View source for 2012-02-03 - Mirrors are More Fun than Television

{{Logsummary|
Title=Mirrors are More Fun than Television
|Summary=An unknown hero and a mirrored villain nearly come to blows over miscommunication and emotional stress.  Batman intercedes.
|Who=[[Batman]], [[Kinetic]], [[Ember]]
|Date=02/03/2012
|Where=Metropolis / The Watchtower
|}}

"Okay. Okay...I think I've got this thing down. This hero thing is really going to work," Kinetic, Metropolis' newest hero, is talking to himself as he lands on a rooftop. Its only one of his first few nights out on the streets of Metropolis as a hero and he's been focusing on muggers, purse snatchers, and generally the types of criminals that don't get Superman-level attention. But right now he's taking a break while there's a lull. "I can do this."

Speaking of low level villains? There'd been some information that Dark Ember had turned up in Metroplis. But so far she'd not done anything, her previous behaviour had been she turned up and would cause trouble on the same day. This hasn't happened just yet. Should Kinetic have any access to any sort of database on villains he'd likely have an entry on Dark Ember. As for the super villain? Well she's being strange, she's stopped at an ATM for a bit and seems to just been plain old lost, also she seems to have a new costume as well a lot less Garish all things considered. She's just also looking scared of all things, it's odd.

Metropolis is a big city. It's not quite as /scary/ as Gotham, perhaps, due to its general economic prosperity and the sleek, inspiring architecture... motiffs that fit the golden city's chief protector well indeed. However; shiny appearances can be deceiving, and the thriving cityscape hides its own dangers. It's a big, scary world beyond it, as well, and when something looks like a job for Superman elsewhere, well... one can just count their blessings that there's an entire league to back one up, can't one?

Kinetic isn't the only unusual patroller in Metropolis tonight, the borders of her scummier side circuited by a nigh-invisible shadow, rarely in view for more than an instant, and really, who's watching the rooftops carefully when Superman is out of town? With the police bands quiet, and the alleyways clear for the moment save those with nowhere better to go, the Dark Knight drops silently to a fire escape with a good vantage point of the street, dropping low into the shadows and surveying the more spartan foot traffic individual by individual. Particularly since one of them appears to be... in costume? Cowled eyeslits narrow, and integrated imaging transmits back for software analysis.

Access to databases is one thing Kinetic lacks. He's a rookie. This is his first week in costume even. He hasn't seen Batman but he is watching the streets. When he notices someone walking around in costume, he blinks. Its no one he recognizes...and that list would be short anyway. "This is one of those moments I wish I had a mentor or something..." he mutters, watching for now and trying to figure out what to do about the costumed woman.

Ember is looking up once and a while but other than that nothing strange she does stop however at a hotdog vendor and pays for a hotdog before going on her way. She's still looking about as she goes munching on her meal. She's unaware of Batman, she's more concerned about a strong man in tights. As odd as her costume is it's not garrish half of it might even pass for street clothing. She however halts at a billboard and just peers at it for the longest time shaking her head and moving on. "How am I going to get out of this damn city, before he notices I'm here..."

Fear. It's something Batman knows well. It practically /pours/ off the girl. It doesn't take long for the Batcomputer (or more appropriately, the Batnetwork) to fire something back. A rap sheet, a series of mugshots, surveillance notes gathered by other heroes, other agencies... even Dark Ember's credit report has a chance to pop up in there, thanks to taps on the principle (and not-so-principle) credit reporting agencies.

Beneath the mask, there's a pronounced frown. This is a fairly common occurrence, when things just do not line up. The Batman's own eyes scan the skyline, picking out the thermal image of Kinetic and keeping a building's spire between them as he fires a grapple line from the compressed gun that all but appears in his hand. Somewhat circuitously, the Dark Knight shadows, watching events rather than interceding immediately. Perhaps one of those bigger fish is after her... but it's hardly the cagey alertness of hunted prey, either, now is it? Yes, Batman's frown is quite big.

Deciding to just go ask what's going on, Kinetic hops off the building and floats down towards Ember. Still not quite aware Batman's among them, Kinetic flies a bit faster. "Hey," he calls down to Ember as he gets closer. "Uh...this might sound weird but what are you doing?"

Fear is a well known companion to Ember, she's often afraid but something keeps her going. She finishes her hot dog and scarfs it down with one last glup. She pauses as she sees something flying. But not at high speed is it? No it's someone else, not someone she's seen before either. However it's clear the guy can fly and she seems a bit startled at this. 
"...I could ask you the same thing!" 
She retorts, no attack and still no awareness of the Dark Knight, in this city you don't watch buildings. You watch to the skies looking for not a bird, nor a plane, but something else.

... these socially adjusted youngsters make some things look /so easy/. Not that there's no risk involved in Kinetic's approach, and the unknown telekinetic is surveyed on his arc groundward, from Batman's new position at the top of a church, slipping around the steeple to follow his target. Perhaps targets, now? The neophyte hero is another unknown, but the Dark Knight's demeanor doesn't visibly shift, this time. Instead, he just taps a button on his utility belt several times, snapping numerous shots of the empowered, brightly-garbed vigilante. He stands ready to intercede for a moment, hand on another section of utility belt, then drops his ready attack for the moment, settling instead for a small, compact disc.

A press of a concealed mechanism, and it spirals outwards into a miniature dish, affixes to one gauntlet, and provides a much better, carefully directed ear to eavesdrop on the conversation. Yes, talk about who you are. Batman respects your privacy.

Kinetic just blinks. "Well, I'm doing this superhero thing and asking you what you're doing," he replies. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looks around and shrugs. "I mean I'm sorry I'm not Superman but yeah..." he trails off. "So... what're you doing?"

Ember starts to wonder about her sanity at the words she hears. She blinks once stares at the kid for a moment, just out right stares. "Your claiming to be a superhero? In this city?!?" She seems agitated now and is looking at Kinetic real hard. Her posture changes, muscles tense and she looks right at Kinetic. Dark flames start to form about her hands, oh this could be bad, this could be very very bad.

Fear. Stress. Perhaps elements of shock and disorientation. Fight or flight is another thing Batman is very familiar with. Rather than approach the duo directly, the Dark Knight dips a hand into his utility belt, and drops a trio of small, spheroid devices, each bearing several recessed nozzles around their circumference. Black as the night, they tink lightly along the street, rolling up towards Ember's feet as she focuses on Kinetic.

The Batman himself drops more directly off the church, cape fanning out to the sides with an intentional, audible -whoooosh- as he drops, the fabric stiffening into a makeshift chute that slows him before he lands, still seemingly harshly, in a three-point crouch across the street.

The purpose is twofold: Draw her attention back the other way before Ember can make good on the imminent threat to the other youth, and keep her from advancing out of place long enough for those little pellets to roll all the way to her; and start silently blasting out a colorless tranquilizer. Batman doesn't say a word. Not yet.

Kinetic just looks confused. "What? Is that not allowed? Do I have to get Superman's permission or something?" he asks. When he picks up on the posture change and sees all that fire, Kinetic lifts his hands defensively. "Umm...hey, calm down?" he frowns, strengthening that invisible bodyfield of his. "You're not a supervillain are you?" he asks. While he can't see those spheres, he can sense them. "Okay, that's weird..." he trails off. When Batman makes himself known, Kinetic jumps. "Whoa!"

Ember is looking at Kinetic and she's clearly getting ready for a fight here, she says. "...Stop trying to screw with my head." In the back of her mind she wonders if the botched spell has warped her preception of reality? She's starting to wonder if this is some warped illusion caused by her mistake. She's about to attack when she hears something hit the ground, she hears a whoosh. She's now looking at the new arrival there's a look of suprise shock and confusion. It's clearly who she thinks it is but a new costume? A new logo. 
"..." This just got bad, this just got really bad. 
"Won't he get mad you butting in on his turf?" 
She doesn't stop now she's getting ready to well attack but she's feeling a little sluggish now and it's getting hard to focus...

"We're not going to hurt you. Stand down." Granted, Batman's taken efforts to accomplish just that already; but it doesn't hurt to ease the process. The will can accomplish a lot, and the amount of sleeping gas it takes to put someone down - or keep someone out - is both horribly precise and somewhat unpredictable. The Batman operates on instinct, attention to detail. When Ember's eyes shift, as her stance loosens, a tap of a concealed button stops the flow of gas. It should be enough.

The Dark Knight rises from his crouch, his form shrouded in the billowing black cape that covers him, shifting lightly in the breeze that seeks to rush through the heavier-than-air gasses that the small spheres no longer release. His glance shifts to Kinetic, no instructions spoken, but it's not unlikely that the caped crusader seeks to confirm his course. Kinetic certainly doesn't look inclined to hurt Ember, either. "Whoever's after you, you'll be safe for now." There aren't too many people who can say that with the sheer, unshakeable confidence that Batman manages, either. Like he's already planned for every possible assailant.

"Okay...wow. Batman..." Kinetic murmurs, staring at the Dark Knight. Not someone he ever thought he'd meet. He glances up at Ember as she shows the effects of the gas. Eyes narrow at the spheres as he senses them again and the telekinetic glances to Batman. He jumps when Batman looks his way and nos. "Yeah, I really wasn't looking for any kind of fight."

Ember wobbles tries to hang on a bit longer she's looking at him confused very confused. Wondering what's going on nothing makes sense. She hits the ground with a thud, and is passed out. Checking her would find a wallet in a zippered back pocket. It's odd there's a bank card, a tranist pas for some other city that is not this one nor his. Some a few dog eared bills. The oddest thing though is the writing on all of the items is like looking at writing in a mirror. At least that's what Bats would find out looking at her.
things.

If Batman notices the slightly awestruck response... he doesn't show it. The Dark Knight advances on Ember as she falls, and stoops, taking the time to carefully and precisely bind her hands at the wrists, behind her back, with what appears to be a black ziptie restraint. "Who are you?" The Dark Knight intones, paying attention to his work, though smart money is on his words being directed to Kinetic, rather than the drowsy 'villain'. Once Ember is at least marginally restrained, he does seek out that identity, flipping the first card around in his hands several times.

"Not a very good fake, is it?" He tosses the transit pass towards Kinetic, with alarming precision. Right between the eyes, in fact. Perhaps he's just being a jerkass. "What do you make of that?" Standing once more, the Batman turns away from the pair for a moment to speak.. to himself. "Watchtower control. Lock in on my position, beacon one alpha nine four Metropolis general. Three signatures."

A small, black pip that's surprisingly heavy follows towards Kinetic, another slipped into Ember's vacated pocket. "Anchors set."


"What? Whoa!" Kinetic yelps, not fast enough to catch Ember but atleast putting a telekinetic cushion between her head and the pavement so nothing accidentally smashes open. When Batman stalks forward, Kinetic floats a little closer too. "Huh? Me?" he blinks a few times. "Oh! I'm Kinetic," he replies with a nod. The transit pass being thrown his way doesn't seem to phase him, the teen telekinetically stopping it in mid air and then taking it in hand. "That someone didn't scan right when they tried to make this thing...they mirrored it..." he trails off. When he senses the pip coming his way, the teen picks it up as well. "Huh? Watchtower? The big Justice League clubhouse in space?"
Ember is restrained and the thing is other than being backwards the cards look legit. It's strange but the drowsy villain is held fast at least. She doesn't seem to have any hidden things in the armored gloves shes' weaing at least. In the words of a famous captain, beam me up, is what happened next and well the somewhat out of it Ember doesn't seem to notice much if any thing for the moment she's clearly all right though.

"And they just didn't notice?" Batman inquires. "Nor did she?" The Dark Knight doesn't seem convinced. Go figure. He doesn't bother to explain that he's Batman. That seems to be a given. Cowled gaze takes in the reaction to both objects courtesy of Kinetic's powers, but he doesn't comment. At the final inquiry, the Dark Knight replies, "Something like that." It's deadpan, none of the probable amusement showing through, at the moment. "Come over here with us, and keep your breathing steady, relaxed." The Bat scoops up his microgrenades, and drops them into a new pouch on his utility belt, then carefully rises, drawing Ember up to support her weight easily under one arm. "I want to get her somewhere no one will get hurt while we sort this out, and you and I can have a little chat."

It's a tossup, really. Is the explanation comforting, that the Dark Knight actually explains his intentions? Or is it just foreboding, thanks to that concluding phrase? There's likely not too much time to think about it, before the signal is given. "Watchtower control, transport on my mark." He counts down silently, in his head. It doesn't seem to be from '3' either. Then, softly, "Mark." *FFSSSSSSHHHHH*

"Wait..." Kinetic frowns, turning the pass a little and peering a little closer. "This doesn't make sense. Its...this isn't a fake. Maybe the machine screwed up," he shrugs. He's not really sure. He floats closer and actually lands when Batman tells him to, confused. "Err...alright," he doesn't understand. The rookie hero watches Batman's actions curiously but the mention of a chat being wanted makes him jump. "Really? Umm," he blinks. "Sure," he murmurs, nervouds now. The teleportation will throw him for a loop even more than if he were expecting it.


The light, the vertigo, it's almost a blessing for Ember to be unconscious on her first ride up to the Watchtower. Of course, Kinetic isn't so lucky, and Batman? Batman barely seems to notice. He steps easily off the pad that he occupies with the not-villain refugee, guiding her along with his gait and nodding to the technicians who move into assist, "Energy shielded holding." He informs simply, "She'll likely be hungry when she wakes up." They did, after all, interrupt the hot dog eating a bit.

"Find someone easy to talk to." Yes, Batman has some awareness this is not him. "... someone -without- a mask, first. Be careful, but she seems to be frightened... not aggressive." Which is, perhaps, another oddity to the situation. Once Ember is passed off, a hand is extended towards Kinetic, gesturing for him to hand something(s) over.

Kinetic stumbles as they teleport, the world going all kinds of topsy turvey on him. Lights, vertigo, spatial awareness being thrown for a massive loop. He almost falls but stops himself with his powers. "Ugh...headrush," he mutters. Steadying himself, he looks up slowly and his eyes go wide. "Wow..." he trails off, in awe of the sights before him. He doesn't even notice what's happening to Ember at first, too busy trying to take in all the details. "Oh man this is -so- freakin' cool!" he's grinning, not believing that a rookie like him is on the Watchtower of all places without even a full week of superheroics under his belt. Attention gets drawn back to Batman and he blinks. "Huh?" the hand is stared at for a moment. "Oh yeah!" he laughs a little the items Batman 'handed' him earlier floating to the Dark Knight's waiting hand.

Ember seems a lot more peaceful out cold right now at least. She will be starting to sir soon at the very least. Strange girl though, very strange. As for her gear looking it over, it looks like it was made from salvaged materials, clearly retooled and worked well enough but kinda odd really. Also goggles but those clearly do nothing other than protect the eyes like any mundane pare would.

The Dark Knight plucks the card and the transporter beacon from the air, both concealed within his utility belt, though where exactly is well hidden by the flowing cape, once more drawn largely about his form, leaving only the center section of his body visible, along with that black sigil of a bat. He turns away from Kinetic and begins to head out, down the expansive central corridors and along one of the staircases, apparently intending to walk and talk, assuming the neophyte hero follows. "War is delightful to those who have had no experience of it." The Batman intones, clearly unamused.

"The costume is a destination. This war, it's battles are all too often for keeps. All things being equal, she could have drained you of your power and burned you to a crisp, if you weren't ready for it. Training. Clarity. Discipline. Will. This is /not/ an amusement park ride, we are not here to be 'cool'. Are you prepared, Kinetic, to face your own death? To be overcome by one who wants to kill you, and all you feel you stand for? To have only that instant to act, to survive or fail in every sense of the word?" He doesn't look back, he doesn't seem to be asking purely rhetorically, though it's clearly that kind of 'think about it' inquiry. Instead, the Batman walks, leading the way down spaceborne corridors that likely seem one step shy of impossible to the teen.

Kinetic does indeed follow, not wanting to be just left alone there. He's got no idea how to get back down to Earth after all. "War? What're you talking about?" he looks very lost as he floats along. 

He just ends up staring as Batman goes on. He looks like he's going to protest that Ember could have done anything to him but stops as the Dark Knight keeps speaking. He just ends up looking faintly annoyed by all the questions and the speech right up until he sees that first view-window out into space. Then its all awed staring. "Oh man..."

A glance back at Kinetic tells Batman all he really needs to know. There's an audible sigh, almost tired. "You never want to hear it, high on the adrenaline and the dreams of great things or greatness; but the people you're making your enemies, they're playing for keeps. They'll come at you, they'll come at anyone to get to you, as soon as you give them a reason. Don't consider the beginnings, look ahead to where it all /ends/. Stay objective when you analyze your own weaknesses." It's something of a crash course, offered to a youth who doesn't really want to hear it. What else is new, Batman?

"You want to survive, drop the sense of superiority, and learn to swim with someone watching your back. While you still have one. Come with me." The path opens out onto the League cafeteria, any number of the massive strikeforce's roster milling about with various amounts and types of food. "Get something to eat. Ask anyone you like if I'm wrong. If they tell you I am, ask yourself if you really believe them. Come find me, when you're ready to talk about your future." Hopefully, having one. No, he doesn't seem to be super interested in hearing Kinetic's arguments about how wrong he is /now/. Of course that never stops most of them.

And right back to faintly annoyed. The annoyance remains, growing the more Batman talks. It vanishes and gets replaced by pure shock at the mention of a sense of superiority. "Dude..." he trails off, shaking his head. He's got a whole different set of issues than a superiority complex. The telekinetic teen follows along though. When they enter the cafeteria, his eyes go wide behind the mask and he looks around quickly. There's a little bit of disappointment when he doesn't see anyone wielding a certain Oan accessory but he lets it pass. "Uh...I don't mind talking about the future now but you do know that I haven't even been doing any of this for a -week- yet, right? I've got like four of fives days worth of experience. I know there are going to be crazy villains out there but that's pretty much why I've been sticking to thugs and rescuing people until I get more time doing this whole hero thing in..."

"I suspected." Batman notes simply of Kinetic's level of experience. "You'd be surprised how much damage simple thugs can do. Whether they get lucky, and slip past your awareness... or whether they're working for someone more dangerous; like most of them are. Someone who doesn't take kindly to their plans being thwarted. They may not even target /you/, if there's an easier choice. You have powers, and I suspect... impressive powers; but a fine, favored weapon can be a weakness, as often as it is your salvation. Stick to training, stick to learning, stick to backing up and observing until you have the skills you need. Then, maybe, you'll survive. If you don't want to eat, we can begin some assessments. Of course, that can wait a little while." The Dark Knight's brief smile is easily missable, one would question if it was even there. He saw how Kinetic looked around the room, and the station in general, after all. There's a second invitation in the form of a simple nod towards the expansive cafeteria and lounge. Take a moment and find him later, or come with him now. The Batman doesn't wait, he starts to move off.

Kinetic just arches a brow, wondering a few things. He ends up going quiet. "I'm going to get some food. Didn't have any dinner tonight..." he mumbles, having skipped dinner to go fly around as Kinetic instead. He watches Batman go before making his way towards where the food is being served a touch awkwardly. Social situations were never things he's been comfortable in.