Summary:
March 31, 2015: Kane visits Babs to discuss the TonTon Macoute and HYDRA Threat
Clocktower - Gotham
Bab's apartment
Characters
NPCs
- None
Mood Music:
[*<http://insert.video.or.music.link.here>]
Kane Reynard is in a rare club. He can come see Barbara Gordon and talk to her about Vigilante things. Not many know the connection between the former police commissioner's daughter and the Oracle. He stumbled upon it with a little luck. But then, he's always been lucky.
It's just not always good luck.
The tower speakers buzz as Kane rings up. "Hey Babs. It's me. Got a few minutes?
Babs is in her apartments, she's often there during the day. It's the night when she sits in front of her screens on the top floor, directing and supporting her teams. "Come on up, Kane. I'll put the tea on." Apart from Rowan, Kane is one of the few she actually gets to enjoy tea with. "Remind me to give you an access code."
Kane steps out fo the elevator. He's wearing a simple long sleeve tee shirt and work pants. Simple things for a relatively simple man. Well, a working man at any rate. "How are you this evening Barbara?" The druid smiles. "Tea'd be lovely." He looks around the apartment. Pretty spare, as seems to be the usual. "You don't collect many things do you?"
"Babs…" the redhead corrects gently "please call me Babs. I'm well, Kane. What about you?" She's wearing a tank top and yoga pants, hair pulled back in a ponytail. It looks like she might have been working out, in fact.
Following his gaze around her apartment, Babs shakes her head. "I collect information and that's not easily shown, Kane." The water boils and Babs starts to steep the tea. "The apartment suits me just fine."
"I suppose it's not easy to display information, no." The Fox murmurs as he has a seat. "And I think the place suits you too."
He takes a deep breath. "Speaking of information I have some for you. It's not good news and we're going to need to… make a few decisions relatively quickly."
"Thank you." Babs seems to relax a little, it was like she was expecting resistance. The tea is steeped and the redhead balances the cups on her lap as she approaches the table.
"Information is a gift, good news or bad." placing the cups on the table, Babs settles herself comfortably "OK, I'm listening. What's happening?"
"My contacts say the Ton Ton Macoute is looking to expand their drug network. In exchange they're going to be working very closely with our Snake headed friends." The druid sips his tea slowly. "If we don't move to stop them soon we're going to lose our chance. These people have serious money Babs. They'll get in good with the police, buy off some judges and we'll never get them back out again."
Blowing out a long deep breath, Babs shakes her head "Between that and the SRD debarcle… " it's not a pleasant prospect. "there will be no one not on the take. I was warned that HYDRA would try something like this." What seems like a lifetime ago.
Tilting her head at Kane, the redhead regards him seriously "Did you have an idea on how to approach this or did you want to brainstorm ideas?" Her tea is forgotten, cooling quickly on the table.
"Ideas, yes, but I don't know if they're good ones. The Ton-Ton is HYDRA's only in right now, so neutralizing them seems like it might keep them out. At least for a while. I don't hunt criminals, though, Babs. I hunt monsters. It just happens that the two are the same sometimes." The druid sighs. "What do you think? What do you know of this HYDRA. I've got almost nothing."
"Well Kane" Babs looks tired thinking about it "ideas are a good place to start. HYDRA… like the name suggests, is multi headed. Cut off one and there's another to deal with. Classic cell terrorism really." she shrugs, remembering the discussion in Limbo with Jericho "A contact of mine tells me they funnel arms and money into smuggling, killing, distribution and acquistion through local criminal elements." Biting her bottom lip, she looks at Kane "Chatter on the wire indicates they've got magic users involved and that something big is going to go down."
"Tell me what you're thinking Kane. You've got good instincts. I've seen you in the field. Maybe it will help me work things through on my side.
"I don't know what HYDRA wants. But the Ton-Ton is a business. Make things too expensive for them and they'll throw the deal. Or we'll push them out of Gotham entirely. That'll leave HYDRA with no foothold. Gothams criminal community is as insular as the rest of it." Kane chuckles. "One time that works in our favor. The bad news is that taking out one operation leaves room for their rivals to expand but that may be the lesser of two evils here.'
"Mmmmmm" Babs chews her bottom lip and considers Kane. "We had that discussion and I've passed that on to Batman already. But, it's funny you word it that way. You know May, right?" Of course he does, May punched him the first time they met "She's suggested not long ago that it was becoming too expensive for HYDRA to keep hitting SHIELD and that they may turn their attention to Gotham." She shrugs "Same principle."
Staring at her cup of tea she seems to remember that it's there and picks it up. "I'm working on a sideproject at the moment, leaving room for another organisation might be something we can leverage." No, she's not going to talk about the new project, yet.
"What if we 'white collar' some of it? Freeze or redirect funds, starve them of cashflow and then hit them?" Hit them where it really hurts, so to speak?
"If you can find the Ton-Ton's reserves that's a pretty good idea. Or HYDRA's." Kane thinks. "I do watch the news. They had several high profile attacks on SHIELD facilities recently. Maybe they weren't getting what they wanted. The problem is we don't have the kinds of people on call to beat them back in direct confrontations." Beat. "Unless there's more folks around here that i don't know about."
Babs can probably find the Ton-Tons money. She'll have to dig deep but it's possible. HYDRA's maybe not. "I can look at the money and resources side. Even just redirecting some shipments of product will hurt them." probably badly, if their customers don't get what they paid for.
On the issue of resources… "What …. if…. I could get people to help you?" Batman will go spare, but she's not sure she really has any options "It… will be messy. On the Bat side and the other. Batman won't like it, at all, I think."
"I'd think Batman would like the city without an invasive terrorist organization. But if it makes it easier, tell him to talk to me." Kane is impressed by Batman. But not scared of him. Call it Gotham stubbornness.
Gotham and redhed stubborness kicks in "It was simply an observation and I don't need to make it easier, Kane" Realising her tone may be a little sharp, Babs takes a deep cleansing breath "I will speak to him and put my thoughts forward. Or I may decide to act unilaterally and deal with it later." Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness later.
Focussing on her tea cup, Babs wraps her hands around it before taking a drink and grimacing slightly. It's still warm, but cool enough to be not quite nice.
Kane shrugs. "You know the man better. He still baffles me." If the druid knew who Batman really was, he'd probably be fairly furious. Because let's be honest, for a man with Bruce Wayne's resources, being a vigilante is a really inefficient way to clean up the city. "Are you thinking Batgirl? Or other people?"
"If I was thinking of any Batfamily members, I wouldn't be worried. Yes, we'll use the Batfamily to do this, but I doubt it will be enough." It's a discussion she, May and Jericho have had in the past and one she and May have had quite recently.
Sighing Babs peers at Kane and makes a decision "No one knows about this. I need you …. I would like you to not repeat it unless it's absolutely necessary." She doesn't wait for an acknowledgement "Agent May may be willing to bring SHIELD resources in, without necessarily soiling the sheets." she and May will have a fine line to walk on that one, but they should be able to do it.
"And you'd rather certain parties not find out." Kane says wryly. The look on his face is plain. He finds this dance ridiculous. "If SHIELD has the juristidiction to do this I certainly don't have a problem with it. And if it'll make it easier on you, I'll keep quiet about it. I don't care how we do this Babs. This is not a fight we can afford to lose. And we both know that"
"It's a precedent, Kane. A dangerous one. But yes…" his look is met by hers "Even if they didn't have jurisdiction, I'd use them I think. We can't lose this one, I know this." And if what Nightwing mentioned this morning is correct, the stakes may be even higher. She smiles tiredly "Batman will find out, Kane and I'll have to face that music when he does. I may try to convince him of the necessity or… I may just do it. You are the 4th, if I include Misfit the 5th, person to know about this. I trust that you and I can work together to make this happen." she sighs "I won't tell you to leave Batman to me, but if you do decide to speak to him… leave this bit out, please?"
"I can do that." Kane nods. "Though at present that doesn't seem to be worry. I've only spoken to him a few times." He's glad for the resources that come of being 'in the loop' but he's still an outsider and he knows that.
"Batman accepted you into the family, Kane. You're on the inside loop." Babs shakes her head "Not even I, get to speak to him much these days." and that worries her, the Dark Knight appears to be getting even more reclusive. "But thank you for doing that." Looking at the cup of cold tea in front of her, the redhead speaks softly "And thank you for not questioning my judgement." and treating her like she was child to be coddled and protected.
Kane chuckles and sips his tea. "Why would I? You're the information and crime expert. You don't question mine when it comes to monster hunting." Beat. "Which is more than I can say for some." Leave the experts to their expertise. It always works best that way.
"That's true." Looking at her cup, Babs turns her eyes to Kane "Though sometimes I wonder…" shaking herself Babs smiles "I'm making a fresh cup of tea. Do you want one? Be warned though, if you stay, I'll be asking about that leather clad young woman who turns up when you're on patrol."
"You mean you don't have a file on her yet?" The Druid smiles. "I'd love another cup. Here, let me help…"
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