2015-02-15 - Tooth and Titans

It had been a quiet patrol for the Titans group. AT least until Cyborg had sent them an alert of a silent alarm being triggered at a STAR Labs Storage Facility. A comm signal sent over to the guard on duty had returned nothing but silence, and so the patrolling Titans had been redirected towards the otherwise quiet warehouse off the docks district.
 
Nightwing is already present, he is patrolling the perimeter to hopefully find something, and to await backup. He had been in the area when the signal went out and had arrived before the others. His mask had already adjusted to the dark, but he still had not found anything. 
It was only supposed to be a visit. You know, a weekend visit from Gotham to the Titans to break up the everyday routine from studying at Gotham University. Not that a certain individual really needed to study, of course. So...visiting sounded fun.
Then patrolling happened. There was no way anyone was going to ask Raven to go patrolling....she was holed up in her room and frankly, she scared Robin. And he wasn't ashamed to admit it. So he volunteered. And now is finding himself approaching a storage facility. "Ya know, once you seen one warehouse, you seen them all." He was talking out loud...but mostly to himself. Because he's the junior member...and boy does Robin know it.
Flying along, Koriand'r spoke over into her commlink <En route, will arrive shortly.> As Robin and Nightwing arrived, they would find nothing seemingly amiss. No signs of a breakin, or even forced entry. Just off in the distance a truck that clearly was not affiliated with STAR Labs being loaded.. But by the guards and other staff, their eyes eerily glowing.
Standing in the shadows off to the side of the storage facility waits a figure -- garbed in a functional, comfortable outfit for hunting: boots, cargo pants, shirt, vest and bandoliers. He is leaning with his back against the wall, practically in the path of Nightwing's perimeter-check. Mostly hidden by the shadows behind him is... a hand. Attached to an arm. Lying in a slowly-expanding pool of blood. The hand belongs to a security-guard... at least a person wearing a guard's uniform.
Grifter, his mask covering his face, peeks out from his little hiding spot, and waits to be discovered. "I spy... with my little eye... something beginning with 'T'..." he murmurs.
"Outstanding," Nightwing says as he sees the figure and then the blood. Out come the eskrima sticks and a word into the com <May want to hurry, have a man down here, call 911> The senior Titan approaches the figure, "Start talking, now. You have some explaining to do." 
<So, is it me, or are those eyes glowing?> The commlink cuts in with Robin's voice, just after Nightwing's voice rings in his ears. It seems the younger Titan was just a little bit closer to the truck being loaded than his older, wiser, and probably better looking counterpart. There is an exclamation of acknowledgement, though, as the younger Robin taps his right glove, activating the handy mobile phone to dial 911. Of course, he remains observing the truck...but the little birdy can do two things at once.
Floating along on in above the air, Starfire went to chirp over into her commlink. < I do not see anyone else about nor any reason for the alert. > Her eyes a frown, not catching sight of Grifter.
The half dozen personnel who otherwise manned the facility turned to face one another and the approaching Titans. Smirking, one of the guards went, "Oh, how wonderful. It appears we have some interlopers. One of you must have stepped on something." Eyes glowing brighter. Bad.
"You're half right there, kid," the masked man replies glibly -- and he steps away from the shadows with his hands in the open. The blood-red mask drapes down over his face, all the way to the collar of his shirt. His pistols are holstered. "Well, two thirds right. I /am/ outstanding, and you -- and your team -- really do want to hurry." He smirks -- not that the expression is terribly visible -- but his head tilts to the side as if he were an art-expert admiring a child's drawing.
Carefully -- eyeing Nightwing all the while -- Grifter sidesteps away from the body (and the wall), and looks meaningfully down at it. "Take a look, Titan," he remarks with a nod. "Nothing ain't what it appears." True enough, the 'security guard' at his feet does not appear entirely human: ridges and spikes along its bare arm (outside the shadows) are visible, and the blood isn't quite the right colour for human. "Daemonites," he declares softly. "I wouldn't recommend gettin' 911 down here -- you don't want more bodies. Better warn your friends."
 
Nightwing raises a brow and says to Robin, <Yup. Get your butt over here.> He readies his sticks and says to the strange man, "Three things. 1. Who are you? 2. What is a Daemonite? and 3. What is going on?" His tone is grave and he does say to the comm once more <Things are complicated, do not call 911, Kory, hurry.> 
There is an abrupt shift as Robin catches the cancellation order just before dialing the final '1'. A quick thumb press clears the call, even as Robin's voice calls over the comm, <On my way.> There is little in the way of questioning in that reply. And, in just a matter of a few moments, the familiar red and black of Robin vaults down from the edge of the roof, landing next to Nightwing.
The domino masked eyes shift from the rather....unusual looking figure on the ground, slowly bleeding out, to Grifter, then over to Nightwing. "So...looks like you made a friend." Just a hint of sarcasm in there. "So...what is going on?"
As Koriand'r goes to click on her commlink, her head dipping to the side in confusion at Nightwing's countermand of his previous orders, "Acknowledge." She geos to fly on in towards the truck.
Right as the lead Daemonite tsks at Grifter, "We could have kept this easy and just gone on our way and hide the bodies, but you had to interfere."
A loud HSST then as the half dozen humanoids began to grow, fizzle, flush and change over to reptilian space aliens, revealing their true forms as DAEMONITES!
The masked stranger glances back over his shoulder to take in a quick glance at the area -- particularly for the other Titans as they approach, and the other 'humans'. Looking back again at Nightwing he snorts, and his hand twitches toward one of his pistols. "1: Grifter. 2: ..." and he turns toward the now-shapeshifting Daemonites and pulls his guns out at the same time. 
"/That/ is a Daemonite." To the alien he adds: "What can I say? Old habits die hard."
And he opens fire.
 
Well that escalated quickly, "Robin, be careful." Nightwing then chucks a smoke grenade into the middle of them and flicks his mask to adjust. The Titan begins his attack, trying to bring his sticks on where the knees should be, "You still didn't answer my third question!" he yells to Grifter. 
There is only a slight pause as the seemingly normal humans suddenly shifts into some sort of space lizard. "Whoa...didn't see that coming." When guns are drawn, Robin takes that as his cue that nastiness is about to go down. As if the shape shifting aliens wasn't the first clue.
Quick hands movement to the utility belt produce two things. The right hand produces a razor wing, set to throw. The left hand suddenly produces a bo staff, expanding out from seemingly nowhere, as if magic. There is a slight cock of the head towards Nightwing as Robin flashes a sidelong smile. "Aww...Nightwing, I didn't know you cared." And, with that, the razor wing flies, thrown towards the nearest reptilian invader.
The thrown smoke bombs blanket the area, the half dozen transforming Daemonites scattering admist the gunfire and the pellets going off, moving over into the shadows to try and conduct hit and run tactics upon the Titans and Grifter as the area was blanketed in a haze of darkness, the light being cut off as the power to the area cut down.
Charging in, Starfire was slashed in the gut hard over by one of the leaping Daemonites, it rapidly vanishing back over into the darkness - the lizard aliens using tactics that the Bat-Family would likely recognize as their normal turf.
"3!" Grifter calls out as he dives sideways, to avoid a leap from the lead Daemonite. The sound of claws on concrete (like nails on a chalkboard) splits the air painfully as the alien's meathooks scrape against the ground for purchase. Its tail whips about as if having a life of its own, scything through the air at the Titans nearby. Grifter comes up on one knee and shoots back, pulse-rounds ripping into the armoured scales of the creature.
"Saving your spandex-clad butts is what's goin' on!"
The disturbing -- really disturbing -- thing about the Daemonite (or any of them) is the remnants of human form about it: scraps of skin, hair, and clothing hanging off its form in tatters. The creature leaps again at the WildCAT, forcing him into a backward jump to avoid getting skewered by claws. Grifter glances at Robin and blinks at the bo staff.
"Where did ya pull /that/ from?"
 
Nightwing grins as his opponent is tripped, "Easy, kid." He laughs and smacks the daemonite upside the head twice, hoping to knock out the creature. When Grifter calls out his answer, Nightwing says, "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" And then laughs at Grifter's response to the bo staff. 
The razor wing flies straight and true, unfettered by the smoke screen or the darkness to its target. Sinking into the right arm of the creature closest to Robin, it gives that window of opportunity for the younger Titan to act. That bo staff spins, silently as Robin uses both hands to sweep the legs out of the creature, only to suddenly reverse his momentum to swing the staff back, in an effort to catch the falling lizard alongside the head for a knockout blow in much the same way as his fellow teammate.
As the lizards start playing tag in the darkness, there is a light chuckle from Robin. "Just like training back home." There is a quick twist as that staff sweeps wide, catching the jumping set of luggage and knocking it off course enough for it to miss the retreating Grifter. There is even an answer for his own question. "Pouch of holding. Interdimensional space set up to carry whatever I want." Leave it to a geek to give a Dungeons and Dragons answer.
The Daemonites go to zip and zag in and out even as they engaged the Titans and Grifter. As Nightwing hit at one, it went to withdraw over into the darkness, loud hissing heard as the 'POP' of bullets bounced off the group, or as the Titans connected as Nightwing and Robin hit them hard over in melee. Up above, Starfire tried to throw off one that had leapt upon her, slamming it hard back towards the ground.
Grifter's monster -- missing the man, thanks to Robin -- slashes the air instead, connecting with Grifter's left VAD pistol and knocking it from his grasp. It skitters across the ground away from the group, coming to a halt just around the corner of the building, out of sight. Grifter's hand drips red, leaving smears of blood on his arm to mingle with the ichor dripping from the daemonite. "Tell me what you're doin' here!" He barks at the creature.
The Daemonite only hisses, landing on top of the WildCAT with its limbs and teeth thrashing and gnashing. The second VAD drops from Grifter's other hand and he goes into full melee mode. Coda training takes over and the merc somehow manages to dodge or block the attacks of the beast on top of him. A tail stabs the ground where Grifter's groin was a moment ago, only to have him hook his leg around the back of the alien, and pull himself up onto its back.
Ride 'em WildCAT!
Wrestling to stay on his 'mount', the masked man looks at the Titans. "What's here?" he bellows over the sounds of battle. "Whoa there, Nelly!" Swearing, Grifter pulls out a Kusar-blade (not unlike a short katana), and stabs it down through the creature's head.
It drops beneath him.
Grifter reaches for his VADs and scans the perimeter. "More," he mutters and spots a woman fleeing from another exit. He doesn't hesitate, but fires both guns at the person.
 
<Starfire, take them out if they try to run off> Nightwing calls over the comm. Robin gets an eyeroll and a "Nerd" response as he continues beating down the daemonite, "Good thing he's on our side." He calls over to Robin, "Remind me not to get on his bad side." 
"You and me, both." The response to Nightwing indicates that Robin did see the display that Grifter gave...and yes, he would be impressed, if he wasn't in the middle of a melee. However, there is another thought running through the young detective's brain. The truck...that is now idling. That was being loaded by these monster movie rejects before the heroes crashed the party. Gotta be something important in there. Need to make sure that truck sticks around.
The quick thinking is interrupted by a lunging of claws and teeth. Looks like somebody wants to play. Robin shifts into motion, turning to charge at the Daemonite. Then, at the last moment, he uses the bo staff as a pole vault, leaping up and onto the head of the lizard. The sudden shift in weight causes the assailant to overextend, falling forward even as Robin leaps up, using the lizard as a trampoline towards the truck.
While in the air, Robin does the unthinkable. He throws his bo staff up in the air above him. As the staff arcs high into the sky, the flying hero shows just how much he has learned from his more acrobatic mentor, Nightwing. Robin somersaults in mid-air, his arms crossed as both hands produce a razor-wing apiece. As Robin finishes his rotation, he lets the two projectiles fly....right for the tires of the truck. He doesn't stop to see if the razor wings strike home, for as he lands, he catches the bo staff coming back down, landing in a defensive position, just in case the monsters decide to try to rush him.
Starfire clicks her tongue to the commlink, giving a quick signal of 'acknowledged' to Dick. Flying up into the air then to get a better vantage point, the air is occasionally lit by the quick blasts of Starbolts that Starfire blasts out then to help cover the area and ensure that none of the Daemonites are able to escape then, in effect helping to seal it off.
And then Robin is leaping in the air towards the truck, smashing through the tires, popping them all and leaving the truck completely unable to move, even if one of the lizard things went to rush it to try and drive off. There was a HISS among the rest of the Daemonites, those who had not been disabled. "Eliminate the Terrans!" They would do this or die trying as the remaining ones rushed at the heroes!
 
"Showoff" Nightwing says as he sees Robin do his feat of acrobatics. He grins as he takes up his sticks and begins attacking one of the daemonites, pressing a button on each eskrima stick as they crackle with electricity. The stun sticks smack into one's face and chest. "We are humans, not Terrans." His tone calm and punctuated by a thrust of an eskrima stick to the throat. 
The woman seen fleeing the battle drops to a knee as a pulse-round from Grifter's guns catches her in the left shin.
She screams.
A second round strikes her right shoulder -- spinning her like a ragdoll on the spot and knocking her onto her back, one leg splayed, the other drawn up, both hands falling limp to either side. From one hand drops a vial of some description, which rolls away across the concrete even as the person's head lolls to the side.
Dead.
And with no apparent sign of possession or control via Daemonite.
Grifter's expression and mood are all but pure stone -- unreadable except to the especially trained (like some of the Titans one might suppose). "Something's not right, here!" He calls out as a tail swipe from Nightwing's opponent comes just a little too close to the merc. Starbolts from the sky hammer into the Daemonite behind, but nevertheless put Grifter into a forward dive. As he comes up on one knee, he points both guns just over and behind his head, firing simultaneously into the skull of a looming alien.
Then he breaks into a run -- for the truck.
"You have no idea how long I worked on that move!" There is humour in that voice as Robin slides back into the melee, the bo staff a blur about him as he fends off Daemonites, treating them to a crack across the ribs here and a slam there as the butt of the staff finds purchase in the stomach of the beasts.
But, it is the scream that catches Robin off-guard. He turns just in time to see the second round slam into the woman, sending her flying. In that instant, the smile drops...the humour disappears. Robin turns, not to face a lizard...but the source of the shot.
Grifter
"You just killed that woman! What the hell are you thinking?!" The young hero is not okay at all with what just happened...which leaves him open, in that moment, for a space chameleon to strike...
Up in the sky Starfire's eyes flash, and at Robin's cry she goes to blast down with a pair of starbolts on the ground over towards Grifter, intent on trying to cut off his escape. Right in time as there's a loud cry from her as well as she was attacked, then silence.
For nightwing, smashing one of the Daemonites back, the stun stick hitting,t he electricity going off against alien leathery scales, a shriek as it collapsed, the speed in the inky darkness of one of the mgoing to rush towards Robin with intent to dismember as he was distracted..
 
Nightwing glares at Grifter once the casings hit the ground, <Starfire, follow this 'Grifter' the man just shot a woman, and I want him brought in.> Nightwing then charges the one going for Robin, swinging his sticks to strike it in the stomach and knee, if it isn't going to stop, he'll at least get its attention. 
The Starbolt explosions which strike practically at Grifter's feet -- courtesy of Starfire -- cost him his mad dash, but he tucks in his shoulder and turns what might have been a messy face-plant into the concrete into a double forward roll.
Much swearing ensues.
Grifter ends up in a half crouch, but quickly throws himself to the side to land on his back, looking straight up for the cause of Starfire's cry. "Damn it!" he half-mutters, half-barks as he switches his mask to night-vision -- and he shoots up into the heavens (one would hope at Starfire's attacker, from the looks of it -- but definitely very close to her position). For now, the vial and the dead woman are ignored.
A half turn and a set of claws slashes out, intent on taking Robin's arm off. It is only through a mixture of blind reflex and luck that has the bo staff up, catching most of the blow, but not quite enough as the claws rake over his shoulder, not quite ripping the fabric, but definitely enough force there to spin the junior Titan around. With Nightwing inbound, Robin falls to the ground...using the momentum from the blow to the shoulder to hasten his journey downward. He is already rolling away as the eskrima sticks find their mark, distracting the Daemonite to allow Robin to get away.
Robin regains his feet...but he is definitely feeling the effects of that winging. He isn't joking anymore. He is understandably pissed...and, with what movement he lacks with the shoulder now hurting he makes up for with raw passion as the staff swings like a baseball bat...and aimed for the head. Going for the grand slam.
WHAM! The sound of half a Daemonite carapace caving in echos throughout the chamber, and it goes down hard then and slumps as Robin has essentially smashed it hard and out then. Nightwing charging in from the side finishes it off, and the sound of Grifter's blasts pick the last one up and off from the sky that was slashing at Starfire as it falls, bullets holes riddling it's frame. 
Floating towards the ground, clutching a series of slashes along her body, Starfire calls out, "I cannot.. Keep him in view." Her hands holding in the bleeding.
 
"Ugh," Nightwing grumbles as he turns off his sticks' power. He speaks back into the comm <Understood, break off and meet us back at the Tower. We had best get out of here before something else shows up.> 
Grifter's chest heaves as he lies on the ground, on his back, his VADs still pointed up at the night sky even as the Daemonite crashes to the ground just a few feet to the side of him. Dead. He lets out a breath.
"So no interrogation then... figures. I like the monologues." With that, he rolls back a little and then flips onto his feet once more. He jogs quickly to the side of the woman he had killed earlier, and bends down to pick up the vial. "Thought so," he murmurs cryptically. To the Titans behind him, he lifts his free hand in a mock-salute, and takes the first of his departing steps backwards, away from the labs.
"You got skills," he calls out to all three of them. "Be seein' you around, kids. Count on it."
Then the Grifter is gone.