to move. If anyone saw a fight like this they'd call, even here. Maybe not the police, but the rackets they'd call know what to tell cops if they want a problem to go away. Help me." Catwoman hisses, her eyes darting around. You wonder if she got hit with fear toxin as well.

[X] "Sorry." You get up and run. You have your belt, you're not injured, and you aren't recognizable. You don't need to deal with this.

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

[X] "I need to make a call." You pull out a phone and speed dial Ethan. Your judgment is compromised, and you are an apprentice. This is the time to act like one.

Xicree · Apr 15, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.
-[X] Talk to her a bit.

Delcer · Apr 15, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

Nai · Apr 15, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

DeAnno · Apr 15, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

Karnven · Apr 15, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

mc2rpg · Apr 16, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

StackedDeck · Apr 16, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.
-[X] Talk to her a bit

WyldCard4 · Apr 17, 2015

[X] "I have an idea." You use your powers and begin to make something to haul her. She is going to pay you, after all.

Gotham City, New Jersey- July 25, 09: 22 EDT

You sit cautiously in the alley that looks exactly like every other alley you have seen in Gotham except for Catwoman telling you to go into this one, sitting next to the Catwoman and Bugbear.

"You said you would pay me." You bring this up after a long gap of silence and breathing. Catwoman's wounds are closed, thanks to you, but she will obviously need to see a doctor. Her injuries are too severe for her not to need a lot of medical treatment.

"I did," She agrees. "You must be low on the totem pole to want that. I'm surprised you didn't ask for a favor."

You shrug. "I don't have any interest in Gotham. I want something I can carry. It's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Besides, what could you do for me? There's nothing in particular I want stolen, and I don't need any information about the city. If my employer wanted your services he would have contacted you."

"You're a loyal minion. It's hard to buy that kind of loyalty. What is in this whole thing for you?" The thief sounds thoughtful.

"What are you willing to give to find out?" You are rather curious what she will answer.

"That's a good question. How about this? I tell you something useful and you tell me what I want to know." Without feeling the pain she looks in much better shape than she is, but no need for her to be in pain when she decides to pay you.

You chew this over. No need to insult her. "I will hear it, and if I agree it's important I will tell you."

She smiles. "They aren't hear for some mob lawyer. The Justice League. Psychic interrogation is barely working in the best of cases, and these lawyers don't play nice with it." She kicks back a bit and pets Isis.

"Then why are they here?" You ask.

"They're not," Her answer is matter of fact. "That is the piece of the puzzle I figured out. They have people who look like them, can talk the talk, but probably not walk the walk. The Justice League wants an alibi for those two right now." Isis purrs happily near Selina's face.

"How do you know this?" You ask. This is useful.

"I'm not sure, but it's not just a guess. The Batman on the street is rarely Batman. Maybe only a third of the time. The rumors are true, I know him. At first it was always him, but then it changed. And I know Wolfram and Hart like the back of her paw, they wouldn't let a psychic touch a client with anything useful, and the League knows that. The Justice League is up to something today."

"That is worthwhile information. Thank you, Catwoman. In answer, my employer has begun to teach me magic. I believe that if I stay with him I can become much magically stronger than I otherwise could be. He is also engaged in a significant project that I am highly in favor of that I believe would benefit many people, though I do not have permission to say more about it. As a practical and ideological manner I have a great deal of faith in this path, and I believe my work has impressed my employer in a way that I'm unsure would go over as well with another superior."

She shakes her head. "That is pretty impressive. How long has it been since you got us here?"

You shrug. "45 minutes, maybe? I wasn't keeping track."

"Should be long enough to make a phone call. It won't send up quite the alert it would have on the scene." She pulls it out. "I just need to make a call and someone will deliver your payment in full and take me home."

Gotham City, New Jersey- July 25, 10: 12 EDT

Catwoman's ally, Holly, arrives much later than you expected. Isis leaps into her arms happily and Holly strokes her nose to tell. "I was wondering where you went," She says to the cat. "Here it is." She hands you a small box.

"This isn't money," You answer suspiciously.

"Last eighteen wire transfers someone tried to pay me with were hacked within six hours. These days cash serial numbers are recorded in cash registers and it's too bulky to carry non-suspicious notes. Jewelry is either notable or worthless these days." Catwoman sounds like she is patiently explaining to a newbie, which you guess you are.

Oh shit. You open the box and glance inside. "Meteor Rocks? You're paying me with that?" A leptokinetic nudge proves you can't transmute it.

"If you're not staying in Gotham that's the best I can do on short notice without a lot of information about you or a lot of promises. This is fast and lets you do whatever you need to do."

You close the box tightly. "This box can hold it well, right?"

Holly nods. "I swear. I wouldn't be carrying it if it wasn't."

You are about to storm off when you remember Bugbear is still unconscious. "Take care of him, get him help, and we're square." Holly nods, and you leave.

Gotham Estates, New Jersey- July 25, 10: 32 EDT

You call Ethan and explain what happened.

"What she did was fair. Meteor Rock is an accepted medium of exchange in most of the criminal underworld for the reasons she suggested. Law enforcement is increasingly desperate to strangle the free flow of finance. I believe she overestimated the number of chipped cash registers, but they are an initiative by the Wayne Foundation and could easily be that common there. The initial resistance to the process is believed to have given the FBI too much information on the rackets to be maintained. However, cash is not as traceless as it was, so she has a point. I don't think we actually have a use for Meteor Rock yet, but it is extremely easy to trade, if a felony to carry."

"I have enough felonies already. Want me to come back?" You look out at the suburb, which has a long wall with check points you needed to illusion your way through to protect itself from Gotham.

Ethan is silent for a moment. "There is a possible assignment for you, but I would understand if you wanted to wait for a run at it. Your recent acquisition also helps with this. Abin Sur's bones are being sold in Metropolis." You snort.

"Abin Sur what?" The old Green Lantern was being cut up and sold.

"Everything is quite above board. His son recently came to Earth in the man's old space ship. The rumor is that he wants superpowers of his own, and wants the money to do it." Ethan sounds amused.

"Can money even do that?" You ask.

"Well, it would destroy a large fortune, but he might have that fortune soon enough. There are options. Magical artifacts, alien technology, becoming a wizard, Meteor Rock procedures. Amon Sur is dedicated. One of his bones would actually be quite useful to this project, metaphysically. He was on every world that I am trying to contact, and his species does not regrow bones. It would be a powerful talisman to reinforce the spell to have something like that."

"Metropolis." You remind him. "Metropolis, Kansas. Superman. Lives. There. They say there's not a gang left, that the city is powered by something from a space ship, that he stops two thirds of the accidents there."

"I suspect the statistics are exaggerated. Even if they are not, you don't want to do anything criminal, you want to bid legally on a publicly available good." Ethan sounds a bit worried.

"With what money?" You ask. "I don't think the weight in Meteor Rocks would cover it."

"I have promised a favor to someone. A very big favor, admittedly. Money will not be a problem. Ensuring the bone is not stolen is in my opinion the largest issue in play."

"How exactly do you have that much money? What did you promise?" You are not in a good mood.

"Technically, you are going to be stealing from the younger sister of Queen Bee of Bialya, who is bidding for her country. She contacted a friend of a friend with a request for a spell and an offer of treason. My request is by far the least disturbing of the bidders who could provide the spell." Ethan's voice is a bit disappointed at that.

[X] "I'm on my way." Ethan wouldn't ask you for this if it wasn't important.

[X] "See you in Rosewood." This strikes you as plausibly another test of your competence. They are starting to get on your nerves.

[X] "I can meet with her, but not in Metropolis." You don't want to get near Superman, but you can see the merits of taking it home yourself.

Xicree · Apr 17, 2015