2013-02-26 Whistleblower

The sun has set and the moon has risen in Manhattan tonight. At one point, Hell's Kitchen was home to the rough necks and street gangs, but now, slowly, money has been coming in. It has been buying up the cheap property and putting in high priced condos. The poor that had made this their home can't afford these redone apartments and have been pushed out of their homes to the udder disregard of the men who only want to make more money.
There is one last flop house left along 40th. It is six stories high with dirty brick and a few iron bars, albeit a little decorative, in the windows. Most of the apartment windows are dark with little look of use. On the fourth floor, however, a light burns in a window. The apartment belongs to a Mr. Jim Garber, formerly of Fisk Industries. He has come to the press to report on certain less than ethical practices that his company had done to force the poor from their homes. He is a stubborn man and has refused police protection. He believes he can face any threat face to face.
This being New York City there is more than just men with no necks and baseball bats. The word has gotten out that a reward has been placed on Mr. Gaber's head. Green Arrow has parked his butt in an apartment across the street. Yes, the rich owners are out of town for right now, and yes, they didn't exactly approve of their apartment being used as a stakeout location, but what they don't know won't hurt them too much. Arrow has a pair of binoculars sweeping back and forth as he watches the streets approaching the apartment building of Mr. Garber. "Will Scarlett. Maid Marion. Are you guys in position?" he asks over the conn with a slight chuckle in his voice.
'Marian' has been bemused by this entire thing, not only because of the fact that they have to protect a man she's not exactly fond of, speaking from a ethics standpoint, but Ollie has insisted upon the use of codenames which has made her eyes roll so many times that they hurt.
"Marian's in position," she eventually answers, her own position being on the street not too far from where the man they're protecting is at. She's dressed in 'civvies', jeans and tee and a black leather biker jacket, that more than enough to make her blend in. "Are you sure we're really needed, Robin?" Yes, she might not be keen on the idea but she's at least willing to play along, calling the archer by the name of the man who inspired the hero.
"Old man, if I have to play along with the Robin Hood fetish," drawls Roy, "the least you can do is buy me a pair of swords, instead of... well, inviting me on -this- idea. Yeah, keeping guys who're criminals protected from badder criminals makes perfect sense, but I just did this -last week- in Japan." There's the tone of a challenge to Ollie, perhaps, in that Roy was, finally, -not- just a sidekick, but someone who could handle these things just fine on his own.
A dry tone adds, "It'd be just our luck, someone's probably been hired to take out this dude. With -my- luck, it'll be -that- damned woman again..."
As far as hits go, Jim Garber's a total cakewalk. Decent money's riding on his head and the biggest complication isn't missing the hit so much as beating the rush and staking first claim to the kill. One of the people on the job is aiming to get a head start.
To anyone in the area, the lone figure that's briskly walking down the side of the street must have come from some sort of nightclub or underground trend. Short black hair. White skin. Long, heavy black leather trench. The most peculiar jet black spot surrounding her left eye and part of the face beyond. Maybe it's an attempt at starting the latest gothic trend. Either way, the ghostly pale woman moves with a sense of purpose, though not so single-mindedly that she isn't acutely aware of her surroundings.
The building's in sight. The mark's reported as being camped out inside. No room for a clean shot at range. She's going to have to get up close and personal to make this one count, and to guarantee that she's the one getting paid for the hit. Sometimes a scrap of proof means everything.
"Hush or I'm changing your codename to Much the Miller's Son," Green Arrow says into the link as he gets up from the window to partake of a coke from the apartment fridge. He comes back to the window and flops down in his chair. He cracks open the plastic bottle cap with a hiss and takes a drag before lifting the binoculars again. "Alright, I see someone coming. Looks like a woman from here. Anyone got a better look at her?"
The trio is here unbenounced to Jim Garber. He thinks he is being brave and facing the danger himself. Ollie would rather protect this guy to see the bigger fish be the one on the hook.
Dinah peers about herself when Ollie questions them about if they see anyone or not, her eyes narrowing. From this vantage point she doesn't yet notice anyone, the mysterious figure not even so much as glanced at. "I'm going to see if I can find a better place to stand."
Trying to come across as casual as she can, the woman meanders away from the post she claimed earlier, moving closer to the woman without even knowing. "And don't make me turn around and take us home," she murmurs, tone wry. "I'll send you both to bed without any dinner if I have to."
"Whatever you say, Friar Tuck," Roy says, as he adjusts his crossbow, sighting it and glancing at the target. "A woman, eh?"
Pulling out his own pair of binoculars, Roy starts to peek through it at the woman, before something else catches his eye.
"Uh, old man, I don't think we're the only ones sizing up the pigeon. There's someone else dressed in black, at your two o'clock, probably about... 200 yards away from you," Roy reports, already exchanging his crossbow for the bow, in case he had to make a longer shot.
Luck works in mysterious ways. In a normal situation like this it would favor Domino in subtle manners. People would fail to notice her. Doors would be mysteriously unlocked. Her path and escape route would be clear. The guy would answer his door with one hand keeping a bath towel around himself, as defenseless as they come. Normally, but not always.
Sometimes, subtle or not, it might turn out to benefit her more in the long run if her current course of action -doesn't- succeed. It's impossible to say how or why, it simply is what it is.
Of course, now and then Lady Luck just takes an hour off for lunch.
If other people happen to see her arrival it shouldn't, in theory, be the end of the world. She'll have done the deed and be making her escape before anyone else reaches the front of the correct building. But, in the words of Terry Pratchett: What the hell, things happen.
Domino starts to make her way inside. Observing observers is okay, but she won't linger. She's here to engage only one man.
Apparently Domino is not the only one that is attempting to get to this particular target as the reward is enough to get enough folks out of bed to make this a party. Roy has spotted a man in black even as what appears to be a homeless person pushing a grocery cart along the street begins to slow down across the street.
There is also a man in a long trench coat turning onto the street now. He drops the coat and has heavy armored gauntlets with tubing that leads to a back pack. The lens at the front of the guantlets begin to glow too.
"I've got him. Wait. Now there is another. And one more. Okay, I'm think I'm going to have to be Wyatt Earp now. Much, you can now be Doc Holliday. We've got a lot of folks showing up right now. Marion, get to the building's doorstep and keep everyone out of there." He gets his bow from leaning against the wall. He props himself up on one knee as he trains the arrowhead out the window. "Can't see the pigeon right now. Got no visability on him so we are going to have to go for the hitmen it looks like."
"Right."
Dinah turns on a heel and rushes up the steps, trying to act like she's finally had enough of the cold. Her hands fumble at the doorknob once she's there, and then she sighs, frowning. "Oh man. Of course I just had to leave my gloves in my apartment," she laments, that for the benefit of anyone with ill intentions who might be coming up behind her.
A quick glance is made towards where Oliver's holed up, her expression worried. Hopefully she'll be able to pull this off, otherwise their job is going to become even more difficult.
"You sure pick the stupidest pigeons, Earp," Roy mutters, as he keeps an eye on the man in black. Without an idea as to whether or not the man in black was indeed hostile, Roy shifts his attention towards others. "Lemme guess. Someone pushing a cart, and a costume with a pair of gauntlets? Dibs on the costume," Roy says, as always sighting out the one that was quite obviously the one to hit first. The other two... well, they could always be innocent, but with others to keep an eye on first...
(Stay focused, Domino. Stay under the radar. But I just can't shake the feeling that something..isn't..right.)
Someone's at the door complaining about forgetting their gloves. Female. In a hurry? Possibly stressed. Like she knows something's up. All it takes is a glance on the sly to catch a distorted reflection off of a pane of glass. Things are about to get more complicated.
(Stay cool. The instant you deviate you blow your cover.)
Taking the elevator would be faster than the stairs but it would also box her in. Without another thought she splits off to the stairwell, keeping her hands clear of her concealed weapons as a familiar knot of tension starts to pass into the back of her shoulders. She's been visually tagged somewhere back there, had to have been. It's not over just yet. The game's still on. Subtle and steady wins the race. (Now if this were anything like the movies there'll be some masked vigilante type waiting for me on the other side of the door up there. They'll take the elevator or come in through a window, cut transit time down to a fraction of my own. C'est la vie.)
"Guess I'm batting 1.000 especially when you look at my first choice for sidekick all those years ago," Green Arrow snarks into the link. "Yeah, I don't trust shopping cart or man in black. Doc, you better get to Gauntlet Boy before he starts really making a mess. I'm going to put dollars to donuts that subtlty is not his strong suit." His bow moves to aim towards the shopping cart watching to see what will happen. "Marion, get up to Garber's apartment. Don't go in because he is going to be rabbit instead of pigeon. Just fly casual."
Gauntlet Boy is indeed looking to make a big boom. He is running towards the building now. His armored arms are beginning to him and the lenses begin to glow. He is raising his arms in a double barrel shot right towards the lite window.
The Man in Black is making his way up along the fire escape in some acrobatitc maneuvers as he tries to get up to the fourth floor.
Shopping Cart is pushing across the street now, looking as if crazy as he shouts obsenities at the world, but perhaps too rehearsed. Shopping Cart looks like he is heading towards a stair well that leads to a basement apartment.
The door is opened and Dinah steps into the building as fast as she can while still trying to come across as being 'casual'. That's of course while she's trying to hurry up and get upstairs. Casually in a hurry. She can do that.
"Damn, want spring to hurry," she grumbles while starting the climb up the stairs, the complaining dissolving into a whistled tune. Yup. Just one of the tennents. No need to pay attention to her.
The floor finally found, Dinah turns and starts to amble towards the pigeon's door, her nerves about on fire.
"Only three weeks to spring," Roy notes cheerfully as he nocks an arrow, and sights the Gauntlet Boy. "Man, that -really- is about as subtle as Seth MacFarlane at the Oscars," he notes as he fires, aiming at the right barrel while grabbing a second arrow and then firing in rapid motion, moving the bow to where he projects the left barrel to be in a split second.
(Trouble. Seems like the rest of the party's starting to show up. Scratch subtlety, girl. You're on the clock.)
Domino starts to take the stairs two at a time, sprinting upward to reach the fourth floor. It still costs her time but she should still have a good lead on any other hitmen on the scene. Hero-types, that's another story. She's just going to have to roll with that possibility when it comes.
The fourth level stairwell door suddenly flies open with such force that it slams against the stopper screwed into the wall, still having enough momentum to wreck the drywall and push that little metal and rubber button deeper into the surface it's affixed to. In the same instant she sweeps out into the hallway beyond, trench flowing around her as she pivots and flattens her back against the opposite side, a suppressed pistol held out at arm's length down each direction.
Check--left--right--clear? Move.
The bulky pistols do a single forward spin around on her half-gloved fingers, black lacquered thumbs catching the serrated spurs of the hammers and cocking them back in perfect unison. Room numbers--descending, take a left.
As Dom sweeps around the corner with an elongated sidearm filling each hand down at her sides she comes into Dinah's line of sight so absolutely perfectly that one might swear some level of divine intervention had been involved. Like snapping one's fingers her element of stealth and surprise is gone. There she stands, completely highlighted in the pale yellow glow of artificial lighting, the weapons making her intention here beyond obvious.
A thin black eyebrow ever so slightly hooks upward. "Room four-twenty? Room service."
Gauntlet Boy cackles as if he has a black twirly mustache just before he is going to fire. Even as he does, the arrow strikes his gauntlet knocking him completely off aim. A blast comes out and the fire escape next to building is destroyed in light and force. Only one gauntlet fires as the other is struck by the second arrow and breaks circuits.
The Man in Black was just above the wreckage and clings to the window sills as the fire escape falls apart around him. He kicks in a window, not the pigeon's though, and gets inside even as the whole metal grating begins to tumble down to the street.
Shopping Cart takes cover next to the stairs as the blast goes off. He is pulling a bundle out of the shopping cart now. Wires can be seen through the binoculars that Green Arrow still has.
"Great," Ollie mutters over the line. "Looks like Shopping Cart Guy is really the Bolshivik Muppet." The bow string hums as he fires an arrow down towards the the mad bomber. A bolo breaks open in a spin going to trip the man. Green Arrow is up to his feet and racing out of the apartment and down towards the street.
Dinah turns to regard the stranger warily, her body tensing from the surprise. Damn. The guns of course clue her in immediately to what Domino has in mind, it getting her to go on the defensive immediately. "Looks like you guys missed one," she announces to her partners, her earbud easily picking up her voice (assuming Domino's luck doesn't change for the better - can luck cause little devices like that to break or stop working for some reason?). The men notified, her attention settled on the odd woman once more.
"I don't want to turn this into a two-woman brawl," she says gently, non-threateningly, even. "You can walk away right now and nothing bad will come out of it." And if Domino pushes the issue? Dinah will just have to use her Cry to cause her to take a little nap.
While she's trying to figure out what to do about Domino she finds herself startled by the explosion, her instinct being to brace herself despite it seeming like this part of the building is going to remain sound. "Did you do that, Rob... Earp?" Hell, Ollie. Pick a codename and stick with it, please!
Just for good measure, Roy fires -one- more arrow, this one a net arrow, to wrap up Gauntlet Boy for a bit. And then another arrow is fired, this time a grapple hook arrow, securing it atop a rooftop.
Taking a deep breath, measuring the length of the line, and the height of the window from where he'd end up, Roy leaps off, adjusting the grappling hook so that he'd go right into the same window as Man in Black.
'A two-woman brawl.' Blondie here's in civvies but she's got the mannerisms of a hero. Domino's going to go ahead and assume that's the case. "Why are you wasting your time protecting this jackhole? He's probably got half of the mercs in this city already on the hunt."
Then there's a whole lot more commotion as part of the building gets taken out. Dom drops her forehead into a pistol-filled palm, suddenly beside herself. "Sounds like we've -all- got bigger problems tonight. You're watching over my target for a reason, which means he's of better use to someone else alive. You got any compelling reasons why I should abort this?"
Sure, she could wait and see if Blondie goes off to deal with the rest of the commotion. She's probably not here alone, however. Chances of Dom simply slipping on past long enough to make the shot are, frankly, slim even by her standards.
Gauntlet Boy is hit by the net and topples over with a string of four letter words. Even as Arsenal runs by, however, the one still working gauntlet fires off. The man screams in pain but also the net is partially destroyed so that he is able to get himself free. He begins to take pot shots towards Arsenal as the younger archer is on the grapple line.
The Man in Black is disorientated as he tries to figure out where he is in the building. He also knows he can't sit still though and is racing through the apartment that is long since abandoned. No lights but also no furniture. He gets to the front door, but it is also locked to keep out squatters. He kicks at the door. It shudders, but doesn't break yet. He is kicking it again even as he glances over towards the window he just came in hoping no one is following that closely yet.
Shopping Cart is caught by the bolo around his feet and he tumbles over. He drops the package next to him. He is dazed from the hard impact with the ground but begins to fumble at the line around his ankles trying to free himself.
Green Arrow comes out of the building across the street. "Of course not. Would I be any where near that irresponsible?" he calls into his comm link back towards Canary. He doesn't sound like he is paying that much attention though. He is pulling an arrow and firing towards Gauntlet Boy as the armored hoodlum is shooting towards Roy.
Would Oliver be that irresponsible? Canary almost snarkily says as such but now is not the time for that. Such conversations will be had later, of course. "Right. Deal with it on your end and I'll deal with this... person."
The com device will probably pick up what she says to Domino, her tone rather terse. "Why we're here is none of your concern," she points out, her hands now curled into fists, her arms lifted to hold them about her face. "Now, you can either turn around and leave and we'll pretend this didn't happen or you can try to push the issue and we'll have to fight." There's no 'might' or 'possibly' there. If Dom tries to get past Dinah she will most likely be made to regret it.
Roy would be saying 'I didn't do ittttt' if he wasn't busy being shot at. Probably should have just used a superglue arrow instead. As is, Roy's busy just trying to get there faster. And no, running in mid-air wasnt going to help, so Roy just swings his legs closer together, focuses on providing less air resistance, and is through the window as Ollie lays cover fire, ducking, tumbling, and coming up with crossbow aimed at the man in Black.
"There's only one way off this planet, baby, and that's through me," Roy drawls.
(Well now, this is a most uncomfortable situation. Review the facts. Hero-types have their hands full. Target is easy money, no challenge involved. Not even that great a payout. You've been spotted, a positive ID won't take long to establish. You're not about to gun down a hero. And what would the X-Kids think of they caught wind of this?)
Domino releases a quick sigh, a small amount of tension flushing out of her shoulders. "Those kids are already starting to cramp my style," she mutters under her breath.
(Verify, then proceed.)
"Not any more my concern than my being here is yours. Just answer me one thing. Are you one of the good guys?" Dinah's response will adjust the outcome of this chance meeting. If 'yes,' Dom backs down, the target lives (though only the gods know what for.) If 'no,' this hallway's going to become another warzone. She'll burn through every bullet on her in order to make the hit. Simple enough question, simple enough answer. What has the unpredictable Lady Luck brought for her today?
Even as Arsenal comes through the window, the Man in Black turns and throws multiple darts towards Arsenal with the swipe of his hand. As the street lights hit the interior, the light reflects of the damp tips of the sharp ends of the darts coming at Roy right now.
Guantlet Boy is struck in the back pack by Green Arrow. He cries out as his armor dies on his body. He turns and screams again in frustration. He comes charging towards Green Arrow trying to swing at the Emerald Archer.
Shopping Cart is getting his legs untangled. He is looking at the people around and debating if discreation or valor in this case. He grabs at his bundle and tries to get to his feet quickly although he is still groggy from the fall. He grabs hold of the shopping cart to steady himself.
Green Arrow braces himself as Gauntlet Boy comes running at him. "You know, with all that armor, it couldn't have hurt to maybe put a helmet on." He ducks beneath the wide swing of the armored arm, but comes up in an uppercut towards the man's chin.
Waaaaaaait. What? She's going to let the jerk that's put them all out of their way by admitting she's a hero? Dinah eyes Domino incredulously, skepical. "Yes, I am one of the good guys," she admits. But even as Domino said she will go if that's the answer there's a part of her that just does not believe it, that being the side of her that continues to posture defensively just in case Domino lied.
"Hell, that wasn't an invitation to throw things at me!" Roy shouts, flinging himself off to the side and firing his crossbow in the process, aiming to distract him from running by shooting his thigh.
And as soon as he lands, he's tumbling, and diving behind the nearest piece of furniture for cover in case there's any more nasty surprises coming.
Only one more word passes through Domino's mind with enough energy motivating it to fully reach her vocal chords. It's not a very nice word.
Another smooth motion brings her sidearms up, thumbs once more resting against the hammers which are now lowered, slightly more safe than before though still plenty operational if she happens to need them. "You're protecting a piece of shit, you know." There, okay. It's out of her system. "You kids got this or do you need a hand?"
Yeah, the mysterious assassin chick just offered to lend Dinah a hand. Given what that hand is currently in possession of, accepting her help just may have its own unique risks accompanying it. Shooting people politely, it's an artform.
Gauntlet Boy goes down hard from the blow to the chin. Green Arrow spins around, trying to get a bead on Shopping Cart even as that man tries to get away. Two arrows are pulled, knocked, and fired quickly. The two sharp points rip through the man's sleeves and pins him against the shopping cart loaded with junk that was used for cover. "Outside looks secure for the moment. How are you two doing inside?" He is making his way inside and coming up the stairs towards the fourth floor to come out onto the landing behind Domino.
The Man in Black turns back to the door after throwing the darts at Arsenal. He puts his shoulder against the door with a hard thud. With the kicking it had gotten, it finally breaks open. He falls out into the hallway even as the crossbow bolts thunk into the door. The Man in Black is around the corner from where Dinah and Domino face each other, but he takes off and suddenly is finding himself coming around a corner and behind Dinah.
"I know he isn't a good man," Dinah starts with, refusing to succumb to the urge to use the same kind of language Domino did, "but he can put another bigger problem down, hence why we're doing it. It won't make sense, I'm sure, but sometimes doing the right thing doesn't always have to."
Preaching done, Dinah speaks up again so Arrow and Arsenal can hear her. "Looks like we got another person wanting to join our party. Don't shoot..." And Domino's described in pretty damn fine detail. After the info's given she angles her head towards where the explosion seems to have come from. "After you."
"Dammit!" Roy bursts out from his cover, and charges into the hallway after the Man in Black, already reloading his crossbow as he goes after the other man. "Hold it right there! Freeze! Freeze means stop, you! Dammit, that was an order!" Okay, so SHIELD didn't exactly have authority on -this- mission, but... ingrainated response!
Now it's been radioed in. Bam, Dom's now on the 'good guy' team and giving up her easy ten grand. Yeah, great. "Hope you all know what you're doing."
There's also someone coming up behind Dinah that really does not even remotely look like the hero type.
"Watch it--!"
Before she can think of a course of action she's already -taking- a course of action, diving off to the side so she can get a shot around Dinah as one of her pistols snaps up, levels toward the Man in Black, and fires exactly one time.
It's not even aimed to kill, unfortunately for him. Hopefully if Dinah takes a shot at Dom the same level of courtesy will be extended.
Green Arrow rushes through the door onto the fourth floor in time to see Domino fire, and to him at least, at Dinah. Bow comes down, arrow drawn and knocked, and fired towards Domino even as she hurls herself towards the side. "Canary!" he cries out in warning even as he shoots.
The Man in Black is coming up behind Dinah even as he looks back over his shoulder as he is worried about the pursuing Arsenal. The sound of a gun shot brings his attention forward even as he is struck in the upper chest, more shoulder area, and is knocked from his feet in a cry of pain.
Finally, the door to 4-20 opens with a cloud of blue gray smoke. Jim Garber opens his mouth to complain about the noise and that no one is driving him out when he sees the shots going off and heroes. "I'm calling the police!" he cries out in a sharp, shrill tone as he slams the door again.
Dinah's fast, spurred into ducking out of the way when the spotted woman takes aim and shoots, Arrow's warning coming on the heel of her getting out of the way. "Wow, how things went from crappy to down right screwed the hell up is beyond me." Grump, grouse, bitch.
The crouched position is kept in until she's sure that everyone's done shooting, her eyes closing for a second before opened once more to glance at the blond man. "I hope we're done babysitting," she says abruptly, her expression as tight as her body feels. "And just so you know, I'm not driving home." No, she's in no mood to drive a motorcycle back to Gotham after this cluster fuck.
And rounding the corner comes Arsenal, when gunshots are fired. And as Arsenal sees the Man in Black goes down, the SHIELD agent slides onto his knees to come to a stop fast, leaving rug burn all across his kneepads as he cautiously checks around the corner, followed by a -groan-.
"Dommie, we've -got- to stop meeting like this," Roy Harper quips, as he stands up, putting the crossbow away. "So Mr. Loudmouth's -now- calling in the police?"
(Okay, -that- guy right there? The one shooting a freaking arrow at me? Yeah, -that- guy. He's a hero. Some freaking hero. He shot an -arrow- at me! Only other guy stupid enough to pull that kinda stunt is Harper!)
Domino comes complete with thin, lightweight, and highly mobile body armor beneath that trench. It can turn away a wide variety of edged weapons and pistol-caliber projectiles. Normally. Supers, they tend to pack toys with a little more punch than the stuff one finds on the shelf of Gander Mountain. The arrow nicks a nice, neat line straight through the bicep of her leather coat, through the armor, and through the skin in a clean but notably deep slice. It's kinda like the papercut from hell, not too heavy on the damage but with a sting that'll come back to bite her just when she's about to forget that it's there.
"Dude! Not cool!"
Of course, she's now got one of her guns trained on Green Arrow. The other one's held on the Man in Black.
Up until Jim opens the door. In a flash Dom crosses one arm in front of herself, moving away from Green Arrow to level itself at Garber's sternum.
"You go for that phone and I'm gonna finish what I started here, kiddo."
Just when things seem like they can't get any worse, -that's- when her luck runs out. Enter Arsenal. Dom's eyes roll backward even as her head rolls forward. "..Right. I'm ordering an obscene amount of drinks tonight."
Sue Storm enters from: Midtown Manhattan.
Green Arrow has quickly brought another sharp arrowhead to his bow and has it trained on Domino even as she has a gun trained on him and the other at Jim Garber, our snitch of the story. "Lower those weapons now, bounty hunter, or I do promise I will shoot first." His eyes flick towards Roy coming around the corner and then to Dinah. "You alright, Canary?" he calls out while turning to look back at Domino. "You know this woman, Arsenal?" he now calls towards Roy.
They are all on a fourth floor hallway in a six story low rent apartment. Most of the apartments look dark and deserted except for the apartment of our snitch. Outside, there is one man with armored arms laying out could on the ground. The fire escape is destroyed against the building. Another man is pinned to a shopping cart of junk by two arrows.
Jim gets a petrified look as he sees the gun of Domino. All the bravado he had given the cops about not needing protection suddenly seems to be for naught now. He stammers at her request before dropping the cell phone he had in his hand.
"Of course I'm fine, Arrow." Physically, at least. Temperament? Noooooot exactly. Dinah brushes her hands off while turning, looking at the poor scared man and the one who had been felled. "This is too much." So absorbed in her annoyance over how something that should have been simple turned out to be anything but she doesn't even realize Roy knows the very woman who came to help. Belatedly, but she did.
Brushing off her hands and then her pants, Dinah looks from Roy to Domino to Ollie, her shoulders slumping slightly when she realizes it (maybe) is over. "I need a hot bath."
"Yeah yeah, nice to see you too, Dommie," sighs Arsenal, as he puts his crossbow away. "Yeah, I know her. Leave 'er be. She's too much trouble to fight. -Way- too much trouble." He looks back and forth between Canary, Arrow, and Domino. "Canary, Arrow, Domino." Introductions done, Roy glances at Domino. "Lemme guess, you're after the price on his head too. You want to let 'im go? Same deal, same problem, except he's a piece of crap too, so I dunno... you want I look away while you punch him in the face and call it a day, Dommie?"
Grand, now the archer guy's making demands. Icy blue eyes narrow slightly, the pale woman simply offering back "Good luck with that."
(You aren't here to fight these people, Domino.)
There's a soft 'click' from either weapon as she thumbs the safeties on, lifting the sights up and away slightly before letting them both hang loose at her sides. Heroes, they're all the same. 'Stand down or you'll regret it.' How many shots could she have taken in that span of time? 'Enough.'
"Save your breath, Arsenal. I've heard this one before." Except that he's offering to give her a free shot..? Huh. "I respect my fists too much for that."
The other hitmen have been stopped. Jim's still alive, not a scratch anywhere on the little weasel. His phone might have taken it a little hard, though. But, their job's done and Dom's -out- of her job. Her reasons for sticking around this shindig are officially gone. If it's all the same with these guys, she's just going to turn around and walk away like the whole thing never happened.
Green Arrow lowers his bow as he hears the safeties click into place. He slings the bow back up onto his shoulder. "No," he says with a shake of his head, "No free shots. Let 'im be. Not like we were invited either. Not a picnic, but got to look big picture here." He heads towards the door of the apartment and Jim Garber standing there. "Excuse us. We were just trying to make sure that your story is heard." He turns back to look at the motley crew. "After you," he says to Domino with a grand gesture towards the exit and the stairs to the ground floor. He is not turning his back on Domino until she is out of eyesight. He looks towards Canary. "Could be worse. Could be raining?" He offers her a cocky half smile under his domino mask before looking back towards Domino.
"Y-y-yes," Jim Garber says with a nervous shake of the head. He is short and thin with a large nose and a face that seems to almost stretch forward. "I..I'll just stay here then," he says nervously. He begins to shut the door after bending over to scoop up his phone.
Traffic is annoying at the best of times. But Susan Storm, the cheater that she is, almost never has to deal with traffic. As cars honk and move on the streets, Sue uses her force field to float serenely over and past everything. She gets out of the highest traffic areas and starts passing by apartment buildings, slowing to a stop with a faint frown as one building in particular catches her attention. What's going on here? She makes herself invisible and waits and watches.
"Yup. Always could be worse." But seeing as how Dinah's not bleeding from anywhere it's a bonus. "So got a place I can stay at tonight, Arrow, or are you going to make me stay in some two bit hotel to get bit by God only knows what kind of bugs?"
Now it dawns on her that Roy and Dom are previously acquainted, it getting her to groan in disbelief. "Are you serious? Really?" Yeah. Dinah's... well, she's kind of surprised. "Alright. Throw in a drink to go with the place to crash, please," that said to Oliver.
"Oh relax, Dommie and I're friends. Kinda, sorta. Had laughs, blew up an volcano, shot each other, fought with swords, can't get much better than that. Though next time, we should just try a good old fashioned Southern duel, Dommie." A grin, a nudge to Domino's side, and a shrug. "Tell ya what, drinks're on me this time, eh? That's... how much did you lose tonight?"
Dom's plenty happy to turn her back on the others. Hero-types also typically avoided the cheap shots, particularly if they aren't heavily merited. That is, she'd be happy to if Harper gives her a chance to leave. Well, as long as she's here...
"You're welcome."
She did kinda help Blondie out back there, and took an arrow for her effort. A gold star would have been preferred, they didn't sting as much.
"If you're going by that scale you'll be covering my tab for the rest of your days, Arsenal. And must you keep bringing up the damned volcano? Gees man, let it go." There's a small smirk there. "Look, you kids have fun with your cleanup. I'm not a card-carrying member of the do-good society, so I'm outta here."
For real. She swiftly tucks away her weapons and heads back to the stairs. Gone and out.
Green Arrow crosses his arms in front of him as Domino heads out. He just watches her leave with an expression of distrust for a bit before looking at Dinah. "Of course I've got a spot. Not like we are going any where soon though. Everyone get back to position. Got to be here all night. We just got rid of one wave of bad guys. You think spooky lady is the only one out there?" He chuckles as he begins to head towards the door now. "Sides, got that apartment just across the street from our fantastic patrons for the night."
"... wait up, Dommie, I'm coming with you before Friar Tuck decides he's not a monk anymore..."
Dinah sighs before shaking her head, the calm returned to her. "I think you're just scared to take me back to your place, archer." Domino and Roy are waved to before she leaves, her destination in mind being that aforementioned apartment. She won't really be able to make herself at home in a stranger's place but at least she can be comfortable until after Oliver tells them they're ready to go home. And then? Mister Queen's stash of alcohol and his bathtub shall be put to good use. And no, he will not be allowed to tell her no.
Sue Storm observes for a while longer, but as she doesn't see anything violent or even untoward going on there's really nothing to act upon. The dark haired woman and red-haired man might be dressed a bit oddly, but they're just walking away from the building. That doesn't count. She decides there's nothing to see here and continues on her way home.
Category:Logs
Category:Events