Non-Canon A Clue in the Knight

[Jeremi]

"Right now, the internet is better than nothing. We'll take what we can get" Harvey wiped the sweat from his brow, composed himself, and slammed on the gas "And try to keep Harry alive until the medics arrive!

"Best of luck, guys... I have a bad feeling about what's coming next..."
​

"Thanks for the warning, Kid" Butch gestured towards his driver, signalling for him not to take the coming exit "I guess we'll have to find another way out. Head down to the-- shit!" Butch cried out in fear and confusion as the hearse rocked towards its side, its back right wheel blasted from its axis from a combination of Aurora's driving and a lucky shot from William. Surrendering control to the will of the road, the Red Hood's driver threw his hands in front of his face, bracing for the impact of their sudden stop. As the car entered a similar tailspin as the Cop's had before, the red-black vortex tumbled across the pavement, through the glass window of a corner shop and onwards toward the docks.

It's captain unconscious, Butch threw himself into the passenger seat, leaning across the gearbox to reclaim the wheel. In a fluster, he desperately tried to compensate for his missing wheel, yet was unable to restore order to the mad machine; with his driver's foot locked in place over the accelerator, every attempt to bring the car to a safe stop simply made it more erratic.

"Things ain't looking good again! GCPD's got some sharpshooters and some new guns- and that ain't ever a good mix... Way things are turning, out, looks like I'll be hitting the docs or some more concrete. All I can hope to do is take out a few blues with me, and with any luck one of the Bird's chicks too..."
_____________________________________________
"In the name of the GCPD, I order you to stop!"
The commissioner cried above the gunfire as he watched the Hearse scorch around the corner from behind the barricade. 3 Armoured cars blocked the wide entrance to the docs, with golden gates linking the trucks from tail to tail. Behind them, another wave of police cars half a dozen strong waited, reinforcing the outer wall; A mountain of the GCPD's strongest equipment had sealed the Hood's escape, transforming the carpark into an effective fortress. The continued to growl down to the spiralling hearse, his voice echoing through a megaphone.

"Stop the car, Hoods! It doesn't have to end like this! You don't have to throw your lives away! Just stop the goddamn car!"

"Throw our lives away? The way I see it, I either get splattered across a couple of your cars or live out the rest of my miserable life in one of your finest cells. I know which one I'd prefer!"

Butch slammed down ever harder against the accelerator, the hearse doubling and redoubling in speed.

"There are good people on this wall, Hood! You don't want to kill them, I know you don't. You have a Code! You have the Hood's Code!"

"Not anymore, Commissioner! All that went away when the Penguin too charge! We're tired of getting pushed around by the Big Boys! Whether they're in suits or blue caps, we can't take orders from their lardy asses anymore! If I die... then I'm sure the Byzantium will send a dozen more boys to take my place!"

"Don't do it! You don't have to become a martyr over this!"

"Oh, you underestimate us, Gordon... there will always be Red Hoods..."

He smiled, letting out a final whisper

"Best o' luck, kid..."


BOOM!
___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

The barricade burst into flames, its custom engine engulfing the 3 cars in a sea of blue. Moments after the collision, the flames turned white, then red, the chemical blast slowly dissipating. As swiftly as it had come, the blast cleared, leaving the dock a sea of smoking engines. Reserve officers flooded towards the burning walls, desperately pulling their fellow troops from the flames.

As the screams of pain and confusion only grew, the last scraps off the hearse stumbled across the flaming boardwalk, cruising past the sea of flaming police cars. With a crash, it finally rips of the edge of the board walk and off into the waves, another sacrifice to the Gotham docks. In a fews, the charred remains of the last 2 Red Hood would wash up on the beaches of lower Gotham. They wouldn't be the first and they wouldn't be the last... and when that day came, the GCPD would breathe a collective sigh of relief, and wish them not had good riddence.

Cop killer shot never made it far in Gotham; Commissioner Gordon made sure of that

"Move it, move it, move it, people!" The Commissioner growled waving his fate to clear the smoke "I want every officer accounted for! Every one! And what the hell was that? What was that explosion? The Hoods have high-grade explosives now? Why didn't we have any intel on this!?"

Forcing his way through the smoke against the suggestions of his fellow officers, the Commissioner marched towards Harvey and Cops, throwing a glare towards the Penguin's men as he passed.

He had a fleet in ruins, the press preparing to storm the curfew zone and a dozen dead officers... who ever was responsible had laid the foundations for one bad day.

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but you've managed to turn a drive-by into a shootout into a... an anti-penguin terrorist attack? What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Harv?"

"That's... a complicated question to ask, Jim... Right now, I don't have a clue. We know as much as you do... All I know is that Birdbrain sent his boys to slow us down. They shot at us, Jim. They shot at us with guns given to them by Penguin shortly after be bragged about how great they are to the press. They're killers, they're..."

"Protected under Oswald's reform... Your word against theirs won't go for much anymore. The worst we can get them for is conceal and carry violations, and even that's gonna be hit and miss..."

"So what, they walk? 3 of the City's worst get to walk?"

"For now... We don't have a choice. We've got bigger fish to fry from here on out... starting with the Hoods...Starting with this... Byzantium..."

"Alright, you heard that man!" Harvey shouted across the sound of crackling flames "Scan the area. There were 3 Hoods in the car when it left the station, and only 2 when it hit the blockade... that still leaves one Hood somewhere at the docks... somewhere around here, we've got the biggest source of Intel we're gonna get for this case, and I want them found! And if the Penguin's freaks don't clear on out of here before I count to 10, then I'm gonna lose it! Find her, and bring her back before she can escape!"

@Sark @Crow @Alex Azure @Lucky @MelodyM"​

Clara did her best to stifle the bleeding on Harry's leg...by ripping off the arm of her jersey and tied it up tight around the wound. "That was one of my favorite jersey's..." She mumbled under her breath. Even with all the fresh blood around her and looking like a pale apparition she somehow managed to push through everything. Until the large explosion knocked her off her feet with a loud scream.

"Oh my God. Oh my God..." Clara was now in fetal position rocking back and forth on the ground. This was exactly why she never worked the field. Too much guns and explosions and death. Not even the arrival of Gotham's hunky commissioner seemed to shake her out of it.



@Sark @Crow @Alex Azure @Lucky @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @Jeremi @York @Donder172 @dark

 

[Crow]

Gene was happy to focus on driving with Rhea available to fire at the Hoods. "Whew! You're one Hell of a sharpshooter, Rhea! Almos' like a re-in-carnated Annie Oakley!" Man, this was just like old times! Running wild, shooting up cars...good times.

He hit the brakes just in time to watch that wall explode, the screams of despair and death punctuated by his own mad laughter. "Well, I dunno 'bout you, but I think we just earned our keep! Let's find Charlie and clear out."

@Sark @Takumi @Crow​

Charlie appears beside his fellow Penguin goons, gun cocked and engines burning.

"..."

Silent as always, he nods as he prepares to burn away at the roads with his allies.

@Sark @Takumi @Crow @Yun Lee​

 

[Sleepwalker]

Harry was starting to feel worse and worse. He knew he would probably have low iron for a few days after this. Which was not good for either work or play. The bleeding was stopping, true, but it was still a nauseous amount of blood. Harvey seemed desperate not to let him die, and Harry was going to do his best to stay alive. Not that he wanted to die anyways. Despite the blood loss, he tried his best to stay diligent, and gripped his gun as hard as he could, aka not really.

He looked besides him and found Clara bandaging up his leg, with a jersey she say was her favourite. How could anyone get attached to such simple clothing? Neveraless, he gave her a smile, and silently told himself to buy another one for her once he was out of this situation.

Maybe-
“My Goodness!”
Harry closed his eyes to protect them from the loud, bright explosion. And when he opened them again, he stared at it with complete horror, trying to not to scream and alert the others.

This was quite possibly the most destructive shoot out he had ever been in. Harry was a detective, not a cop. He was used to ambushes and little shoot outs, not a full out terrorist attack. So much pain, so much suffering...and he knew at least the two red hoods were dead, if not more. This was why he never became cop fodder. He wanted to put his mind to investigations, not violent shoot outs.

“It’s okay, Clara...It’s okay...we’re still alive, and the commander’s here. And after this, we’ll try our best not to have this happen again. At least, I will.”

He sounded like he was reassuring himself more, unfortunately. It was true though, the commissioner was here, and he was experienced and competent. Still kind of harsh to chew out Harvey like that though, as true as it was.

Oh right, he had to do something.
“I think I can stand up..a little. I think I’m going to look for the remaining Red Hood. It’s too dangerous for me to choose the other.”
@Jeremi @Sark @Others​

 

[York]

"Right now, the internet is better than nothing. We'll take what we can get" Harvey wiped the sweat from his brow, composed himself, and slammed on the gas "And try to keep Harry alive until the medics arrive!

"Best of luck, guys... I have a bad feeling about what's coming next..."
​

"Thanks for the warning, Kid" Butch gestured towards his driver, signalling for him not to take the coming exit "I guess we'll have to find another way out. Head down to the-- shit!" Butch cried out in fear and confusion as the hearse rocked towards its side, its back right wheel blasted from its axis from a combination of Aurora's driving and a lucky shot from William. Surrendering control to the will of the road, the Red Hood's driver threw his hands in front of his face, bracing for the impact of their sudden stop. As the car entered a similar tailspin as the Cop's had before, the red-black vortex tumbled across the pavement, through the glass window of a corner shop and onwards toward the docks.

It's captain unconscious, Butch threw himself into the passenger seat, leaning across the gearbox to reclaim the wheel. In a fluster, he desperately tried to compensate for his missing wheel, yet was unable to restore order to the mad machine; with his driver's foot locked in place over the accelerator, every attempt to bring the car to a safe stop simply made it more erratic.

"Things ain't looking good again! GCPD's got some sharpshooters and some new guns- and that ain't ever a good mix... Way things are turning, out, looks like I'll be hitting the docs or some more concrete. All I can hope to do is take out a few blues with me, and with any luck one of the Bird's chicks too..."
_____________________________________________
"In the name of the GCPD, I order you to stop!"
The commissioner cried above the gunfire as he watched the Hearse scorch around the corner from behind the barricade. 3 Armoured cars blocked the wide entrance to the docs, with golden gates linking the trucks from tail to tail. Behind them, another wave of police cars half a dozen strong waited, reinforcing the outer wall; A mountain of the GCPD's strongest equipment had sealed the Hood's escape, transforming the carpark into an effective fortress. The continued to growl down to the spiralling hearse, his voice echoing through a megaphone.

"Stop the car, Hoods! It doesn't have to end like this! You don't have to throw your lives away! Just stop the goddamn car!"

"Throw our lives away? The way I see it, I either get splattered across a couple of your cars or live out the rest of my miserable life in one of your finest cells. I know which one I'd prefer!"

Butch slammed down ever harder against the accelerator, the hearse doubling and redoubling in speed.

"There are good people on this wall, Hood! You don't want to kill them, I know you don't. You have a Code! You have the Hood's Code!"

"Not anymore, Commissioner! All that went away when the Penguin too charge! We're tired of getting pushed around by the Big Boys! Whether they're in suits or blue caps, we can't take orders from their lardy asses anymore! If I die... then I'm sure the Byzantium will send a dozen more boys to take my place!"

"Don't do it! You don't have to become a martyr over this!"

"Oh, you underestimate us, Gordon... there will always be Red Hoods..."

He smiled, letting out a final whisper

"Best o' luck, kid..."


BOOM!
___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

The barricade burst into flames, its custom engine engulfing the 3 cars in a sea of blue. Moments after the collision, the flames turned white, then red, the chemical blast slowly dissipating. As swiftly as it had come, the blast cleared, leaving the dock a sea of smoking engines. Reserve officers flooded towards the burning walls, desperately pulling their fellow troops from the flames.

As the screams of pain and confusion only grew, the last scraps off the hearse stumbled across the flaming boardwalk, cruising past the sea of flaming police cars. With a crash, it finally rips of the edge of the board walk and off into the waves, another sacrifice to the Gotham docks. In a fews, the charred remains of the last 2 Red Hood would wash up on the beaches of lower Gotham. They wouldn't be the first and they wouldn't be the last... and when that day came, the GCPD would breathe a collective sigh of relief, and wish them not had good riddence.

Cop killer shot never made it far in Gotham; Commissioner Gordon made sure of that

"Move it, move it, move it, people!" The Commissioner growled waving his fate to clear the smoke "I want every officer accounted for! Every one! And what the hell was that? What was that explosion? The Hoods have high-grade explosives now? Why didn't we have any intel on this!?"

Forcing his way through the smoke against the suggestions of his fellow officers, the Commissioner marched towards Harvey and Cops, throwing a glare towards the Penguin's men as he passed.

He had a fleet in ruins, the press preparing to storm the curfew zone and a dozen dead officers... who ever was responsible had laid the foundations for one bad day.

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but you've managed to turn a drive-by into a shootout into a... an anti-penguin terrorist attack? What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Harv?"

"That's... a complicated question to ask, Jim... Right now, I don't have a clue. We know as much as you do... All I know is that Birdbrain sent his boys to slow us down. They shot at us, Jim. They shot at us with guns given to them by Penguin shortly after be bragged about how great they are to the press. They're killers, they're..."

"Protected under Oswald's reform... Your word against theirs won't go for much anymore. The worst we can get them for is conceal and carry violations, and even that's gonna be hit and miss..."

"So what, they walk? 3 of the City's worst get to walk?"

"For now... We don't have a choice. We've got bigger fish to fry from here on out... starting with the Hoods...Starting with this... Byzantium..."

"Alright, you heard that man!" Harvey shouted across the sound of crackling flames "Scan the area. There were 3 Hoods in the car when it left the station, and only 2 when it hit the blockade... that still leaves one Hood somewhere at the docks... somewhere around here, we've got the biggest source of Intel we're gonna get for this case, and I want them found! And if the Penguin's freaks don't clear on out of here before I count to 10, then I'm gonna lose it! Find her, and bring her back before she can escape!"

@Sark @Crow @Alex Azure @Lucky @MelodyMeister @Yun Lee @Jeremi @York @Donder172 @dark​

Kidd Wilder
@Sark @Others(?)

Kidd was preparing to help the Hoods fight their way out of the jam they had both walked right into. Even as the GCPD swarmed around them, she refused to surrender, not even in the face of what seemed like certain defeat.

Yet... Even then, she had no room to negotiate when Butch made a decision that would ultimately end him, and his driver's lives, taking out a good few officers alongside him.

If she wasn't so out in the open, she would have screamed... Yelled... Objected at the top of her lungs, but she knew better than to blow her own cover.

She was but a recruit, but now... She had the weight of the Hood's legacy on her shoulders.

For now, until further notice, she had to keep a low profile... And in order to do so, she started to try and recall where any Hood hideouts she could use might be. She also took a glance at the ship, wondering if she could still feasibly hop on and make a clean getaway.

After all, before she could think of any other ways she might be able to take down the Penguin, she had to gain some distance from the GCPD, and regroup...​

 

[Macy Moretti]

Harry was starting to feel worse and worse. He knew he would probably have low iron for a few days after this. Which was not good for either work or play. The bleeding was stopping, true, but it was still a nauseous amount of blood. Harvey seemed desperate not to let him die, and Harry was going to do his best to stay alive. Not that he wanted to die anyways. Despite the blood loss, he tried his best to stay diligent, and gripped his gun as hard as he could, aka not really.

He looked besides him and found Clara bandaging up his leg, with a jersey she say was her favourite. How could anyone get attached to such simple clothing? Neveraless, he gave her a smile, and silently told himself to buy another one for her once he was out of this situation.

Maybe-
“My Goodness!”
Harry closed his eyes to protect them from the loud, bright explosion. And when he opened them again, he stared at it with complete horror, trying to not to scream and alert the others.

This was quite possibly the most destructive shoot out he had ever been in. Harry was a detective, not a cop. He was used to ambushes and little shoot outs, not a full out terrorist attack. So much pain, so much suffering...and he knew at least the two red hoods were dead, if not more. This was why he never became cop fodder. He wanted to put his mind to investigations, not violent shoot outs.

“It’s okay, Clara...It’s okay...we’re still alive, and the commander’s here. And after this, we’ll try our best not to have this happen again. At least, I will.”

He sounded like he was reassuring himself more, unfortunately. It was true though, the commissioner was here, and he was experienced and competent. Still kind of harsh to chew out Harvey like that though, as true as it was.

Oh right, he had to do something.
“I think I can stand up..a little. I think I’m going to look for the remaining Red Hood. It’s too dangerous for me to choose the other.”
@Jeremi @Sark @Others​

Shirley Homestead

"Don't go in alone, Harry. I'll give you backup," she said, holding tightly to the rifle from Harvey's trunk. She made sure the safety was off and a bullet was in the chamber before following Harry in the search for the last Red Hood.

@Sark @MelodyMeister @Jeremi​

 

[Sark]

________________

____________________________
Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoning Shirley, Liam, Harry, Clara, William and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question
@York as Kidd Wilder
@Donder172 as William van Veldender

In contrast to the madness of the GCPD headquarters, the Iceberg Lounge was overflowing with joy. Not a moment went by without the sound of a champagne top popping off, followed by another wave of laughter. For organized criminals, the sea of private backers, corrupt officials and professional thugs that lapped at the coast of the bar seemed almost civil in their celebration, wearing their finest suits and party hats to celebrate the latest failed assassination attempt on their beloved mayor.

In one of the lounges many hidden rooms, however, a different mood filled the air. As the Oswald paced the floor in front of his desk, chewing through the floorboards with his limp leg.

"They're laughing at me, Ivy. They're all laughing at me!"

"Yeh, no. I don't think they're doing that" She called in response, her body slouching across the arms of Oswald's empty leather throne. "I just think they're having a party, ya know? Letting ther hair down, having some fun, eatin' some nibbles... not everything is about yo yano?"

"No! No this is about me! Gilzean trying to shoot me was all about me. The fact that the five families are out for my head is all about me. You yeh, Ivy, I think that this mess is pretty personal!"

"Um... what does this have to do with the party? Aren't they just celebrating you being alive or something?"

"Out there, my boys are celebrating their continued paycheck! They don't love me! They sure has hell don't respect me! For Butch to try to shoot me in the back--"

"--He tried to shoot you in the front, but whatever I guess"

"--Was a sign on weakness. It shows the Chimps I've got on my payroll that I'm not immortal! It shows them that there are other paychecks out there--"

"--'Course there are. They could get real jobs or something..."

"And whoever's hired the Hoods- I don't know if its the Falcones, or the Maronis. or if Fish is back from the dead or god knows who else could be behind this--"

"Yeah, there's hardly a short list of people with motives..."

"Not helping, Ivy! Not helping"

He slapped the edge of cane against the table with all the strength his feeble form could muster, sending a shiver down Ivy spine. The two held eye contact for a few fleeting moments, with Ms.Pepper's stance of apathy transforming into one of disgust.

"You don't have to get so touchy about it... god... It's not my fault half the city hates you"

"You know what, Ivy?'" Oswald feigned Civility "Sometimes, I can't tell whether or not you're trying to be a moron, or whether you worthless, street-rat family dropped you on your head a few dozen times before you turned 6. I saved you from a life of insignificance and poverty. I saved you from begging for bread in the narrows. I saved you, and as a favour, I saved Selina too. Maybe, for once in your limited life, you could use that thick skull of yours and show a little appreciation!!!?"

"Yeah, but I stopped you from drowning that one time, right? So that makes us even, right? If anything, you... owe me?"

"If you had the attention span to realise how naive you are, then we wouldn't need to be having this conversation... Just do your job, and send in our guests...."

"Guests?"

"THE ONES WHO KILLED BUTCH!!"

With a couple of playground insults muttered under her breath, Ivy rolled herself from the throne and made her way towards the door to Penguin's office, pressing a slender finger against the intercom button and politely asking the door guard to send in Gene, Rhea and Charlie into the room. With another delicate yet unnervingly simple request, she asked if they could pretty-please take a seat at Oswald's table.

"Maybe, if you didn't treat your workers like trash, the government wouldn't need to invent unions or something..."

As she left, Oswald, flung into a sweating, screaming fit, called into the vacuum she left behind her.

"WE'RE CRIMINALS, YOU IDIOT! WE DON'T UNIONIZE! HELL! I'M THE KING OF GOTHAM! I AM THE UNION!"

Releasing his tension, Oswald breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly hobbled back behind his desk and lowered himself onto his throne, the handle of his walking stick still spiralling between his palms.

"I'm sorry you had to see that" Oswald smiled a hollow smile "If she wasn't so stupidly honest she would have been made to choke on her eyeballs long ago. Knowing her calibre, its a miracle she hasn't found a way to choke on them in her own time... Still, it helps to have a no-man from time to time. Makes a change from the ass kissers and sycophants, right?"

In a flash, his mood changed again, a flash of silver leapt before the eyes of his minion, followed by a loud crunching noise; lightning followed by thunder. With the head of his cane suddenly removed from its neck, the blade concealed within it was suddenly hammered into the wooden board before him, adding a new addition to the sea of chips that lined the table. These were no doubt to fruits of previous outbursts, with some specs of red still lingering within the depths of the holes.

"So I trust you'll find solace in knowing that I reward the truth with 'continued employment'" He ground the blade deeper into his desk, sending mountains of splintering wood and chipped paint dancing across the table "So now, you're all going to tell me what the hell happened out there? Why are the Red Hoods the new Martyrs of Gotham City? Why did Butch Gilzean manage to get all the way to the docks before you took him out? Why did you waste precious time playing with Gordon's men while the real targets were on the verge of escape"

His words were not separated by frequent, wild stabs into the table before him, drowning out some syllables. Even throw the spit and strain, his message was clear:

"WHY! DID! YOU! SHOOT! AT! THE! COPS! MINUTES! AFTER! I! WENT! THROUGH! ALL! THAT! EFFORT! TO! PARDON! YOU!"

"One of you better give me a good, honest excuse as to why I am a media laughing stock? To why my Blackgate reform scheme has been made a mockery of? Tell me why are Narrows and Docks now overrun with anarchists trying to make the most of the police deaths you let happen?! And give me one good reason I shouldn't start mailing you back to the Commissioner piece by piece!"

Cast List
@Crow as Charlie Chaplin Scotts
@Yun Lee as Eugene "Gene" Terry
@Takumi as Rhea Kanaba
____________________
Kidd Wilder would open her eyes to see nothing but darkness. No matter how hard she tried to move, her body remained rigid, refusing to respond to her commands. It had all happened so quickly. After her retreat, she had been struck from behind from some unknown force, and now found herself blindfolded and handcuffed in what sounded like... an ice cream truck? Every few moments, a cold breeze would strike her face, and a peaceful jingle would meet her ear. As the truck went over another speed bump, Kidd would be forced to awaken from her unconscious state.

Her jailer addressed her directly.

"Oh, you're awake, that's... pretty good" She would recognise the voice, its whimsical, apathetic tone belonging to the voice behind the Penguin's Goon's radio. Only this time, his words seemed to be crisp, and, despite his constant hesitations, unnervingly precise. He shouted over the roar to the truck's cooler. "You know, you should really guard your flanks more. Focus, focus, focus! That's the name of the game in this... business. Don't worry; you're not dead... not just yet. No point killing you before I can give the Boss a his little birthday present, right? You see... I had a death in the family, or, to be specifc... we lost the family cat around Oswald's last birthday, so I was... out of town. Felt pretty bumed about it. Good news is, he'll be all to happy to hear that I managed to catch myself a Red Hood! Love the cloak, but the way. Its very... dramatic. Not many people apprecitate that anymore, but I do. Make the most of the journey, Ms.... Wilder. We're about 10 minutes from the Iceberg lounge now, and I'm sure he'll have a hell of a lot of questions... for you"

As the man stopped at a red light, Wilder would find her power of speech returning no her, the concussion that had left her dazed for the previous night now fading away.

Cast List
@York as Kidd Wilder
______________________​

 

[Yun Lee]

Ohhh boy. Boss man was madder than a rabbit what got into the moonshine. But that was all right. The people Gene had dealt with back home had more mood swings than this. Now, how to do this properly...aha!

Gene gave his boss an apologetic look, humbling himself before the Penguin. "Aw shoot, sir. I'm awful sorry for all that. The thing is, when I saw you get shot, after you went through all that troible to get us pardoned? Well, I saw red, sir. Cops, Hoods...they were all one to me when it meant proving you're the boss. 'Sides, they were all shootin' at each other in close range. Ain't our fault a stray bullet or two wound up in the wrong car!"

He glanced to Rhea and continued, "As for why it took so long, one of them bastards took out poor Rhea's bike. I figured it weren't right to leave her behind-she's one of our own here, y'know, sir? And we're all family, sir. Why, if anyone in this room, or out at the party, were to get killed by some lowlife Hoods or some dirty cop..." His hands, folded on the table, tightened their grip, the knuckles turning white. "I would probably do a whole lot more damage than what I did today, sir."

@Sark @Crow @Takumi​

 

[Takumi]

________________

____________________________
Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoningShirley, Liam, Harry, Clara and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question
@York as Kidd Wilder

In contrast to the madness of the GCPD headquarters, the Iceberg Lounge was overflowing with joy. Not a moment went by without the sound of a champagne top popping off, followed by another wave of laughter. For organized criminals, the sea of private backers, corrupt officials and professional thugs that lapped at the coast of the bar seemed almost civil in their celebration, wearing their finest suits and party hats to celebrate the latest failed assassination attempt on their beloved mayor.

In one of the lounges many hidden rooms, however, a different mood filled the air. As the Oswald paced the floor in front of his desk, chewing through the floorboards with his limp leg.

"They're laughing at me, Ivy. They're all laughing at me!"

"Yeh, no. I don't think they're doing that" She called in response, her body slouching across the arms of Oswald's empty leather throne. "I just think they're having a party, ya know? Letting ther hair down, having some fun, eatin' some nibbles... not everything is about yo yano?"

"No! No this is about me! Gilzean trying to shoot me was all about me. The fact that the five families are out for my head is all about me. You yeh, Ivy, I think that this mess is pretty personal!"

"Um... what does this have to do with the party? Aren't they just celebrating you being alive or something?"

"Out there, my boys are celebrating their continued paycheck! They don't love me! They sure has hell don't respect me! For Butch to try to shoot me in the back--"

"--He tried to shoot you in the front, but whatever I guess"

"--Was a sign on weakness. It shows the Chimps I've got on my payroll that I'm not immortal! It shows them that there are other paychecks out there--"

"--'Course there are. They could get real jobs or something..."

"And whoever's hired the Hoods- I don't know if its the Falcones, or the Maronis. or if Fish is back from the dead or god knows who else could be behind this--"

"Yeah, there's hardly a short list of people with motives..."

"Not helping, Ivy! Not helping"

He slapped the edge of cane against the table with all the strength his feeble form could muster, sending a shiver down Ivy spine. The two held eye contact for a few fleeting moments, with Ms.Pepper's stance of apathy transforming into one of disgust.

"You don't have to get so touchy about it... god... It's not my fault half the city hates you"

"You know what, Ivy?'" Oswald feigned Civility "Sometimes, I can't tell whether or not you're trying to be a moron, or whether you worthless, street-rat family dropped you on your head a few dozen times before you turned 6. I saved you from a life of insignificance and poverty. I saved you from begging for bread in the narrows. I saved you, and as a favour, I saved Selina too. Maybe, for once in your limited life, you could use that thick skull of yours and show a little appreciation!!!?"

"Yeah, but I stopped you from drowning that one time, right? So that makes us even, right? If anything, you... owe me?"

"If you had the attention span to realise how naive you are, then we wouldn't need to be having this conversation... Just do your job, and send in our guests...."

"Guests?"

"THE ONES WHO KILLED BUTCH!!"

With a couple of playground insults muttered under her breath, Ivy rolled herself from the throne and made her way towards the door to Penguin's office, pressing a slender finger against the intercom button and politely asking the door guard to send in Gene, Rhea and Charlie into the room. With another delicate yet unnervingly simple request, she asked if they could pretty-please take a seat at Oswald's table.

"Maybe, if you didn't treat your workers like trash, the government wouldn't need to invent unions or something..."

As she left, Oswald, flung into a sweating, screaming fit, called into the vacuum she left behind her.

"WE'RE CRIMINALS, YOU IDIOT! WE DON'T UNIONIZE! HELL! I'M THE KING OF GOTHAM! I AM THE UNION!"

Releasing his tension, Oswald breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly hobbled back behind his desk and lowered himself onto his throne, the handle of his walking stick still spiralling between his palms.

"I'm sorry you had to see that" Oswald smiled a hollow smile "If she wasn't so stupidly honest she would have been made to choke on her eyeballs long ago. Knowing her calibre, its a miracle she hasn't found a way to choke on them in her own time... Still, it helps to have a no-man from time to time. Makes a change from the ass kissers and sycophants, right?"

In a flash, his mood changed again, a flash of silver leapt before the eyes of his minion, followed by a loud crunching noise; lightning followed by thunder. With the head of his cane suddenly removed from its neck, the blade concealed within it was suddenly hammered into the wooden board before him, adding a new addition to the sea of chips that lined the table. These were no doubt to fruits of previous outbursts, with some specs of red still lingering within the depths of the holes.

"So I trust you'll find solace in knowing that I reward the truth with 'continued employment'" He ground the blade deeper into his desk, sending mountains of splintering wood and chipped paint dancing across the table "So now, you're all going to tell me what the hell happened out there? Why are the Red Hoods the new Martyrs of Gotham City? Why did Butch Gilzean manage to get all the way to the docks before you took him out? Why did you waste precious time playing with Gordon's men while the real targets were on the verge of escape"

His words were not separated by frequent, wild stabs into the table before him, drowning out some syllables. Even throw the spit and strain, his message was clear:

"WHY! DID! YOU! SHOOT! AT! THE! COPS! MINUTES! AFTER! I! WENT! THROUGH! ALL! THAT! EFFORT! TO! PARDON! YOU!"

"One of you better give me a good, honest excuse as to why I am a media laughing stock? To why my Blackgate reform scheme has been made a mockery of? Tell me why are Narrows and Docks now overrun with anarchists trying to make the most of the police deaths you let happen?! And give me one good reason I shouldn't start mailing you back to the Commissioner piece by piece!"

Cast List
@Crow as Charlie Chaplin Scotts
@Yun Lee as Eugene "Gene" Terry
@Takumi as Rhea Kanaba
____________________
Kidd Wilder would open her eyes to see nothing but darkness. No matter how hard she tried to move, her body remained rigid, refusing to respond to her commands. It had all happened so quickly. After her retreat, she had been struck from behind from some unknown force, and now found herself blindfolded and handcuffed in what sounded like... an ice cream truck? Every few moments, a cold breeze would strike her face, and a peaceful jingle would meet her ear. As the truck went over another speed bump, Kidd would be forced to awaken from her unconscious state.

Her jailer addressed her directly.

"Oh, you're awake, that's... pretty good" She would recognise the voice, its whimsical, apathetic tone belonging to the voice behind the Penguin's Goon's radio. Only this time, his words seemed to be crisp, and, despite his constant hesitations, unnervingly precise. He shouted over the roar to the truck's cooler. "You know, you should really guard your flanks more. Focus, focus, focus! That's the name of the game in this... business. Don't worry; you're not dead... not just yet. No point killing you before I can give the Boss a his little birthday present, right? You see... I had a death in the family, or, to be specifc... we lost the family cat around Oswald's last birthday, so I was... out of town. Felt pretty bumed about it. Good news is, he'll be all to happy to hear that I managed to catch myself a Red Hood! Love the cloak, but the way. Its very... dramatic. Not many people apprecitate that anymore, but I do. Make the most of the journey, Ms.... Wilder. We're about 10 minutes from the Iceberg lounge now, and I'm sure he'll have a hell of a lot of questions... for you"

As the man stopped at a red light, Wilder would find her power of speech returning no her, the concussion that had left her dazed for the previous night now fading away.

Cast List
@York as Kidd Wilder
______________________​

Ohhh boy. Boss man was madder than a rabbit what got into the moonshine. But that was all right. The people Gene had dealt with back home had more mood swings than this. Now, how to do this properly...aha!

Gene gave his boss an apologetic look, humbling himself before the Penguin. "Aw shoot, sir. I'm awful sorry for all that. The thing is, when I saw you get shot, after you went through all that troible to get us pardoned? Well, I saw red, sir. Cops, Hoods...they were all one to me when it meant proving you're the boss. 'Sides, they were all shootin' at each other in close range. Ain't our fault a stray bullet or two wound up in the wrong car!"

He glanced to Rhea and continued, "As for why it took so long, one of them bastards took out poor Rhea's bike. I figured it weren't right to leave her behind-she's one of our own here, y'know, sir? And we're all family, sir. Why, if anyone in this room, or out at the party, were to get killed by some lowlife Hoods or some dirty cop..." His hands, folded on the table, tightened their grip, the knuckles turning white. "I would probably do a whole lot more damage than what I did today, sir."

@Sark @Crow @Takumi​

Rhea's brows fyrrowed as she got yelled at by Oswald. You'd think she'd be used to getting yelled at by now, but she really hated being treated like a baby by her big brother enough. "Yeah, Gene here helped me out quite a bit. I took the chance to shoot act Butch as soon as I could afterwards too!" She spoke up, honest and trying to defend herself so Gene wouldn't have to do it all.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Crow

 

[Sleepwalker]

Harry was still limping a little,sure, and maybe it did hurt every time he moved, but....yeah, alright. If it wasn’t for the fact that eighteen good officers were out of action, and the average remaining policeman taking the job of three people, then Harry would have gotten back home and rest. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and now? He was trying to walk as slowly as he could to avoid putting pressure on his foot. Heck, had he decided to not have one, he’ll probably have a crutch by now.

Noneless, Harry stood by. He was utterly tired, and lethargically listened in. Great. Another one of those physically imposing duties. Well, it was an infiltration, so it was better then a chase. Still likely to end up in a shoot out though.

“Mm, So what’s the plan? Boss?”
@Sark @Others​

 

[Macy Moretti]

________________

____________________________
Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoningShirley, Liam, Harry, Clara and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question

Shirley Homestead

"I'm more than ready to bring people to justice and bring the truth to light, but isn't your math off? Five of us, and you make six. Who's number seven?"

Shirley learned against a nearby desk, threatening to knock over any papers that were scattered upon it. She took a bite of a granola bar, which barely stood as breakfast. However, it would have to serve ss lunch and dinner with how busy they were about to be. She wouldn't complain; she knew they had a lot of work to do today.

@Sark @Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky​

 

[Jeremi]

________________

____________________________
Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoning Shirley, Liam, Harry, Clara, William and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question
@York as Kidd Wilder
@Donder172 as William van Veldender

In contrast to the madness of the GCPD headquarters, the Iceberg Lounge was overflowing with joy. Not a moment went by without the sound of a champagne top popping off, followed by another wave of laughter. For organized criminals, the sea of private backers, corrupt officials and professional thugs that lapped at the coast of the bar seemed almost civil in their celebration, wearing their finest suits and party hats to celebrate the latest failed assassination attempt on their beloved mayor.

In one of the lounges many hidden rooms, however, a different mood filled the air. As the Oswald paced the floor in front of his desk, chewing through the floorboards with his limp leg.

"They're laughing at me, Ivy. They're all laughing at me!"

"Yeh, no. I don't think they're doing that" She called in response, her body slouching across the arms of Oswald's empty leather throne. "I just think they're having a party, ya know? Letting ther hair down, having some fun, eatin' some nibbles... not everything is about yo yano?"

"No! No this is about me! Gilzean trying to shoot me was all about me. The fact that the five families are out for my head is all about me. You yeh, Ivy, I think that this mess is pretty personal!"

"Um... what does this have to do with the party? Aren't they just celebrating you being alive or something?"

"Out there, my boys are celebrating their continued paycheck! They don't love me! They sure has hell don't respect me! For Butch to try to shoot me in the back--"

"--He tried to shoot you in the front, but whatever I guess"

"--Was a sign on weakness. It shows the Chimps I've got on my payroll that I'm not immortal! It shows them that there are other paychecks out there--"

"--'Course there are. They could get real jobs or something..."

"And whoever's hired the Hoods- I don't know if its the Falcones, or the Maronis. or if Fish is back from the dead or god knows who else could be behind this--"

"Yeah, there's hardly a short list of people with motives..."

"Not helping, Ivy! Not helping"

He slapped the edge of cane against the table with all the strength his feeble form could muster, sending a shiver down Ivy spine. The two held eye contact for a few fleeting moments, with Ms.Pepper's stance of apathy transforming into one of disgust.

"You don't have to get so touchy about it... god... It's not my fault half the city hates you"

"You know what, Ivy?'" Oswald feigned Civility "Sometimes, I can't tell whether or not you're trying to be a moron, or whether you worthless, street-rat family dropped you on your head a few dozen times before you turned 6. I saved you from a life of insignificance and poverty. I saved you from begging for bread in the narrows. I saved you, and as a favour, I saved Selina too. Maybe, for once in your limited life, you could use that thick skull of yours and show a little appreciation!!!?"

"Yeah, but I stopped you from drowning that one time, right? So that makes us even, right? If anything, you... owe me?"

"If you had the attention span to realise how naive you are, then we wouldn't need to be having this conversation... Just do your job, and send in our guests...."

"Guests?"

"THE ONES WHO KILLED BUTCH!!"

With a couple of playground insults muttered under her breath, Ivy rolled herself from the throne and made her way towards the door to Penguin's office, pressing a slender finger against the intercom button and politely asking the door guard to send in Gene, Rhea and Charlie into the room. With another delicate yet unnervingly simple request, she asked if they could pretty-please take a seat at Oswald's table.

"Maybe, if you didn't treat your workers like trash, the government wouldn't need to invent unions or something..."

As she left, Oswald, flung into a sweating, screaming fit, called into the vacuum she left behind her.

"WE'RE CRIMINALS, YOU IDIOT! WE DON'T UNIONIZE! HELL! I'M THE KING OF GOTHAM! I AM THE UNION!"

Releasing his tension, Oswald breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly hobbled back behind his desk and lowered himself onto his throne, the handle of his walking stick still spiralling between his palms.

"I'm sorry you had to see that" Oswald smiled a hollow smile "If she wasn't so stupidly honest she would have been made to choke on her eyeballs long ago. Knowing her calibre, its a miracle she hasn't found a way to choke on them in her own time... Still, it helps to have a no-man from time to time. Makes a change from the ass kissers and sycophants, right?"

In a flash, his mood changed again, a flash of silver leapt before the eyes of his minion, followed by a loud crunching noise; lightning followed by thunder. With the head of his cane suddenly removed from its neck, the blade concealed within it was suddenly hammered into the wooden board before him, adding a new addition to the sea of chips that lined the table. These were no doubt to fruits of previous outbursts, with some specs of red still lingering within the depths of the holes.

"So I trust you'll find solace in knowing that I reward the truth with 'continued employment'" He ground the blade deeper into his desk, sending mountains of splintering wood and chipped paint dancing across the table "So now, you're all going to tell me what the hell happened out there? Why are the Red Hoods the new Martyrs of Gotham City? Why did Butch Gilzean manage to get all the way to the docks before you took him out? Why did you waste precious time playing with Gordon's men while the real targets were on the verge of escape"

His words were not separated by frequent, wild stabs into the table before him, drowning out some syllables. Even throw the spit and strain, his message was clear:

"WHY! DID! YOU! SHOOT! AT! THE! COPS! MINUTES! AFTER! I! WENT! THROUGH! ALL! THAT! EFFORT! TO! PARDON! YOU!"

"One of you better give me a good, honest excuse as to why I am a media laughing stock? To why my Blackgate reform scheme has been made a mockery of? Tell me why are Narrows and Docks now overrun with anarchists trying to make the most of the police deaths you let happen?! And give me one good reason I shouldn't start mailing you back to the Commissioner piece by piece!"

Cast List
@Crow as Charlie Chaplin Scotts
@Yun Lee as Eugene "Gene" Terry
@Takumi as Rhea Kanaba
____________________
Kidd Wilder would open her eyes to see nothing but darkness. No matter how hard she tried to move, her body remained rigid, refusing to respond to her commands. It had all happened so quickly. After her retreat, she had been struck from behind from some unknown force, and now found herself blindfolded and handcuffed in what sounded like... an ice cream truck? Every few moments, a cold breeze would strike her face, and a peaceful jingle would meet her ear. As the truck went over another speed bump, Kidd would be forced to awaken from her unconscious state.

Her jailer addressed her directly.

"Oh, you're awake, that's... pretty good" She would recognise the voice, its whimsical, apathetic tone belonging to the voice behind the Penguin's Goon's radio. Only this time, his words seemed to be crisp, and, despite his constant hesitations, unnervingly precise. He shouted over the roar to the truck's cooler. "You know, you should really guard your flanks more. Focus, focus, focus! That's the name of the game in this... business. Don't worry; you're not dead... not just yet. No point killing you before I can give the Boss a his little birthday present, right? You see... I had a death in the family, or, to be specifc... we lost the family cat around Oswald's last birthday, so I was... out of town. Felt pretty bumed about it. Good news is, he'll be all to happy to hear that I managed to catch myself a Red Hood! Love the cloak, but the way. Its very... dramatic. Not many people apprecitate that anymore, but I do. Make the most of the journey, Ms.... Wilder. We're about 10 minutes from the Iceberg lounge now, and I'm sure he'll have a hell of a lot of questions... for you"

As the man stopped at a red light, Wilder would find her power of speech returning no her, the concussion that had left her dazed for the previous night now fading away.

Cast List
@York as Kidd Wilder
______________________​

Oh God the nightmare still wasn't done. Clara thought to herself as she was ushered into another meeting. After her little panic attack yesterday she had hopped for some stability in her life, but that seemed to be just another pipe dream. Listening intently to what Bullock and Gordon were talking only speaking up when they had finished.

"I-Infiltration?" She managed to stammer out. "M-My backlog in the lab though, it's getting really big after yesterday so..." She awkwardly pushed herself up from the chair she had been sitting on and started to make her way to the forensics lab. Hey, it was worth a shot.

@Sark @WeAreTheCops

 

[Donder172]

Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoning Shirley, Liam, Harry, Clara, William and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question
@York as Kidd Wilder
@Donder172 as William van Veldender

This was certainly not his usual kind of work, but today he had to make an exception. "Sir, we just did our jobs." William said towards Harvey. It might be what an officer hoped to be in, but he wasn't going to let it get into his head. He took moment to consider his next words. "I don't think I am the best person for an infiltration mission, but if you believe we are the right people for the job, I won't let you nor our fallen down."

 

[York]

________________

____________________________
Once the fires had died and the rubble had been cleared, the Officers were all dismissed, sent away to recover and recuperate. The morning paper would reveal a fact they had all dreaded hearing: the death count. 12 officers had lost their lives in the collision, killed instantly in the ensuing blast. They were the lucky ones. 6 more were hospitalised in the coming hours, with 4 dying on their way to Gotham General. 2 still fought for their lives as the officers placed down their papers. With 18 officers unable to serve, the GCPD would need to deploy every man they had to keep the streets in order.

The scum of the streets had already taken advantage of the tragedy and met the increased policing of the Narrows with staunch opposition.

As the officers from the Hood's chance arrived at GCPD Headquarters, they would find the building abuzz. Every cop still on duty seemed to frantically race from one side of the hall to the other, flashes of blue uniforms completing 50 faceless tasks at once. Desperately throwing suspicious individuals into an overflowing set of cages lining the left wall before rushing to the other to scratch in the paperwork. In a word, the building was plunged into madness.

"Jim, I'm telling you: Penguin had something to do with this!"

Harvey slammed his hand into the table, sending his papers, flask and empty photo frame sliding across its face.

"We're talking about an inside job here!"

"How so?" Gordon growled, "You got some proof to back it up?"

"You bet" He threw a thin brown file on top of Gordon's typewriter, sending a slew of random letters flying across his page. Visibly irritated, Jim did the best he could to compose himself, straightening his increasingly restrictive tie and rummaging through the papers that new sat on his lap. Pulling a black and white still from yesterday's chase, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the string of numbers that hung from the back of the hearse.

"A witness snapped it just before the curfew went into place. Apparently, he had been taking some photos for some newlyweds but saw the chase as a chance to make some extra cash on the side. He had already sold a few shots to the press before he came to us, but what would you expect from some greasy kid trying to pay off his gambling debts? I hear the gazette paid a gem for that 'exclusive', and he wanted the same from us"

"You paid him?"

"Nope. Some of the boys roughed him up- it helps to give them someplace to vent after what happened yesterday. He screamed some stuff about 'brutality' but dropped before Fox started gushing about the sentences for attempted police extortion"

Jim lowered his head and bit upon his lip, losing himself in the world of the photography; a world before his lack of intel and inflated pride in his force had cost 18 lives and plunged his city into anarchy. Harvey read his expression like a book.

"It wasn't your fault, Jimbo. A certain Mr Butch Gilzean was packing more heat than any of us could have known"

"Butch Gilzean?" Purpose had awoken Jim from his brief moment of self-pity "So forensics managed to tie one of Oswald's Right-Hand to the hearse?"

"Not quite... They managed to tie a Mr Rodrigo Antonio to that particular number plate. He was some small-time crook running a tax scam out of his garage-shop. He was sent to Blackgate for a month or two whilst our Boys set up a transfer... only to find out he'd been funnelling the extra cash into a street racing circuit down 12th street"

"What does this have to do with Butch?"

"I'm getting to that. Our friend Rodrigo stayed in the Gate for 4 months, until he was paid out by Butch last week. A considerable fee it was too- something between 100 and 200K if I remember correctly. A parent of a kid who got screwed up in one of Rodrigo's races wasn't too happy with her son's killer getting to walk so soon after his crime, so she hired one of your Private Eye buddies to keep an eye on him... who told us that he saw Rod and Butch leaving the Iceberg Lounge half an hour before the incident, and lost sight of them and a third party around a garage"

"Pretty proud of yourself, aye Harv?" Jim willed himself to smile "So what did Foresenics pull up in the garage?"

"A whole lot of nothing. Things got pretty crazy after I asked them to follow up on the number plates, so maybe they weren't looking hard enough. I've told some more of our boys to check it out, but I doubt that they will get a chance to with all the perps needing printing"

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"Taking it to the bird"

Jim let out an audible sigh

"Jim, we know that Butch is the Penguin's right hand. He fits the description given to us by the pursuers. He fits the build of the guy I saw chucking a red sack over his face goddamnit! Butch is the guy who shot the Penguin!!"

"We can hardly arrest the Mayor for a crime a dead guy committed Harv. You'll need a better plan"

"I do- give me a team. A small group of guys. No more than maybe 7? We head down to the Iceberg. We cause a go under cover. We look through his books. We find proof that Penguin hired Butch to try to kill him, or at least that Butch's bail money came from Penguin, and we can take him down for good! We can get him sent to Blackgate; he won't be able to weasel his way out of there the same way he weaselled his way out of Arkham! Trust me, brother, we can clip his wings with this!"

"We can't spare 7 men... who do you suggest we send?"

"I've got a few in mind"

Harvey waved across the chaotic hall, beckoning Shirley, Liam, Harry, Clara, William and Aurora to come and join him outside the Captain's Office.

"I trust you recognise these gents as the ones who helped us give the Hoods a good chase after the ceremony? They stepped up big time. I've already put in all the paperwork to see them promoted to Corporals, should they lack Detective Clearance. I know Harry might not pass the usual 'Return to Duty physical, but right now we can hardly waste hands. I've taken the liberty of having fox draw up quite the plan for these guys- this is gonna be an infiltration for the ages!"

"The Bird's men are gonna be regretting killing us by the time the day's out"

Cast List
@Alex Azure as Shirley Homestead
@Lucky as Liam Anderson
@MelodyMeister as Harry Thomas Edwards
@Jeremi as Clara Clover
@Lucky as Aurora Diaz
@Crow as Makoto Koichi/Kid Question
@York as Kidd Wilder
@Donder172 as William van Veldender

In contrast to the madness of the GCPD headquarters, the Iceberg Lounge was overflowing with joy. Not a moment went by without the sound of a champagne top popping off, followed by another wave of laughter. For organized criminals, the sea of private backers, corrupt officials and professional thugs that lapped at the coast of the bar seemed almost civil in their celebration, wearing their finest suits and party hats to celebrate the latest failed assassination attempt on their beloved mayor.

In one of the lounges many hidden rooms, however, a different mood filled the air. As the Oswald paced the floor in front of his desk, chewing through the floorboards with his limp leg.

"They're laughing at me, Ivy. They're all laughing at me!"

"Yeh, no. I don't think they're doing that" She called in response, her body slouching across the arms of Oswald's empty leather throne. "I just think they're having a party, ya know? Letting ther hair down, having some fun, eatin' some nibbles... not everything is about yo yano?"

"No! No this is about me! Gilzean trying to shoot me was all about me. The fact that the five families are out for my head is all about me. You yeh, Ivy, I think that this mess is pretty personal!"

"Um... what does this have to do with the party? Aren't they just celebrating you being alive or something?"

"Out there, my boys are celebrating their continued paycheck! They don't love me! They sure has hell don't respect me! For Butch to try to shoot me in the back--"

"--He tried to shoot you in the front, but whatever I guess"

"--Was a sign on weakness. It shows the Chimps I've got on my payroll that I'm not immortal! It shows them that there are other paychecks out there--"

"--'Course there are. They could get real jobs or something..."

"And whoever's hired the Hoods- I don't know if its the Falcones, or the Maronis. or if Fish is back from the dead or god knows who else could be behind this--"

"Yeah, there's hardly a short list of people with motives..."

"Not helping, Ivy! Not helping"

He slapped the edge of cane against the table with all the strength his feeble form could muster, sending a shiver down Ivy spine. The two held eye contact for a few fleeting moments, with Ms.Pepper's stance of apathy transforming into one of disgust.

"You don't have to get so touchy about it... god... It's not my fault half the city hates you"

"You know what, Ivy?'" Oswald feigned Civility "Sometimes, I can't tell whether or not you're trying to be a moron, or whether you worthless, street-rat family dropped you on your head a few dozen times before you turned 6. I saved you from a life of insignificance and poverty. I saved you from begging for bread in the narrows. I saved you, and as a favour, I saved Selina too. Maybe, for once in your limited life, you could use that thick skull of yours and show a little appreciation!!!?"

"Yeah, but I stopped you from drowning that one time, right? So that makes us even, right? If anything, you... owe me?"

"If you had the attention span to realise how naive you are, then we wouldn't need to be having this conversation... Just do your job, and send in our guests...."

"Guests?"

"THE ONES WHO KILLED BUTCH!!"

With a couple of playground insults muttered under her breath, Ivy rolled herself from the throne and made her way towards the door to Penguin's office, pressing a slender finger against the intercom button and politely asking the door guard to send in Gene, Rhea and Charlie into the room. With another delicate yet unnervingly simple request, she asked if they could pretty-please take a seat at Oswald's table.

"Maybe, if you didn't treat your workers like trash, the government wouldn't need to invent unions or something..."

As she left, Oswald, flung into a sweating, screaming fit, called into the vacuum she left behind her.

"WE'RE CRIMINALS, YOU IDIOT! WE DON'T UNIONIZE! HELL! I'M THE KING OF GOTHAM! I AM THE UNION!"

Releasing his tension, Oswald breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly hobbled back behind his desk and lowered himself onto his throne, the handle of his walking stick still spiralling between his palms.

"I'm sorry you had to see that" Oswald smiled a hollow smile "If she wasn't so stupidly honest she would have been made to choke on her eyeballs long ago. Knowing her calibre, its a miracle she hasn't found a way to choke on them in her own time... Still, it helps to have a no-man from time to time. Makes a change from the ass kissers and sycophants, right?"

In a flash, his mood changed again, a flash of silver leapt before the eyes of his minion, followed by a loud crunching noise; lightning followed by thunder. With the head of his cane suddenly removed from its neck, the blade concealed within it was suddenly hammered into the wooden board before him, adding a new addition to the sea of chips that lined the table. These were no doubt to fruits of previous outbursts, with some specs of red still lingering within the depths of the holes.

"So I trust you'll find solace in knowing that I reward the truth with 'continued employment'" He ground the blade deeper into his desk, sending mountains of splintering wood and chipped paint dancing across the table "So now, you're all going to tell me what the hell happened out there? Why are the Red Hoods the new Martyrs of Gotham City? Why did Butch Gilzean manage to get all the way to the docks before you took him out? Why did you waste precious time playing with Gordon's men while the real targets were on the verge of escape"

His words were not separated by frequent, wild stabs into the table before him, drowning out some syllables. Even throw the spit and strain, his message was clear:

"WHY! DID! YOU! SHOOT! AT! THE! COPS! MINUTES! AFTER! I! WENT! THROUGH! ALL! THAT! EFFORT! TO! PARDON! YOU!"

"One of you better give me a good, honest excuse as to why I am a media laughing stock? To why my Blackgate reform scheme has been made a mockery of? Tell me why are Narrows and Docks now overrun with anarchists trying to make the most of the police deaths you let happen?! And give me one good reason I shouldn't start mailing you back to the Commissioner piece by piece!"

Cast List
@Crow as Charlie Chaplin Scotts
@Yun Lee as Eugene "Gene" Terry
@Takumi as Rhea Kanaba
____________________
Kidd Wilder would open her eyes to see nothing but darkness. No matter how hard she tried to move, her body remained rigid, refusing to respond to her commands. It had all happened so quickly. After her retreat, she had been struck from behind from some unknown force, and now found herself blindfolded and handcuffed in what sounded like... an ice cream truck? Every few moments, a cold breeze would strike her face, and a peaceful jingle would meet her ear. As the truck went over another speed bump, Kidd would be forced to awaken from her unconscious state.

Her jailer addressed her directly.

"Oh, you're awake, that's... pretty good" She would recognise the voice, its whimsical, apathetic tone belonging to the voice behind the Penguin's Goon's radio. Only this time, his words seemed to be crisp, and, despite his constant hesitations, unnervingly precise. He shouted over the roar to the truck's cooler. "You know, you should really guard your flanks more. Focus, focus, focus! That's the name of the game in this... business. Don't worry; you're not dead... not just yet. No point killing you before I can give the Boss a his little birthday present, right? You see... I had a death in the family, or, to be specifc... we lost the family cat around Oswald's last birthday, so I was... out of town. Felt pretty bumed about it. Good news is, he'll be all to happy to hear that I managed to catch myself a Red Hood! Love the cloak, but the way. Its very... dramatic. Not many people apprecitate that anymore, but I do. Make the most of the journey, Ms.... Wilder. We're about 10 minutes from the Iceberg lounge now, and I'm sure he'll have a hell of a lot of questions... for you"

As the man stopped at a red light, Wilder would find her power of speech returning no her, the concussion that had left her dazed for the previous night now fading away.

Cast List
@York as Kidd Wilder
______________________​

Kidd Wilder
@Sark

What happened after the explosion was a blurr. She certainly gave everyone she could hell as she ran, but whether or not she was traveling high-key or low-key, it didn't matter.

In the end, she was caught blind-sided by a force she couldn't see. For all her street smarts, and the promise she might have shown... She was but a novice still, and in this line of work, even the smallest slipup would almost undoubtedly make her pay dearly.

Finally regaining consciousness, she could feel she was cuffed, and had a general idea of her environment despite being blindfolded. The general feel of the environment, plus the sounds reaching her in were enough to cue her in on the fact that it was an ice-cream truck. However, considering the fact that she was being held captive here, she could assume there were probably some... Modifications made to its interior.

Hearing the voice through the radio, Kidd grimaced, but didn't say anything just yet.

Instead, she began to assess her options one last time before she spoke, checking to see what she still had on her, and what she was missing in terms of gear (at the very least her outfit was intact for the most part). Though, she had to wonder how they knew her name. Due to her life on the streets, there wasn't exactly a paper trail, but then again... With the right connections, it was very possible they dug up enough loose ends to piece it all together.

"Before ya skin me. Or whatever it is yer gonna do... ... Mind givin' me yer name?" She said, raising her voice just enough so it was audible over all the other noises resonating around her.

For the time being, she was a captive, but... ... There was no way in hell she was going to stay that way; she had 10 minutes to figure out a way out of this mess before she would be stuck between a rock and a hard place on the Penguin's home turf. Unless she could buy herself more time, she had to escape as soon as she figured out a way to free herself...​

 

[Sark]

Rhea's brows fyrrowed as she got yelled at by Oswald. You'd think she'd be used to getting yelled at by now, but she really hated being treated like a baby by her big brother enough. "Yeah, Gene here helped me out quite a bit. I took the chance to shoot act Butch as soon as I could afterwards too!" She spoke up, honest and trying to defend herself so Gene wouldn't have to do it all.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Crow

Ohhh boy. Boss man was madder than a rabbit what got into the moonshine. But that was all right. The people Gene had dealt with back home had more mood swings than this. Now, how to do this properly...aha!

Gene gave his boss an apologetic look, humbling himself before the Penguin. "Aw shoot, sir. I'm awful sorry for all that. The thing is, when I saw you get shot, after you went through all that troible to get us pardoned? Well, I saw red, sir. Cops, Hoods...they were all one to me when it meant proving you're the boss. 'Sides, they were all shootin' at each other in close range. Ain't our fault a stray bullet or two wound up in the wrong car!"

He glanced to Rhea and continued, "As for why it took so long, one of them bastards took out poor Rhea's bike. I figured it weren't right to leave her behind-she's one of our own here, y'know, sir? And we're all family, sir. Why, if anyone in this room, or out at the party, were to get killed by some lowlife Hoods or some dirty cop..." His hands, folded on the table, tightened their grip, the knuckles turning white. "I would probably do a whole lot more damage than what I did today, sir."

@Sark @Crow @Takumi​

"This" Penguin stammered through his forced smile "This is the kind of candour that gets you far in this business" He haphazardly began to wave his dagger in Gene's direction, drawing loops in the air with its blade. Sweat dripped across his forehead as his rage passed and the facade of the mob boss returned to his eyes, albeit a more slovenly mob boss that the enforcers might have anticipated. He remained hunched forward, his body unevenly raised by trembling arm. "So what you're telling me, Mr. Gene... is that its Rhea's own incompetence that let Butch escape? Oh, that makes it all o-k. You know what, Mr. Gene? I've grown tired of that good-ol' all-American family mechanic, haven't you? It didn't do Falcone any good when he was in charge. Didn't do the Maroni's any better..."

Rising from his seat, Oswald began to chew the floorboards again, only this time, limping his was behind his chair and towards the window, free of his cane. Staring out across the Gotham skyline, he continued.

"Those 'crime families' failed because they forgot one thing- this is a business. Businesses come with loses and accountability. They come contracts and consequences. This isn't a family, Gene. This is a very precise and complicated system, the most complicated Gotham has ever known!" There is no room for mistakes. We're not a family. We don't forgive"

Abruptly turning back to his audience, Penguin rocked his body forward, a cutting glare cutting deep into Gene's eyes.

"Had Butch escaped with his life, I would have not hesitated to have had you shot for admitting to having not done all the damage you could. A nice, quick death would be the only holiday bonus you would be receiving. Yet, since Butch is, dead, albeit, at the expense of my pride and reputation, I will grant you a slightly more homely punishment"

His flipped his knife around, placing the hilt of the blade before Gene's cupped hands.

"I see potential in you, Gene. You could go far in Gotham. You have drive, you have wit, a taste for violence and a knack for brutality, so I hear. But you won't get as far as you could unless you realise that your attachments have made you weak. They're interfering with your potential, just as they once interfered with mine. Never again"

"Never, Ever again"

"So your punishment will be a pledge of loyalty. Your punishment will be to punish Rhea. You will decide her fate"

His eyes danced towards the blade

"What will it be? Will you take a finger? A hand? Or go for the nice clean kill we all know you're capable of. I'm curious as to the path you take, Mr.Gene...

Oh, and don't even think about turning that knife on me. I'm quite certain that there my boys outside won't take kindly to that... nor will they take kindly to any verdict that displeases me"
@Yun Lee @Crow @Takumi
____________​

Shirley Homestead

"I'm more than ready to bring people to justice and bring the truth to light, but isn't your math off? Five of us, and you make six. Who's number seven?"

Shirley learned against a nearby desk, threatening to knock over any papers that were scattered upon it. She took a bite of a granola bar, which barely stood as breakfast. However, it would have to serve ss lunch and dinner with how busy they were about to be. She wouldn't complain; she knew they had a lot of work to do today.

@Sark @Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky​

"Sorry kid, but I won't be going in with you guys. With the number of run-ins Jim and I have had with the Bird, his men practically have us on a blacklist; wouldn't surprise me if they had a shoot-on-site rule made just for Jim behind those doors. One look at me and Cobblepot would have his would operation in lockdown, and we can't waste our one shot on that. So right now, the missions gonna be the 6 of you plus Sergent McNally. Some of you might have seen him around the place. Tall guy? Bit of a dick? I'm sure you'll know him when you see him. Guys had a few run-ins with the Penguin's boys before, but he's mostly been assigned to the Anti-Vigilante task force since, so it's unlikely the Bird will know his face. He'll meet you on the inside. He's the best undercover man we've got"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_________​

Oh God the nightmare still wasn't done. Clara thought to herself as she was ushered into another meeting. After her little panic attack yesterday she had hopped for some stability in her life, but that seemed to be just another pipe dream. Listening intently to what Bullock and Gordon were talking only speaking up when they had finished.

"I-Infiltration?" She managed to stammered out. "M-My backlog in the lab though, it's getting really big after yesterday so..." She awkwardly pushed herself up from the chair she had been sitting on and started to make her way to the forensics lab. Gey, it was worth a shot.

@Sark @WeAreTheCops

"No can do, Mz. Clover" Lucius muttered, clumsily laying a large metal briefcase across Gordon's desk "Your particular skills will be integral to the mission. Besides, Forensics was one of the departments that were hurt the least by yesterday's attacks. Although some of your co-workers have been placed in active duty to compensate for the lack of ground officers, there are more than enough boys back in the lab to share out your workload. As Head of your Department, I specifically asked for you to be given this cafe; your work is fast and proves results. I wouldn't recommend anyone else"

"Hey hey hey" Bullock interjected with a raised palm "Don't sell me short, Fox. I had her in mind anyway. She did some good work back at the docks. Might have saved Harry's leg from a week o' surgery by my guesses. Thanks to her and Aurora we don't have a 19th officer off the books"

"Ah, yes" Lucius smiled "I'm sure the Forensics team will have much to applaud her for by the time she returns to her typical tasks. Quite the audacious feat"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________​

This was certainly not his usual kind of work, but today he had to make an exception. "Sir, we just did our jobs." William said towards Harvey. It might be what an officer hoped to be in, but he wasn't going to let it get into his head. He took moment to consider his next words. "I don't think I am the best person for an infiltration mission, but if you believe we are the right people for the job, I won't let you nor our fallen down."

"Nice to see a humble hero for once, and even nicer to see one who does feel the need to hide his face" Gordon growled, taking a deep sip of his morning black coffee. placed his cup back down on top of Harvey's file, letting the condensation crawl along its perimete. The brown ring almost added the ordered-yet-choatic composition of Harvey rough strategy guide. "But according to Harvey's 'battle plan' it's more of an undercover op than an infiltration. More disguises than lock picking..."

"You say that like its a bad thing!" Harvey laughed "The last thing Birdbrain is gonna expect is for some of his own patrons to turn around and cuff him once we get what we need outta him. The Iceberg is the only place in town that Penguin'll let his guard down in. The smart move would be to catch him with his pants down, aye Fox?"

"I've ran it by logistics" Fox scratched his temple "They've created enough cover identities to cover all 7 officers and some fitting clothes to match their new attitudes. The plan is for some of them to hold Penguin's attention and encourage him to lower his guard, while the others try to play the room and try to gather some intel on Penguin's operation. Once they work out where he keeps his sensitive documents, they can make an attempt at stealing a look at them; the lounges back rooms aren't large-"

"-I Never took you as the partying type, Lucius?"

"I took a look at the blueprints. I am yet to count out the premises myself"

Bullock released a loud sign. Fox was as... alien as ever.

"Once the documents have been acquired, our forensics officers can run some simple printing and ink dating tests, and should they have time run a handwriting comparison. After that they can leave the lounge in plain sight"

"Look, Fox is making it sounds more complicated than it is. Its simple: our boys go in undercover, they make a disguise, wait for Cobblepot's knuckleheads to spill the beans, grab what we need then go. Just a rinse and wash operation, Jim"

"Sounds dangerous"

"Never stopped you when you were a detective"

With a tense brow and scowl, Jim nodded, accepting Harvey's checkmate.

"Fine... but I was you and Fox in the van just incase anything goes wrong"

"Wouldn't have it any other way"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________________________________
​

Harry was still limping a little,sure, and maybe it did hurt every time he moved, but....yeah, alright. If it wasn’t for the fact that eighteen good officers were out of action, and the average remaining policeman taking the job of three people, then Harry would have gotten back home and rest. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and now? He was trying to walk as slowly as he could to avoid putting pressure on his foot. Heck, had he decided to not have one, he’ll probably have a crutch by now.

Noneless, Harry stood by. He was utterly tired, and lethargically listened in. Great. Another one of those physically imposing duties. Well, it was an infiltration, so it was better then a chase. Still likely to end up in a shoot out though.

“Mm, So what’s the plan? Boss?”
@Sark @Others​

"Well, If you're up to it-"

"And only if you're up to it-"

"-You'll have a pretty important role in this case"

On cue, Fox opened up his briefcase to reveal a steel walking cane folded over itself, with a distinct black crease lining its shaft. Delicately removing it from its confinements, Lucius swung his wrist forward, allowing the crutch to extend to its full length, almost cleaning off Harvey's desk in the process.

"It's a walking stick"

"No Kidding"

"Not any old walking stick. Fox had this one custom made, just like a lot of their undercover gear. This is good tech, right?"

"Right. Should you apply pressure here-" He tensed his finger at the base of the handle, pressing down upon a small, silver button. Upon command, the crease expanded into an expansive crack, its spring-loaded jaws revealing a sea of scientific equipment tied to the chamber's walls. "Everything the forensics team will need its right in there. Nothing volatile, down worry. I assure you, it highly unlikely that your cane will explode... probably"

"Beyond that, the cane should be a real help when it comes to earning Oswald's trust-"

"Yes. Penguin is not all that proud about his limp. Seeing another man with a cane in the room should put him at ease, even if yours is only temporary"

"Plus I managed to convince Fox to put a taser in that thing. You're holding the world's first and only taser stick"

"Hense why I only stated that your combustion is... unlikely. Just apply pressure to the lower quatre of the cane and swing. The motion charges its battery. Just... try to stay away from alcohol should you need to defend yourself. Fire could tamper with evidence"

"-And more importantly hurt a lot of innocent people. With any luck, you won't even need to use the taser, but if you do, it should be a good ace up your sleeve"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_____________________________________​

Kidd Wilder
@Sark

What happened after the explosion was a blurr. She certainly gave everyone she could hell as she ran, but whether or not she was traveling high-key or low-key, it didn't matter.

In the end, she was caught blind-sided by a force she couldn't see. For all her street smarts, and the promise she might have shown... She was but a novice still, and in this line of work, even the smallest slipup would almost undoubtedly make her pay dearly.

Finally regaining consciousness, she could feel she was cuffed, and had a general idea of her environment despite being blindfolded. The general feel of the environment, plus the sounds reaching her in were enough to cue her in on the fact that it was an ice-cream truck. However, considering the fact that she was being held captive here, she could assume there were probably some... Modifications made to its interior.

Hearing the voice through the radio, Kidd grimaced, but didn't say anything just yet.

Instead, she began to assess her options one last time before she spoke, checking to see what she still had on her, and what she was missing in terms of gear (at the very least her outfit was intact for the most part). Though, she had to wonder how they knew her name. Due to her life on the streets, there wasn't exactly a paper trail, but then again... With the right connections, it was very possible they dug up enough loose ends to piece it all together.

"Before ya skin me. Or whatever it is yer gonna do... ... Mind givin' me yer name?" She said, raising her voice just enough so it was audible over all the other noises resonating around her.

For the time being, she was a captive, but... ... There was no way in hell she was going to stay that way; she had 10 minutes to figure out a way out of this mess before she would be stuck between a rock and a hard place on the Penguin's home turf. Unless she could buy herself more time, she had to escape as soon as she figured out a way to free herself...​

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't plan on skinning you. I much prefer keeping things... clean. If I were to kill you, I would have shot you in the...head. One clean shot. I'm nice. The Boss... he's not so nice when it comes to things like this. He might skin you. But I... I won't. Don't want you to get confused here. I'm just the messenger"

The truck began to swerve slightly as Zsasz checked his watch, letting his vehicle drift across the lanes. He took an early exit, gracefully dancing around the corner and towards the iceberg. "Look at the time...Sorry... forgot about the blindfold. Guess we should hurry things up. The Boss doesn't like to be kept waiting now... he likes dinner to be on the table as soon as he gets in ...Oh, and the name's... Zsasz. Don't worry too hard about spelling it for your... Christmas Cards. I hope you don't mind, but I already ID checked you. A breach of privacy... maybe. But it won't matter too much when you're... dead"
@York
__________________________
​

 

[Jeremi]

"This" Penguin stammered through his forced smile "This is the kind of candour that gets you far in this business" He haphazardly began to wave his dagger in Gene's direction, drawing loops in the air with its blade. Sweat dripped across his forehead as his rage passed and the facade of the mob boss returned to his eyes, albeit a more slovenly mob boss that the enforcers might have anticipated. He remained hunched forward, his body unevenly raised by trembling arm. "So what you're telling me, Mr. Gene... is that its Rhea's own incompetence that let Butch escape? Oh, that makes it all o-k. You know what, Mr. Gene? I've grown tired of that good-ol' all-American family mechanic, haven't you? It didn't do Falcone any good when he was in charge. Didn't do the Maroni's any better..."

Rising from his seat, Oswald began to chew the floorboards again, only this time, limping his was behind his chair and towards the window, free of his cane. Staring out across the Gotham skyline, he continued.

"Those 'crime families' failed because they forgot one thing- this is a business. Businesses come with loses and accountability. They come contracts and consequences. This isn't a family, Gene. This is a very precise and complicated system, the most complicated Gotham has ever known!" There is no room for mistakes. We're not a family. We don't forgive"

Abruptly turning back to his audience, Penguin rocked his body forward, a cutting glare cutting deep into Gene's eyes.

"Had Butch escaped with his life, I would have not hesitated to have had you shot for admitting to having not done all the damage you could. A nice, quick death would be the only holiday bonus you would be receiving. Yet, since Butch is, dead, albeit, at the expense of my pride and reputation, I will grant you a slightly more homely punishment"

His flipped his knife around, placing the hilt of the blade before Gene's cupped hands.

"I see potential in you, Gene. You could go far in Gotham. You have drive, you have wit, a taste for violence and a knack for brutality, so I hear. But you won't get as far as you could unless you realise that your attachments have made you weak. They're interfering with your potential, just as they once interfered with mine. Never again"

"Never, Ever again"

"So your punishment will be a pledge of loyalty. Your punishment will be to punish Rhea. You will decide her fate"

His eyes danced towards the blade

"What will it be? Will you take a finger? A hand? Or go for the nice clean kill we all know you're capable of. I'm curious as to the path you take, Mr.Gene...

Oh, and don't even think about turning that knife on me. I'm quite certain that there my boys outside won't take kindly to that... nor will they take kindly to any verdict that displeases me"
@Yun Lee @Crow @Takumi
____________​

"Sorry kid, but I won't be going in with you guys. With the number of run-ins Jim and I have had with the Bird, his men practically have us on a blacklist; wouldn't surprise me if they had a shoot-on-site rule made just for Jim behind those doors. One look at me and Cobblepot would have his would operation in lockdown, and we can't waste our one shot on that. So right now, the missions gonna be the 6 of you plus Sergent McNally. Some of you might have seen him around the place. Tall guy? Bit of a dick? I'm sure you'll know him when you see him. Guys had a few run-ins with the Penguin's boys before, but he's mostly been assigned to the Anti-Vigilante task force since, so it's unlikely the Bird will know his face. He'll meet you on the inside. He's the best undercover man we've got"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_________​

"No can do, Mz. Clover" Lucius muttered, clumsily laying a large metal briefcase across Gordon's desk "Your particular skills will be integral to the mission. Besides, Forensics was one of the departments that were hurt the least by yesterday's attacks. Although some of your co-workers have been placed in active duty to compensate for the lack of ground officers, there are more than enough boys back in the lab to share out your workload. As Head of your Department, I specifically asked for you to be given this cafe; your work is fast and proves results. I wouldn't recommend anyone else"

"Hey hey hey" Bullock interjected with a raised palm "Don't sell me short, Fox. I had her in mind anyway. She did some good work back at the docks. Might have saved Harry's leg from a week o' surgery by my guesses. Thanks to her and Aurora we don't have a 19th officer off the books"

"Ah, yes" Lucius smiled "I'm sure the Forensics team will have much to applaud her for by the time she returns to her typical tasks. Quite the audacious feat"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________​

"Nice to see a humble hero for once, and even nicer to see one who does feel the need to hide his face" Gordon growled, taking a deep sip of his morning black coffee. placed his cup back down on top of Harvey's file, letting the condensation crawl along its perimete. The brown ring almost added the ordered-yet-choatic composition of Harvey rough strategy guide. "But according to Harvey's 'battle plan' it's more of an undercover op than an infiltration. More disguises than lock picking..."

"You say that like its a bad thing!" Harvey laughed "The last thing Birdbrain is gonna expect is for some of his own patrons to turn around and cuff him once we get what we need outta him. The Iceberg is the only place in town that Penguin'll let his guard down in. The smart move would be to catch him with his pants down, aye Fox?"

"I've ran it by logistics" Fox scratched his temple "They've created enough cover identities to cover all 7 officers and some fitting clothes to match their new attitudes. The plan is for some of them to hold Penguin's attention and encourage him to lower his guard, while the others try to play the room and try to gather some intel on Penguin's operation. Once they work out where he keeps his sensitive documents, they can make an attempt at stealing a look at them; the lounges back rooms aren't large-"

"-I Never took you as the partying type, Lucius?"

"I took a look at the blueprints. I am yet to count out the premises myself"

Bullock released a loud sign. Fox was as... alien as ever.

"Once the documents have been acquired, our forensics officers can run some simple printing and ink dating tests, and should they have time run a handwriting comparison. After that they can leave the lounge in plain sight"

"Look, Fox is making it sounds more complicated than it is. Its simple: our boys go in undercover, they make a disguise, wait for Cobblepot's knuckleheads to spill the beans, grab what we need then go. Just a rinse and wash operation, Jim"

"Sounds dangerous"

"Never stopped you when you were a detective"

With a tense brow and scowl, Jim nodded, accepting Harvey's checkmate.

"Fine... but I was you and Fox in the van just incase anything goes wrong"

"Wouldn't have it any other way"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________________________________
​

"Well, If you're up to it-"

"And only if you're up to it-"

"-You'll have a pretty important role in this case"

On cue, Fox opened up his briefcase to reveal a steel walking cane folded over itself, with a distinct black crease lining its shaft. Delicately removing it from its confinements, Lucius swung his wrist forward, allowing the crutch to extend to its full length, almost cleaning off Harvey's desk in the process.

"It's a walking stick"

"No Kidding"

"Not any old walking stick. Fox had this one custom made, just like a lot of their undercover gear. This is good tech, right?"

"Right. Should you apply pressure here-" He tensed his finger at the base of the handle, pressing down upon a small, silver button. Upon command, the crease expanded into an expansive crack, its spring-loaded jaws revealing a sea of scientific equipment tied to the chamber's walls. "Everything the forensics team will need its right in there. Nothing volatile, down worry. I assure you, it highly unlikely that your cane will explode... probably"

"Beyond that, the cane should be a real help when it comes to earning Oswald's trust-"

"Yes. Penguin is not all that proud about his limp. Seeing another man with a cane in the room should put him at ease, even if yours is only temporary"

"Plus I managed to convince Fox to put a taser in that thing. You're holding the world's first and only taser stick"

"Hense why I only stated that your combustion is... unlikely. Just apply pressure to the lower quatre of the cane and swing. The motion charges its battery. Just... try to stay away from alcohol should you need to defend yourself. Fire could tamper with evidence"

"-And more importantly hurt a lot of innocent people. With any luck, you won't even need to use the taser, but if you do, it should be a good ace up your sleeve"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_____________________________________​

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't plan on skinning you. I much prefer keeping things... clean. If I were to kill you, I would have shot you in the...head. One clean shot. I'm nice. The Boss... he's not so nice when it comes to things like this. He might skin you. But I... I won't. Don't want you to get confused here. I'm just the messenger"

The truck began to swerve slightly as Zsasz checked his watch, letting his vehicle drift across the lanes. He took an early exit, gracefully dancing around the corner and towards the iceberg. "Look at the time...Sorry... forgot about the blindfold. Guess we should hurry things up. The Boss doesn't like to be kept waiting now... he likes dinner to be on the table as soon as he gets in ...Oh, and the name's... Zsasz. Don't worry too hard about spelling it for your... Christmas Cards. I hope you don't mind, but I already ID checked you. A breach of privacy... maybe. But it won't matter too much when you're... dead"
@York
__________________________
​

Clara was terrible when it came to flattery, couldn't take a compliment to save her life. Now she was being showered with them. "N-No, it was nothing." If her face got any redder she'd probably explode from all the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I am just...trying to do my job and...okay." She knew it was pointless to argue, and with that she slumped back down on the chair to see what else they had to say.

@Alex Azure @Sark @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172

 

[Sleepwalker]

Okay, to be honest, Harry was a bit unenthusiastic at first. After all, he got pulled into duty even when he had trouble walking, and this was really risky. Sure, disguise was his thing, but still. Although he didn’t say it, he agreed with William (Harry would have put more tact in though), and overall, felt like crap. Espically with the seventh member of the team being revealed.

But then, although he try to deny it, the pep talks everyone got was cheering him up, except for Clara’s. It was irrational, but she was indirectly responsible for him being here. And his plan to shoot the Penguin once they went in just for spite disappeared.

And finally, it was his turn. Harry stared at the cane in fascination. It reminded him of those spy gadgets, like the Bulgarian umbrella and the show phone, aka amazing. It helped him to walk, it had forensic equipment (that Harry had minimum knowledge of, asides from stuff from TV shows), and best of all, had a self defence mechanism. Harry wasn’t a good fighting, he knew, so this would come in handy.

How could deny such a gadget. He was practising with it already, espically with the taser.
“Of course I’m up to it. I’ll make sure to make good use of this. Thank you.”
@Sark @Cops​

 

[Takumi]

"This" Penguin stammered through his forced smile "This is the kind of candour that gets you far in this business" He haphazardly began to wave his dagger in Gene's direction, drawing loops in the air with its blade. Sweat dripped across his forehead as his rage passed and the facade of the mob boss returned to his eyes, albeit a more slovenly mob boss that the enforcers might have anticipated. He remained hunched forward, his body unevenly raised by trembling arm. "So what you're telling me, Mr. Gene... is that its Rhea's own incompetence that let Butch escape? Oh, that makes it all o-k. You know what, Mr. Gene? I've grown tired of that good-ol' all-American family mechanic, haven't you? It didn't do Falcone any good when he was in charge. Didn't do the Maroni's any better..."

Rising from his seat, Oswald began to chew the floorboards again, only this time, limping his was behind his chair and towards the window, free of his cane. Staring out across the Gotham skyline, he continued.

"Those 'crime families' failed because they forgot one thing- this is a business. Businesses come with loses and accountability. They come contracts and consequences. This isn't a family, Gene. This is a very precise and complicated system, the most complicated Gotham has ever known!" There is no room for mistakes. We're not a family. We don't forgive"

Abruptly turning back to his audience, Penguin rocked his body forward, a cutting glare cutting deep into Gene's eyes.

"Had Butch escaped with his life, I would have not hesitated to have had you shot for admitting to having not done all the damage you could. A nice, quick death would be the only holiday bonus you would be receiving. Yet, since Butch is, dead, albeit, at the expense of my pride and reputation, I will grant you a slightly more homely punishment"

His flipped his knife around, placing the hilt of the blade before Gene's cupped hands.

"I see potential in you, Gene. You could go far in Gotham. You have drive, you have wit, a taste for violence and a knack for brutality, so I hear. But you won't get as far as you could unless you realise that your attachments have made you weak. They're interfering with your potential, just as they once interfered with mine. Never again"

"Never, Ever again"

"So your punishment will be a pledge of loyalty. Your punishment will be to punish Rhea. You will decide her fate"

His eyes danced towards the blade

"What will it be? Will you take a finger? A hand? Or go for the nice clean kill we all know you're capable of. I'm curious as to the path you take, Mr.Gene...

Oh, and don't even think about turning that knife on me. I'm quite certain that there my boys outside won't take kindly to that... nor will they take kindly to any verdict that displeases me"
@Yun Lee @Crow @Takumi
____________​

"Sorry kid, but I won't be going in with you guys. With the number of run-ins Jim and I have had with the Bird, his men practically have us on a blacklist; wouldn't surprise me if they had a shoot-on-site rule made just for Jim behind those doors. One look at me and Cobblepot would have his would operation in lockdown, and we can't waste our one shot on that. So right now, the missions gonna be the 6 of you plus Sergent McNally. Some of you might have seen him around the place. Tall guy? Bit of a dick? I'm sure you'll know him when you see him. Guys had a few run-ins with the Penguin's boys before, but he's mostly been assigned to the Anti-Vigilante task force since, so it's unlikely the Bird will know his face. He'll meet you on the inside. He's the best undercover man we've got"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_________​

"No can do, Mz. Clover" Lucius muttered, clumsily laying a large metal briefcase across Gordon's desk "Your particular skills will be integral to the mission. Besides, Forensics was one of the departments that were hurt the least by yesterday's attacks. Although some of your co-workers have been placed in active duty to compensate for the lack of ground officers, there are more than enough boys back in the lab to share out your workload. As Head of your Department, I specifically asked for you to be given this cafe; your work is fast and proves results. I wouldn't recommend anyone else"

"Hey hey hey" Bullock interjected with a raised palm "Don't sell me short, Fox. I had her in mind anyway. She did some good work back at the docks. Might have saved Harry's leg from a week o' surgery by my guesses. Thanks to her and Aurora we don't have a 19th officer off the books"

"Ah, yes" Lucius smiled "I'm sure the Forensics team will have much to applaud her for by the time she returns to her typical tasks. Quite the audacious feat"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________​

"Nice to see a humble hero for once, and even nicer to see one who does feel the need to hide his face" Gordon growled, taking a deep sip of his morning black coffee. placed his cup back down on top of Harvey's file, letting the condensation crawl along its perimete. The brown ring almost added the ordered-yet-choatic composition of Harvey rough strategy guide. "But according to Harvey's 'battle plan' it's more of an undercover op than an infiltration. More disguises than lock picking..."

"You say that like its a bad thing!" Harvey laughed "The last thing Birdbrain is gonna expect is for some of his own patrons to turn around and cuff him once we get what we need outta him. The Iceberg is the only place in town that Penguin'll let his guard down in. The smart move would be to catch him with his pants down, aye Fox?"

"I've ran it by logistics" Fox scratched his temple "They've created enough cover identities to cover all 7 officers and some fitting clothes to match their new attitudes. The plan is for some of them to hold Penguin's attention and encourage him to lower his guard, while the others try to play the room and try to gather some intel on Penguin's operation. Once they work out where he keeps his sensitive documents, they can make an attempt at stealing a look at them; the lounges back rooms aren't large-"

"-I Never took you as the partying type, Lucius?"

"I took a look at the blueprints. I am yet to count out the premises myself"

Bullock released a loud sign. Fox was as... alien as ever.

"Once the documents have been acquired, our forensics officers can run some simple printing and ink dating tests, and should they have time run a handwriting comparison. After that they can leave the lounge in plain sight"

"Look, Fox is making it sounds more complicated than it is. Its simple: our boys go in undercover, they make a disguise, wait for Cobblepot's knuckleheads to spill the beans, grab what we need then go. Just a rinse and wash operation, Jim"

"Sounds dangerous"

"Never stopped you when you were a detective"

With a tense brow and scowl, Jim nodded, accepting Harvey's checkmate.

"Fine... but I was you and Fox in the van just incase anything goes wrong"

"Wouldn't have it any other way"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
____________________________________________________
​

"Well, If you're up to it-"

"And only if you're up to it-"

"-You'll have a pretty important role in this case"

On cue, Fox opened up his briefcase to reveal a steel walking cane folded over itself, with a distinct black crease lining its shaft. Delicately removing it from its confinements, Lucius swung his wrist forward, allowing the crutch to extend to its full length, almost cleaning off Harvey's desk in the process.

"It's a walking stick"

"No Kidding"

"Not any old walking stick. Fox had this one custom made, just like a lot of their undercover gear. This is good tech, right?"

"Right. Should you apply pressure here-" He tensed his finger at the base of the handle, pressing down upon a small, silver button. Upon command, the crease expanded into an expansive crack, its spring-loaded jaws revealing a sea of scientific equipment tied to the chamber's walls. "Everything the forensics team will need its right in there. Nothing volatile, down worry. I assure you, it highly unlikely that your cane will explode... probably"

"Beyond that, the cane should be a real help when it comes to earning Oswald's trust-"

"Yes. Penguin is not all that proud about his limp. Seeing another man with a cane in the room should put him at ease, even if yours is only temporary"

"Plus I managed to convince Fox to put a taser in that thing. You're holding the world's first and only taser stick"

"Hense why I only stated that your combustion is... unlikely. Just apply pressure to the lower quatre of the cane and swing. The motion charges its battery. Just... try to stay away from alcohol should you need to defend yourself. Fire could tamper with evidence"

"-And more importantly hurt a lot of innocent people. With any luck, you won't even need to use the taser, but if you do, it should be a good ace up your sleeve"
@Alex Azure @Jeremi @MelodyMeister @Crow @Lucky @Donder172
_____________________________________​

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't plan on skinning you. I much prefer keeping things... clean. If I were to kill you, I would have shot you in the...head. One clean shot. I'm nice. The Boss... he's not so nice when it comes to things like this. He might skin you. But I... I won't. Don't want you to get confused here. I'm just the messenger"

The truck began to swerve slightly as Zsasz checked his watch, letting his vehicle drift across the lanes. He took an early exit, gracefully dancing around the corner and towards the iceberg. "Look at the time...Sorry... forgot about the blindfold. Guess we should hurry things up. The Boss doesn't like to be kept waiting now... he likes dinner to be on the table as soon as he gets in ...Oh, and the name's... Zsasz. Don't worry too hard about spelling it for your... Christmas Cards. I hope you don't mind, but I already ID checked you. A breach of privacy... maybe. But it won't matter too much when you're... dead"
@York
__________________________
​

The insult to her intelligence caused the young woman to suck frustrated air through grit teeth. As if physically holding back a witty retort, and letting it settle and bubble in the pit of her stomach. Now was the time to pick your battles wisely, for once. Exhaling quietly through her nose as Cobblepot went on, she honestly saw it coming in some way. Eyes narrowed and lips pursing, Rhea stared at her employer for a moment, before staring Gene's way. Crossing her arms, for a second she seemed to be thinking about soemthing to say. She could very well look like an idiot like in those old movies and beg for her life or whatever, or she could take whatever life gave her and go along with it like she always has up until now.

She...honestly had nothing to really say in the end other than a grumbled "Well, let's get this shit over with". What more could she say? Gene was stuck between a rock and a hard place right now, and she wasn't gonna goad him into dishing out something like, severe anf life threatening, or whatever.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Crow

 

[Yun Lee]

Gene was silent as Cobblepot berated him, letting the boss say all he wanted to. Once finished, Gene looked down at the dagger before him, quiet a moment. Then...he did something rather unorthodox.

"Haw haw! Aw, man! You sure showed me, boss!"

Gene broke into a grin, one that was completely genuine. "You saw through that shit faster than anyone back home! All them mafia types are all hung up on family and honor...makes me downright sick! That's why I made sure to burn all them bridges I had down in Dixie...and a few other things, too."

He picked up the knife and tossed it into the air, catching it by the handle. "Good to know this here is a professional establishment. Fancy suits and parties...gee whiz, if only the boys back home could see me now! Fuckin' inbreds wouldn't know class if it lit 'em on fire!" He sighed, finally turning to Rhea. "Now, as for my punishment...allow me to explain why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. First of all, you ARE my people. Even if we're a business, I don't take too kindly to my people gettin' slammed by them Hoods or them cops. Now, if one of our own was traitor, then I'd be happy to kill 'em...but Rhea's useful. She was the one who put the hearse out of commission, so it wouldn't be right to kill her when she can provide more to this establishment. But...an order's an order, so..."

It would happen so quickly that Rhea wouldn't feel it at first. In one second, Gene had his hand on the top of her head, the other making a simple flick of the wrist with the dagger. In the next, he was back in his seat, something white and round sitting atop the point of his dagger. Gene laughed, grinning at Oswald and ignoring any reaction Rhea may have. "How's that, boss? I can take her other eye if you ain't satisfied. Just say the word!"

@Sark @Takumi @Crow​

 

[Crow]

The insult to her intelligence caused the young woman to suck frustrated air through grit teeth. As if physically holding back a witty retort, and letting it settle and bubble in the pit of her stomach. Now was the time to pick your battles wisely, for once. Exhaling quietly through her nose as Cobblepot went on, she honestly saw it coming in some way. Eyes narrowed and lips pursing, Rhea stared at her employer for a moment, before staring Gene's way. Crossing her arms, for a second she seemed to be thinking about soemthing to say. She could very well look like an idiot like in those old movies and beg for her life or whatever, or she could take whatever life gave her and go along with it like she always has up until now.

She...honestly had nothing to really say in the end other than a grumbled "Well, let's get this shit over with". What more could she say? Gene was stuck between a rock and a hard place right now, and she wasn't gonna goad him into dishing out something like, severe anf life threatening, or whatever.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Crow

Gene was silent as Cobblepot berated him, letting the boss say all he wanted to. Once finished, Gene looked down at the dagger before him, quiet a moment. Then...he did something rather unorthodox.

"Haw haw! Aw, man! You sure showed me, boss!"

Gene broke into a grin, one that was completely genuine. "You saw through that shit faster than anyone back home! All them mafia types are all hung up on family and honor...makes me downright sick! That's why I made sure to burn all them bridges I had down in Dixie...and a few other things, too."

He picked up the knife and tossed it into the air, catching it by the handle. "Good to know this here is a professional establishment. Fancy suits and parties...gee whiz, if only the boys back home could see me now! Fuckin' inbreds wouldn't know class if it lit 'em on fire!" He sighed, finally turning to Rhea. "Now, as for my punishment...allow me to explain why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. First of all, you ARE my people. Even if we're a business, I don't take too kindly to my people gettin' slammed by them Hoods or them cops. Now, if one of our own was traitor, then I'd be happy to kill 'em...but Rhea's useful. She was the one who put the hearse out of commission, so it wouldn't be right to kill her when she can provide more to this establishment. But...an order's an order, so..."

It would happen so quickly that Rhea wouldn't feel it at first. In one second, Gene had his hand on the top of her head, the other making a simple flick of the wrist with the dagger. In the next, he was back in his seat, something white and round sitting atop the point of his dagger. Gene laughed, grinning at Oswald and ignoring any reaction Rhea may have. "How's that, boss? I can take her other eye if you ain't satisfied. Just say the word!"

@Sark @Takumi @Crow​

"..."

Charlie continues his silence as he observes the scenario play out, arms behind back. He flinches not a single bit as Rhea's eye was ripped out.

It wasn't easy to tell what he was feeling, but whatever he was feeling, he continued to observe the scene.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Crow

---

Back at Gotham Academy's dormitaries, the young Makoto Koichi sat on her bed, wondering what went wrong, before deciding to check news updates in Gotham and other places of the world via laptop.

"Let's see the newest insects trapped in this web of lies."

Makoto seemed intent on knowing how the story went in the heads of the common man.​

 

[Takumi]

Gene was silent as Cobblepot berated him, letting the boss say all he wanted to. Once finished, Gene looked down at the dagger before him, quiet a moment. Then...he did something rather unorthodox.

"Haw haw! Aw, man! You sure showed me, boss!"

Gene broke into a grin, one that was completely genuine. "You saw through that shit faster than anyone back home! All them mafia types are all hung up on family and honor...makes me downright sick! That's why I made sure to burn all them bridges I had down in Dixie...and a few other things, too."

He picked up the knife and tossed it into the air, catching it by the handle. "Good to know this here is a professional establishment. Fancy suits and parties...gee whiz, if only the boys back home could see me now! Fuckin' inbreds wouldn't know class if it lit 'em on fire!" He sighed, finally turning to Rhea. "Now, as for my punishment...allow me to explain why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. First of all, you ARE my people. Even if we're a business, I don't take too kindly to my people gettin' slammed by them Hoods or them cops. Now, if one of our own was traitor, then I'd be happy to kill 'em...but Rhea's useful. She was the one who put the hearse out of commission, so it wouldn't be right to kill her when she can provide more to this establishment. But...an order's an order, so..."

It would happen so quickly that Rhea wouldn't feel it at first. In one second, Gene had his hand on the top of her head, the other making a simple flick of the wrist with the dagger. In the next, he was back in his seat, something white and round sitting atop the point of his dagger. Gene laughed, grinning at Oswald and ignoring any reaction Rhea may have. "How's that, boss? I can take her other eye if you ain't satisfied. Just say the word!"

@Sark @Takumi @Crow​

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how one looked at it, Rhea didn't feel a thing for a good second or two. Then she felt something warm on her cheek and seeing the object on the tip of the blade made it all come down on her like a stack of bricks-pain and shock left her wide eyed, the only real reaction being-"Shit!!"

Clutching where her right eye had been, her left simply stared blankly ahead at it's now damaged and solitary other half. She didn't even register the rest of what Gene said about her other eye, and likely wouldn't fully be there mentally for another few minutes.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Crow