2014.01.30 - Terrapin Troubles

It's a modestly busy day in the Queens area, and people are going about their daily business. It's warm, and not too humid with sparse cloud cover. An inviting day to be out and about. Like most of NY, it has its seedy elements... but it could be worse. Like the slums.
Every now and again though, some gutter trash rolls out of the bin and has to be cleaned up...
*BANG!*
"HELP! HEY! SOMEBODY!"
Down in the shadows of an alleyway, a ways from the paved streets, some shady figure has a guy firmly pinned against the lid of a trash bin with both arms in his grip as another man runs away. The figure in question is relatively short, stocky, from the looks of it - and wearing a trench.
His victim? Some scrawny punk with a multicolored mohawk.
"Hey! I told you to shut your mouth, punk! You're gonnna make this hurt a lot worse than it's gonna..."
Speaking of taking out the trash...
Vorpal had gone out on his route with Patrick, also known as the Iron Spider. He enjoyed their time together both in and out of costume--
Wait, let me rephrase that...
Nevermind.
"... and then the thug tries to rob me. He's dressed in a tutu and his villain name is The Great Nureyev. And I just sta---"
The Cheshire's ears twitch as he hears the loud bang, and gestures to his partner as he becomes invisible, edging towards the edge of the rooftop to find out what's going on.
It is a nice day in Queens, and that typicaly means of one of two things for a certain dimensionaly displaced clone. Either he is going to be out for a jog, or he is going on patrol. Or, both given how much time he spends working out and training in one way or another.
The Iron Spider listens to the feline as they bounce from roof top too roof top, his costume leaving a blank mask where an incredulous face would go if he were normal. He has heard of stranger, sometime he is going to have to tell Vorpal all about a hero from his home reality called Butterball.
The loud bang catches his attention almost immediatly as well. The overly trained and programed clone drops to a defensive position without a thought and triggers his suit to become invisable before he bounds over the edge of the roof to land on the wall on the other side of the alley to check out what is going on. Equipment int he suit immediatly starts to scan the two figures bent over the trash can to try and get an image he can run through the facial recognition systems he has tied to nearly every law enforcment agency there is just so he can gather any information he can on who they might be dealing with.
You must be on Public to do that.
"Stealin's wrong, buddy. Ya know?"
A *WHUMPF* of air rushing through clothing and the faint sound of a solid body striking a brick surface is emitted as the fairly heavy-set roughian in a trench coat thrusts his captive against a wall. "Bet you you'd quit stealin' if I broke your fingers, huh? Or at least you'd have to get a lot more creative..." a deep, youthful, voice comes from within the confines of the coat. Force is applied to the scrawny punk's wrists, pulling them into an unnatural position just hard enough to threaten breakage. "I don't like having my excursions interrupted, and I like scum like you even less..." The coated figure casts a wary glance sidelong, out into the open streets... and then a quick one over his shoulder.
...
Before turning back toward his victim, "I do like to hear the plaintive mewlings of a tough guy like you so why don't you just try again. I can make it hurt a lot worse than this..."
"Hey, hey hey there!" Vorpal calls out, becoming visible. He is crouching over the edge of the building. "Good on catching the thief, but ixnay on the unnecessary force bit." The cheshire cat drops down and lands in a crouch, a good distance away from Raph so as not to be immediately threatening.
Another voice comes out of the air as Vorpal makes his landing. "The LEOs always hate it when they have to go babysit someone like this at the hospital." The voice is comming from somewhere up above, a good enough distance away not to be too threatening, if it were not for the fact that the owner of the voice is choosing to stay invisable.
"Not to mention, unless I got a false hit here, that guys a third time loser. THey take him in healthy and undamged he has less chances on escaping those harsher penalties for his third strike."
A frown crosses the features of the shady figure in the trench as Vorpal's call comes, though it may or may not go unseen. He definitely seems to let up a little, if only enough to turn askance. "Who's askin'?" Though he turns to look in Vorpal's general direction, he seems to be making an effort to keep his face hidden in the shadow of his hat. "You think..."
And then his face turns upwaards, searching for the other voice... and giving anyone looking a potential peek at his reptilian face. A face sporting a bright red bandanna to boot. "...the hell..."
...And he finally turns loose. Sort of, ... flinging the light weight against a nearby trash can. "... seems I ain't the only ninja in these parts." He grouses, mostly to himself, before adding, "...Cops, then?"
Ninja? Vorpal raises an eyebrow. Nobody would call HIM, all purple and visible, a Ninja. Patrick, though.. that was another matter altogether.
"Not really, though I do work with the B.S.A... Bureau of Superhuman yada yada yada..." The cat slowly stands up, keeping his eyes on the figure with the trench coat. He's not quite sure what it was that he glimpsed, as he was looking at the thug to make sure this guy hadn't done permanent damage. But it seemed ... green. Ish.
"So you patrol this area?"
There is a small scoffing sound from up above as the invisable man there is called a Ninja. "Short of maybe three members no one in the Hand or the Crimson Dawn have half the training I do." As the theif is thrown in the direction of a trash can there is a small sound *Thwip* *thwip* And two little streamser of webbing shoot out to try and glue the thug in place.
From somewhere around the 4th or 5th floor Iron Spider becomes visable and lets go of the wall doing a flip across the alley to bounce off of a third floor fire escape and another flip to land on the ground a little behind Vorpal. A little bit of a show off? Yeah, probably. Why else would he be wearing the bright red costume instead of a sensable mostly black one like one of the other Spiders has. "And technicaly I am a Federal Agent....just don't spread it around."
"I just wander..." the figure speaks, in response to Vorpal's question, as he reaches for the brim of his hat again to tug it firmly down. "...and sometimes I catch things. ... I'm like a fisherman, except instead of fish I tend to catch old boots..." He chuckles softly, a touch of bitterness to his tone. "...This one..." he thumbs toward the punk for emphasis, "...has been trouble here before, but this makes the first time I've caught 'em."
He then sneers threateningly, just a touch in that direction, "Hopefully... it'll be the last..."
"...anyway, I ain't lookin' for problems. You want that grease ball, you got him. S'all fine by me." He then gestures in 'hands off' fashion, before letting his hands - covered mostly by leather gloves - drop. "...And I'm the last person to be telling that to." He says off-handedly about 'spreading things around'. "I got my secrets too. And I liek 'em to stay right where they are."
He certainly seemed to want to keep his identity to himself. The trenchcoat and the hat.
"Why the secrecy, though?" The Cheshire asks, "... I can see you're doing your best to hide so that we don't recognize you. You don't have a past record or anything of the sort, I hope..." he lets the question hang and looks at Patrick, to see if he had anything on who this might be.
Vorpal grew up in the Bronx, and you don't grow up in the Bronx without at least having an ounce of paranoia in your blood.
Iron Spider just does not have the nack for making his mask as expressive as some super heroes, otherwise it might be possible to see the small grin he allows himself. "Reminds me of someone a friend of mine used to work for. His secrets had secrets."
The Iron Spider shrugs a little when Vorpal gives him the look. He did not get enough of a peek to see for sure who is under that hat and trench but he can make a few guesses. "Either it is for the reasons I deal in secrets, or the ones you used to use to keep hidden." After a second he looks at the man and then shrugs. "Or a mixture of the two. Either way..." He says as he goes to grab the thug. If no one stops him, and the criminal does not try to hard to get away, he manages to pick him up with surprising ease andhaul him out of the alley. "I'll hang this guy up by the lamp post, call in the cops, and do the paperwork as usual. Stick back there in the shadows and they won't even know you were there."
"...Mehhh..." The cloaked figure lets loose a soft, protracted, groan of annoyance. Clearly this conversation is going on far longer than he'd anticipated. And not in a direction he liked. His eyes begin to wander the area, as if searching for answers... or possible escape routes. "...Everybody's got secrets. And like most people, I really don't like people nosin' into mine..." He eyes Vorpal from beneath the shadows of his attire, steadily. "...sides' you got a warrant or somethin' for that?" Though his tone isn't necessarily threatening, it is growing increasingly standoff-ish.
...But it eases a touch, at Spider's seeming unwillingness to join in the grilling. "...Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice. Like I said, I don't need any trouble."
He then returns a questioning glance to Vorpal. "...We done here or what? I don't know about you but..."
...A brief glance upwards again, as the sound of an airplane goes by.
"...I got places to be."
Cats are curious. It's Vorpal's less appealing feature. And here is nothing more enticing to a feline than what is hidden.
"... Now, that's not fair. I have to keep these streets safe. You could be anyone..." he pauses, seeming considering his next step.
It takes a second for Iron Spider to truss the punk up nicely, mention that he should tell the truth to the officers that find him, just not all of it because its far better to be taken out by a Spider than a guy in a trench coat that does not exist and might get emailed the thugs home adress if he is talked about. He also spends enough time to take the thug, trash can and all, several streets away. He maybe as curious as Vorpal, but he is also devious and curtious to those that have secrets.
"...I said..."
The sound of neck cracking comes from somewhere inside the coat, as the stranger's head tilts just a bit. "...I got places to be. Fine, you want some answers?? Here's your answers..."
A trash can lid is snatched from another nearby can and hurled in Vorpal's general direction. "Beat it, kitty!" before the shady stranger turns on his heels and begins to sprint down the alleyway behind him. "...Ain't got time for this..." he grumbles, cutting a corner, "...Where's that sewer lid??"
*Ooof* Vorpal manages to turn sideways quickly enough so as not to be slammed by the lid in the front. He pants trying to get his breath back in.
"... okay... now you've pissed me off."
He activates his invisibility and instantly projects an illusion of himself, a few feet ahead of Raphael. The illusion glares at him, hands on his hips.
"... that wasn't nice."
Iron Spider manages to return in time to seethe mysterious stranger stalking off. He...does not interfear. Even he knows you don't get between an annoyed cat and whatever might be getting the claws. He does watch a little before simpley saying, "I take it he is being far less cooperative than the other large green person you met Vorpal? What did you say his name was? Don something?"
A visceral growl escapes the shady figure, and he drops into some manner of martial arts stance in front of the illusory double. "That was probably the nicest thing I've ever done to someone who didn't respect my right to privacy." Leather-encased fists curl tightly, and then loosen again, as he stares down the alleyway just over 'Vorpal's shoulder. Right where he needed to go. "...You better move your ass, kitten or so help me..." Fingers snatch at the buttons of the overcoat, popping the first three before Spider's voice drifts in.
...This last bit gives him pause. "...Donatello...?" Nah, that couldn't be it. "...Probably not. It'd be pretty stupid of him to give his name to someone we don't know about..." He mumbles to himself.
Cat hearing is quite formidable. Suddenly, there are two Vorpals standing next to each other as the real deal teleports in and joins his double, becomin visible. "Hold the phone. You know Donatello?" ...he narrows his eyes, and looks at Patrick. "Large green person..." he repeats what Patrick said in a mutter. He looks at the overcoat. "... You wouldn't, by chance, happen to be green and sport three fingers under that overcoat, would you?"
Iron Spider is good, he figured there was maybe a twenty percent chance that the mysterious stranger would be connected to the Donatello that his partner had mentioned but it was the best bet given shape under that trench coat and the flash of green he saw.
"..."
There's a space of a few seconds where the shady stranger emits nothing but breathless silence. And then...
"...God damn it, Donny..."
His arms are thrown out in an exaggerated shrug. "...So what if I am? So what if I do?" He jerks off the hat, suddenly, revealing his reptillian face. And glaring. "...let me guess, you got a place for freaks like me, right?" He snaps off a few more buttons, just in case... "Over my dead body. Or yours, maybe."
"... um... hello. Giant Cheshire cat here?" Vorpal gestures to himself in his purple glory. "Does it LOOK like I have a 'place for you freaks?' I'm one of you. And for the record, I swore to Donny I'd keep his secret. I guess you must be related to him. Look..." he holds up a hand. "... I'm not here to do anything to you." A card pops out of his glove and he holds it up to Raphael. "... except, maybe, offer a friendly contact. I like Donny a lot." He lets go of the card, and it stays floating in midair.
(In truth, Keith had created a tiny little cube underneath the card and let it float. It was contrived, but the effect was cool.)
"Maybe we can spar or patrol together sometime. No need to do it all alone." The Cheshire says, and the illusory Vorpal vanishes. The real one walks back, giving Raphael the run of the alleyway. "- in any case, you don't look freakish to me."
Iron Spider lets out a small laugh. "I was going to offer maybe a glutten free veggiterian pizza. Between himself, hsi faince, and his fience's brother I know the cat does not have room for anyone else in his apartment."
The magic card tricks get a slight shake of the head but, he is used to working with Vorpal. If nothign else, his more theatrical tendencies are great as distractions while he gets behind people and does painful violent things to them. "Or if you want someone that talks less and is not going to give you the sad kitty eyes when you break bones you can ask for me. It is curtisy there is nothing remotly normal about any of us and that is not so strange super hero thing."
"...Funny thing for someone to say who clearly doesn't trust anybody..." Raphael grouses again, at Vorpal's dismissing Raph's own suspicion. "...Not that I blame you..." He admits only softly, and then stares at the oddly floating card. "...Meh. Quite an introduction you make then.", and straightens himself, putting his hat back on and pulling his coat to.
"...Yeah, well, whatever..." Raph shrugs flippantly, as if he didn't really care too much about the details of how he knew Donny. Even if he did. There's a distinct heaviness to this shrug though, as though he might be weary... or a tinge guilty. Jury's out on that last one.
"...Maybe some other time..." Raph adds, recovering some semblance of good humor, in reply to Spider. "...Pizza is a heck of a lot better than getting your face punched in at least. ... I got enough sad kitty eyes at home though." A soft chuckle escapes, and he begins to walk off down the alley... right past the card.
...But he takes a step or two back, taking it after a moment of thought. Could always use 'evidence' for grilling Donny.
"...I suppose you can call me Raphael then, don't guess it hurts... seeing as my cover's blown and all."
"Later."
"Don't be a stranger." Keith watches Raphael walk, and looks at Patrick. He lets out a heavy sigh. "... Pizza at Anita Bella's on you." He says, walking over to Patrick. "I don't know why, but I have the impression I got Donny in trouble."
Iron Spider nods and shrugs a little. "Sure, got paid on the last job I did today anyway." He takes a moment to slip out of sight before willing his suit into something more street clothes like and changing the whole way he carries himself becoing Patrick, odd but basicaly normal guy dating a superhero instead of Iron Spider. "Now, you were telling me about a guy in a tutu?"
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