Getting Caught By The Fox

Summary:
February 5, 2015: Oracle speaks with Dragnet, whilst The Fox decides to visit.

Clocktower - Gotham

Oracles sanctuary


Characters

NPCs

  • None

Mood Music:
[*<http://insert.video.or.music.link.here>]


Show me someone innocent, I'll show you there's no proof.

On this point, the man and the machine agree. Its one of the reasons why he so rarely takes off the suit. Behind that face mask he can obliterate his identity, he can be less than a shadow, an occasional glowing spectral shimmer along the rooftops. It sometimes gets to the point that he forgets his own face, though he wears it just enough in the faceless crowds, the jobs he works or the shelters he stays at to survive. As Dragnet he can at least pretend to be a predator, pretend to be righteous. That young man, that lost boy…how carefully he runs diagnostics on the armor that was not made or intended for him, lavishing attention on a stolen heirloom, a walking sanctum of nanoweave and armor plating, circuitry and (unbeknownst to him) spectral presence. In the present moment he wears only the helmet, utilizing a form of spot welding he has jury rigged to the suit. Its almost like cauterization really, the way he tends to the damage sections of the suit. It will repair, given time, but right now it needs the boost. It has to be serviceable. That encounter with the cartel clones had taken him out too long…it will be another night he has to be off the street, but hopefully it will be the last. He can't be Frederick for too much longer. He needs to be faceless again.

***

Oracle has been watching for Dragnet. She's got some fix on him as he roams Gotham but every so often he drops off her radar because there are just other, larger, issues to deal with… and he's not causing problems for her or The Bats. Today though, she has some time and it's been too long since she touched base. The last conversation had been with The Sword… today, she wants to talk to The Sheath, or Frederick.

The comms channel The Sword had provided is opened, and the redhead in the Clocktower starts talking "Hello there, this Oracle. Is now a good time to talk?"

***

Emotions war in him. Panic. Uncertainty. Fight or flight. He is used to silence in his suit, or more accurately occasional nudging. His fist clenches, his eyes dart…before he answers. Visible shaking, the voice modulation only cuts in only halfway. "Its never a good time to talk, but I figured it was inevitable. You're the voice inside everyone in Gotham's ears, after all. Ducked the Bats for two years, and its a death God chicken that gets me pinched." He says with an audible grimace. He clenches again, looking around. He won't be coming back here, at the very least. "So, what do you want? I'm a bit old for your patriarch's tastes in disciples."

***

"He's not my patriach" comes Oracles' somewhat arch response, not that it would be obvious through the digital disguise. "In fact, I'm not acting on his behalf, but my own." the redhead does smile "I'm not in everyone's ears either. It's only a select few really that get to speak with me. I wanted to see how you were doing and if I could be of assistance to you."

***

There's a buzz on the comm. Well, Kane had promised to check in, had he not. After that mess earlier today that had involved him nearly out of costume shooting at biker thugs. Timing. He has it.

***

"I can't tell what he runs and what he doesn't. Somedays it seems like one giant Bat suburb." He responds. He's tired, probably more than a little cranky. Its what keeps his fear of being detected to a minimum. "I think I'm okay. Not dying is always a plus, and you or someone you run seems to always show up, so…think we're good." He of course isn't aware of his AI's less than stirling opinion of his survival, but he's gotten this far, right? "Kinda wish this city would just go back to muggers and organized crime and theme criminals though. Don't know what happened but seems everything I run into is six degrees weirder than I remember…."

***

Only six degrees, well that's something… but Oracle gets his point, things are getting weird in Gotham that's for sure. Her comms going off has her eyebrows raising, it's unusual for a local to contact her… ahhhh the Druid. "Hello Fox. Thank you for checking in." She'll let him guide the discussion to begin with… perhaps he'll start with who was really in the car…. or not.

Addressing Dragnet, the redhead is all business "It's good that one of the team shows up for you, but not dying is a long way for doing well. Do you have somewhere safe to stay at least?"

***

"Evening Oracle. Hope I'm not interrupting. Nice to see you've changed your hold music. The old one was starting to wear." The Fox murmurs. She can see him now, coming in down toward the Clocktower. "I was hoping we could chat after today."

***

Dragnet pauses. Its a question he always gets. Always someone worrying, always some well natured prying. She might hear the sound of him working on the suit, the hiss of the welder. "Sleep in the suit, I'm tougher than pretty much everything that would actually go looking in one of my hideouts." Hideout definition: four walls and a portal. It works for abandoned factories, condemned housing and apartments, and when necessity dictates the occasional trash bin. If he can secure it and stay out of sight, its secure. "Its when I go outside that magic elks and teleporting Batgirls become a problem."

***

"Not interrupting, Fox and it was your hold music not mine. But yes, it is a nice change." She can hear him and wonders how much he's put together "We can can talk… where are you heading now?"

Dragnets comments cause the redhead to pause as she thinks "Well, I'm not apologising for my team being on hand. They find trouble, it's what they do." Chewing her bottom lip, Oracle forms her next thoughts "I was wondering if you might like to work with me… you seem to have a unique access to the city that the rest of my team doesn't."

***

"Oh, nowhere in particular. Up to check on someone." And test a theory. Well a hunch, really. "Were you hit today? Even with the stoneskin it can hurt. Quite a bit." The druid pauses near the Clocktower door.

***

Dragnet shakes his head. though its probably not going to register. Well, more accurately, she might see the camera angle shift. "I'm not angry necessarily its just….well, the Bats were easier to avoid. All due respect to the absolute terror they inspire…" And its true, he has the criminal (or ex-criminal) fear of the Bat thats entirely too real to shake. "Not that I'm not grateful. I just find the more 'friends' one makes in this business, the bigger things that come looking for you. I'd rather not be looked for." He says candidly, though her mention of a job does catch his ear. "I suppose I do owe you. What is it?"

***

"It did hurt the woman who was there. But she's just bruised. Nothing major." Oracle responds to the Druid and sees him pause by the Clocktower door. She doubts the ploy she used last time will work "If you want to check in on someone, we can continue this later, Fox."

"You don't owe me anything" Oracle shakes her head at Dragnets words "Whatever you think I did that deserves that, it's simply what I do." Watching the Fox at the Clocktower door, the redhead continues speaking "Nothing specific, feed information on what your seeing in terms of crime, organisation of it, your insights… and if necessary, fight with my team."

***

"So the woman who was there wasn't you? That's odd. The note your courier delivered said that you'd be the one meeting the Birdwatcher." Kane buzzes up the elevator. "And you don't have to get off the line. This won't take but a minute."

***

"I've had to do some refits, so I haven't been out much, but pretty much seen what you have. Monsters, demons, rogue nanobots, cartels with clones. Its like Gotham's immune system for things stranger than clowns and obsessive compulsives with gimmicks either shut down or is asleep at the wheel." Not to say he ever wants to run across the Joker even on a well lit, secure, totally boring Metropolis spring day, but there is a question of scale….well, most of the time. "Of course I owe you. Most try to meddle by now. Then I disappear for a while. Go up and down the coast for a while. I'm guessing you looked me up to some degree by now. Or things that looked like it could be me."

He pauses, the hissing filling in the gaps. "I just don't do this team thing…." Another pause. "I weigh people down. I get them killed. You'll understand if I'm a bit gun shy."

***

Strangely, the elevator doesn't work straight up for Kane and Oracle considers her options. Patching the comms through to her chair and tablet, the redhead moves to her private apartments and releases the door and elevator for the Fox. "I know what the note said and given how well the Birdwatcher hacked you, did you think I would take a chance he'd intercept that?"

"You haven't so far, got my team killed… and trust me when I say that few on it are truly 'team' players." Sometimes it's enough to give her a headache "You can get into areas my team can't go, anything information you can provide will be helpful."

***

Kane looks rather curiously at the panel. He could fly up… but that might be a bit rude. "Yes." He says wrather wryly. "I've noticed this." Beat. "Recently." Apparently he's none too impressed with the titans and the Bats… well the Bats batting average isn't exactly 1000 either. Bat himself was… interesting. Batgirl's been quiet but helpful. Even if she has made off with some of his weaponry. Robin was… annoying. Nightwing was… well, he's not sure yet. Misfit?

Don't even get him started.

***

The voice modulation does a good job of concealing the hitch in his voice, the trepidation. "Consider me a creature of habit. Things tend to show up around me. I don't deliver when people rely on me. I only have so much guilt in me." His fingers steeple as he looks over his hand. How often does he actually look at his flesh? Has he gotten paler for all the time he spends in the suit? "Collecting stray birds and dogs as you do, I'm surprised they are only defined as not team players. Then again this isn't a hobby for the socially adjusted. You either got a cross to bear or have an odd way of passing the time."

"Going where I go isn't hard. You just have to give up everything. Desperate people can sense if you have something to go back to….it comes across as fake. The cloaking helps, but its only tech." He does however sigh audibly. "Something you wanted specifically? Kind of hard to tell what it is you are looking for…."

***

"Then I won't rely on you, I just ask you feed me information as you can." It's sort of what a lot of Oracles network does anyway. "From you… " she sighs "I'm interested in how the underground is becoming more militarised. We know there's a faction moving into Gotham but… I simply can't get a firm handle on it. I think you will have more success there, I know you already frequent the areas we can't."

The Fox will have the elevator by now, Oracles sent it down already, he'll have access to her private apartments… he's been there before.

***

Indeed he has. The Fox a rather nasty trick here and he kind of hopes he's correct. He's got some very… very loud music qued up for the Oracle's audio feed. In his phone.

When he steps out of the elevator he reaches up to remove his mask. Babs has seen him without it already. "Hello." He smiles. "Just checking in. How are you today… oh, that's a nasty looking bruise on your neck there."

***

"Well from what I've seen it seems like most of the local Gotham players are being edged out, except for that whole bit of the East End. Seems with your problems with things bumping in the night and tech at parity with mine the multinationals are the ones with the muscle to take and hold territory. I think the clones were a Guatemalan outfit, and the Russians seem to be keen for expansion. Seems economic instability at home is making them a bit antsy." He says, rolling his shoulders back as he checks ammunition totals, reserves of gas, neurostim reserves. "The biggest thing I can say is….keep a lookout for crates. Invisible crates. Its…not as good as mine, but the cloak on them seems a little too similar to be anything but unsettling. I haven't actually seen anything in them yet, but I don't know whats being delivered or to whim. It seems almost like someone is dropping them knowing that whatever faction is about to get attacked or raided by your compatriots will be too occupied to deal with the matter."

***

Oracle manages to respond to Dragnet before the Fox steps out of the elevator "That's good intel. Will you do the same and let me know if you see anything? If I can get a handle on what's coming in…." the red head pauses "We're concerned these outfits you're seeing are HYDRA based or funded… if they are, it means big trouble for Gotham."

As The Fox steps out and mentions the bruise, her hand rises to touch it. "I suppose it is, I barely noticed doing it." Awkward much "Apart from the bruise, you can see I'm fine. It's nice of you to check in."

***

"Well have to make sure that Ninja don't get you. Or, you know, Birdwatchers." Kane hits play on his phone and blasts 'What Does the Fox Say' all up Oracle's line. Oy. If Oracle isn't this person he's in so much trouble.

***

Dragnet shrugs. "All I know about HYDRA is that one or two cells seem to like to bother me from time to time. The cloak may break after use of suit based weaponry but it seems to beat everything but that Fox person's crystals, and its fairly long lasting. I see them more as funding proxies here than actually setting up shop themselves. Something to keep you and the Bat busy, hemmed in so you don't go poking into other operations on the Eastern seaboard. Gothams their 'great place to visit/ship things to, but wouldn't want to live there city'. Or thats the impression that I get." He says, though he's not really well versed on terrorist secret societies. He just gets harassed by them from time to time. If he's hearing the conversation with the Fox, he dutifully ignores it. Not his business, and full of messy personal bits!

***

Oracle was just about to respond to Dragnet when that darn music blares and she winces, reaching a hand up to pull the ear piece from her ear. The Fox is just glared at…. "Would you mind turning it off" her green eyes flash "I was actually talking to someone."

***

There's a faint smile and he reaches into his pocket and taps his phone. "Apologies, Babs. Though I'm glad that I don't have to explain why I did that to someone else." As awkward as this might be, that'd be worse. "May I ask whom I just foxed on the other line?"

***

Her discretion and Dragnet's refusal to abide the strangeness even were he aware of it has prevented some measure of the foxing. The Sword suite may have allowed her a backdoor in, but if seems to have little tolerance for tricksy Foxes and up go through the audio filters. "Gotham also makes a lovely research facility if you are willing to get your hands dirty. Lot of people no one would miss. That would be another concern. That might explain the nanoswarm, at least…"

***

Babs gestures towards the kitchen, she's still cranky but she does see the funny side of it. "Make tea… if you will" it is the least Kane can do after that trick "Put your communicator in and wait a minute." Replacing the earpiece she checks her line and gets most of Dragnets last update "Yes, Gotham does." She's struggling to maintain her level of composure but seems to manage. "I have a mutual acquaintance that I wish you to speak with. I'm going to conference them in." A few gestures over her tablet and the two lines are connected "Dragnet and Fox. Dragnet was just telling me Fox, that your magic is one of the few things that can break a cloak he's been seeing."

***

"Cloak?" Kane is already going to make tea. He has some practice at this. "Wait, that… Iron Hobo? Yeah, I'm not sure I would be able to see you there if you didn't have one hell of an aura. Almost like you're haunted or possessed or something like that."

***

Originally had meant his own, but if she thought he meant the boxes, he won't stop them. Its also technically correct. "The Elk Man cometh." He comments, perhaps managing a bit more geniality than before. "Yeah, cloak. Dynamic active camouflage, just short of out and out invisibility. Don't know what you mean by aura, but it seems like a lot of trouble for empty boxes. No heat signature, no radiation, don't make a sound when you run into them. Only found the first one when I accidentally kicked it. The second I had to rig a very poor substitute for one of those crystal things you seem to like so much. Then it lit up like the Fourth of July. Whatever was in them, or whatever its a dry run for whatever they intend to move wasn't present."

***

Kane is slowly redeeming himself by making the tea. If he knew the trouble this would cause with the Bats… her identity is a closely held secret and he's endangered himself as much as her secret. Hearing Dragnets tone change slightly, she nods and smiles slightly her good humour at Kane returning slightly more quickly. "I was just telling Dragnet" She looks meaningfully at the Druid "that I would like him to watch out for and tell me about the militarisation of gangs in the area, Fox."

***

Kane looks thoughtful for a moment as he steeps the tea. "Funny you should mention that. The local mystic underworld is getting a lot more violent lately. Someone's been arming the Ton Ton Macoute with more than just guns and gris gris bags…" Actual minor occult artefacts have been flowing onto the market. Not a flood but enough that he's convinced it must be coming from somewhere. "Stuff's getting disturbed all over. Folks messing with the local ley lines and…" He shakes his head. "Anyway, I'd offer to help you refine your viewer, Dragnet, but I doubt they work on the same principles."

***

Dragnet shakes his head. "I just need to know where they are roughly, and if they'll blow up if I move them. It could be coincidence, but regardless of how many criminal masterminds Gotham produces I think we can safely say clone platoons and nanoswarms are above them. I'm not sure if its accidental somehow or all related, or if someone is just using Gotham as a dumping ground, transit point, or testing site." He then nods as he listens to the Fox's summations. "Like I said, magic isn't my thing. I just know I've run into the occasional energy weapon or prototype gadget a small but significant enough number of times to be concerned. If your magic stuff can be harmed by conventional means though, I'll try to help you out."

***

"Some of it can. I'll keep your offer in mind." The Fox brings over those mugs of tea now. Hot and well steeped. "You might want to look into seeing if any of the high tech firms from out of town are messing around with the kind of things you've been seeing. Other than Wayne and Queen, mostly that stuff's all in Metro." So there might be a trail…


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