[OPEN] Skulking at Twilight

[godsandbats]

WHO: Kirk Langstrom and you
WHEN: Throughout March
WHERE: Junkyard, S.T.A.R. Labs and maybe various other places in Etraya
WHAT: A Bat search mostly?
NOTES\WARNINGS: See here for general warnings about Kirk and see here for what your character may notice about him.

While Kirk knows that he’s fortunate that the companion bots recreated the Tower of Justice here in Etraya, it’s not a perfect duplicate. Unfortunately for him, this iteration of his home didn’t come with all of the top-notch lab equipment he’s used to. So finding something to fix those deficiencies has become one of several projects he’s decided to take on in Etraya.

1) Junkyard:
It's not glamorous but it’s not the first time Kirk went scrounging in garbage. Doing it near twilight while dressed in his full Batman suit probably makes for a strange sight though. Also probably not helping is the lack of effort he has in throwing aside some of the heavier and bulkier debris, like a whole bike.

Don’t worry. He won’t bite if you get close to him.

2) S.T.A.R. Labs:
Back home, S.T.A.R. Labs was one of many entities the government contracted for Project Fair Play. The weapons that came out of there worked just as they intended. It’s only because of Luthor’s last-second intervention that the Justice League is still alive.

So for Kirk, it feels strange skulking about in any version of S.T.A.R. Labs. But based on his aerial surveys, this was a building that was more likely to have what he needs. He observed that some people use it but it doesn’t look like anyone’s living there. Plus, the building appears to be large enough that it’s unlikely that all of the rooms are occupied.

So like any good bat-themed vigilante, he eventually decides to break into S.T.A.R. through the rooftop shortly before sundown.

Dressed in his full Batman suit, he carefully starts searching unused rooms for equipment or spare parts he could use. Maybe he could even use one of the rooms as a spare lab? The lack of security might be a problem though.

He’s also keeping his eyes and ears open for anyone else who might be around.

3) Closed to Vander:
Regardless of how successful his errands or searches are, Kirk always returns to the Tower of Justice. The companion bots didn’t recreate everything the real one has but it’s damn close enough that Kirk feels no need to live elsewhere in Etraya.

It’s unfortunate though that the Tower’s security systems weren’t also bought over. It would be a shame if someone was to just stroll right in. All they need to do is not feel intimidated by the Tower’s size and cold sterility.

Plus, it’s weird that some figure with scalloped wings might’ve been seen flying around.

4) Wildcard:

((OOC: Got something else in mind? Want to play with my character but can’t work up a prompt? Let’s talk! My contact info is in the journal profile and I'm the game's Discord server))

Comments

Junkyard

[miniroth]

Sephiroth arrives a little while after Kirk does, dragging a commandeered mostly-intact wagon with him likely found somewhere else in the junkyard.

Now, he knows he should never judge based on appearances. He himself is hardly entirely human, and there's a giant talking mammoth that roams around; all in all the costume is on the lower end of the weird scale, but the teenager still pauses to watch the entirely bat suit clad man toss an entire motorcycle to the side with casual ease, and can't help but wonder at that choice of clothing.

It has to be practical.

Making no pretenses at all of stealth or trying to hide even though he's habitually dressed entirely in black, Sephiroth scrambles after the tossed bike, working on dragging it further away so he can see if it's something worth trying to salvage. And then waiting to see what else the Batman tosses aside or uncovers.

[godsandbats]

Kirk had smelled and heard Sephiroth approaching. He's not sensing him as a threat though so he continues searching for machine parts. After effortlessly tossing aside the motorcycle, he bends down to clear some more debris. He also hears the teenager picking the motorcycle back up.

"Looking for something?" he asks, not bothering to look at him as he pulls out an exhaust pipe.

[miniroth]

It's hard to be threatening when that small. He'll grow one day, maybe. Until then, he's making inroads in untangling the bike from other miscellaneous trash he can't make use of. "..Yes, actually," he says after considering both the bike and the newest shower of debris sent tumbling away from Kirk. "Anything useful for apartments, and also this now."

The motorcycle. He doesn't know a damn thing about repairing them but it'll give him something to do. "Please don't let me disrupt you, but if you spot any sturdy flowerpots, feel free to toss them in this direction..?"

The story of kids in their first homes everywhere: everything is made out of cardboard and milk crates and other people's curbside garbage. Where better to get it from than a junkyard!

[godsandbats]

Given the response, Kirk wonders if Sephiroth is a new arrival. The request sounds reasonable enough.

"Alright," he replies. "Anything in particular you're growing?"

This time he looks back at the teenager, studying him.

[miniroth]

The reply takes a lot longer than it should. "Completely legal things."

Just in case that's a concern. He doesn't know what that particular suit is for, it COULD mean some kind of alien cop for all he knows. "I don't know much about indoor plants yet but spring's still some weeks away so I have time." And then if it's green it's going inside, if he can find floor space for it.

He looks reasonably normal, gray hair and slightly glowing green eyes aside, but there's a subtle unpleasant chemical-like smell that has nothing to do with the soap choice he's using. No normal blood to be found here. "...And maybe a cabinet." That might be easier to find. Now that the motorcycle's pulled off to one side and probably not likely to be buried again he's going climbing. There's stuff to find. "..Are you after anything in specific?"

[godsandbats]

Kirk nearly raises an eyebrow at the reply. The smell is strange too. Perhaps Sephiroth is used to getting interrogated? Kirk was only curious about what plants he was thinking about growing. It's not as though there's real law enforcement here.

"Just spare computer parts. Curious to see if there's anything still viable here," he replies calmly. "Perhaps there are people who could give you gardening tips."

Based on all those Chirper posts, something's bound to be in there.

[miniroth]

There could be real law enforcement. There could be actual laws. He's seen evidence of neither but that didn't mean there wasn't a reasonable chance! "Almost certainly, there's at least two gardens so far I've found here." Not in the junkyard presumably.

Computer parts means computers, and right where he's at it's mostly cardboard.But while he's looking for things he's interested in, it's not difficult to keep tabs out for anything that looked like it could be stripped for computer parts. When he begins moving discarded things around, it's with slightly more care, as he's looking for ANYTHING he can make useful. Or just looks neat.

"Where is all of this coming from? There aren't enough people here to cause this much refuse." A bright orange, though now stained couch is slowly unburied; there's a few electronic-ish looking things he can't quite get at yet but he's going to keep an eye on them.

[godsandbats]

Kirk kicks aside an old tire as he keeps searching. He's also still wondering what is that strange chemical scent from Sephiroth.

"Some of them were generated by the companion bots," he replies. "Others might be refuse from other worlds."

It's a guess based on how so many other things have been pulled into Etraya.

[miniroth]

That makes him pause mid-work on the couch, considering it for a long moment and then the junkyard around him with a more suspicious eye.

"Are you saying this place is a multiversal dumping ground?" Now, saving various planets is harder to really grasp, it's on a scale that's simply unimaginable, but he's IN a junkyard, so it's far more plausible that junk is in fact, required.

...Actually he might be able to use the couch. It's carefully dragged to one side. How hard can stains be to remove? "But if that's true then I'm going to have to come back. Who knows what's in here."

That's why Kirk is here, isn't it?

3)

[cantilevers]

Vander was the type of person who just showed up at someone's front door at a random time and day when it suited him. He knew where Kirk lived, and it was another one of those big impressive buildings that seemed to be far beyond anything that they had in the undercity. That didn't bother him in the least as he approached to the front door and knocked.

He waited the customary fifteen seconds of his place and then tried the door. It was open, and he expected there was probably supposed to be automatic locks here. Not this time? Well, good, Vander walked right in and shut the door behind him to be a polite guest.

Then he began to wander around this impressive sized building, stopping to look in rooms, using the stairs wherever there were some and admiring the view. He even used his device to send a text message when it seemed that searching up and down the building might be seen as home invasion.

Are you home? I knocked but no one answered. Now I'm wandering, and I don't want it to come across as weird.

[godsandbats]

When Vander entered the Tower, Kirk was already deep in his lab. It's far enough that Kirk wouldn't have heard or smelled the man coming in. So he's surprised when he receives Vander's message.

Under normal circumstances, nobody just saunters into the Tower. They would have to be invited instead and the Tower's security system repels most invaders. But of course this is Etraya, not Metropolis, and the Tower's best defenses are missing.

After taking a moment to think if he should welcome Vander or tell him to get out, Kirk replies back.

Stay where you are. I'll get you.

Kirk then flies out of his lab. He's guessing that Vander is near the foyer with Lady Justice.

As he begins to hear and smell the man, Kirk then pauses. He's used to freely levitating and flying in the Tower as it's his home, even if visitors are around. But this is the first time he's had an... ally? Friend? in the Tower who doesn't know about his abilities. Perhaps he should disclose some of the information with a lighter touch. He doesn't know how Vander will react.

Kirk lands on the ground and takes the visitor's stairs to the ground floor, purposely making his steps audible. They echo throughout the intimidatingly sterile area.

"Vander?" He calls out loudly.

[cantilevers]

This place was rather expansive and echoed. He had, of course, found the big statue of busty lady with scales, but he hadn't bothered to stay there. He had wandered around it and then beyond the foyer. Of course, he was close enough to hear Kirk's steps on those big lavish stairs.

Everything was clean and overly large. He expected there was a reason for it beyond wasting so much open space, though the idea of flight did not yet occur to him. After all, it wasn't big enough for a blimp or other flying machine that he was used to seeing and parkour was as close to flight as people seemed to achieve in his city.

He approached the stairs and appeared at the bottom when Kirk called his hand, lifting a hand as a way of greeting. His hands then went to his hips as he made a point of looking around. "Hey, Kirk. You have a big nice place. I came to visit, so I hope you don't mind."

He looked at the massive statue and pointed at it. "Is that your girlfriend?" His tone was warm and non-serious.

[godsandbats]

It's a jarring sight for Kirk. The Tower's size and sterility was meant to be intimidating. It's the home of people who are far from human. Most who visit are nervous or serious. But here's Vander, so casual, so friendly, and so warm. He's even comfortable enough to crack a joke about the decor.

He lightly huffs as he walks down the stairs. The situation was absurd.

"No," he says. "I imagine Lady Justice isn't dating material."

[cantilevers]

The luxury and absurd size remind him of the workshops and penthouses he would occasionally break into in Piltover when he was daring enough. Back then, there was less to lose for him, though this place didn't seem to fit what he imagined for Kirk. He suspected that a place this size had other inhabitants, probably Hernan who Kirk had mentioned as a friend.

It was a strange sensation to be in a space that made him feel small. He definitely did not mind it in the least. At this point, anything to distract him from his own thoughts, which might have been why he made his way here in the first place.

"You sure? She looks like she'd know exactly what she wants out of a partner and tell them too," he remarked as he made a point of moving around to climb the stairs to be meet Kirk a few stairs up. "I assume you're busy working on something? You don't mind me hanging out with you, yeah?"

[godsandbats]

"I don't mind," Kirk replies. So far Vander has been pleasant enough company. Plus, based on the his network post, it's likely that this was another way of Vander reaching out and getting a read on Etraya as a community. The man was certainly an extrovert.

"I could use the break," he continues.

Instead of leading Vander up the stairs though, he walks towards a spot in front of the statue.

"The Tower has certain technologies here. Please don't be alarmed. This is just faster than taking the stairs."

[cantilevers]

He nodded his head, preparing to walk up the stairs to wherever Kirk deigned to take him, but he was waylaid and turned around when they returned to the foyer instead. He followed, curious, and found himself in front of this Lady of Justice. So she served a bigger purpose, did she?

"Does it? It seems to be a statement," he said as he looked between Kirk and the statue as if expecting something to open in within her platform. "Though, your security does seem to be malfunctioning." Meaning, he assumed there was supposed to be some.

[godsandbats]

“Correct. Unfortunately, the bots didn’t recreate everything,” Kirk says. “Normally it isn’t this easy walking into here.”

Kirk puts a firm grip on Vander’s shoulder, hoping it comes off as reassuring instead of alarming.

“We’re going up.”

From very high up in the ceiling, a beam of light shines on both men and begins to lift them up to towards one of the tower’s top levels.

It had been a while since Kirk had given it much thought but it’s as though Lady Justice had summoned a heavenly light to bring her visitors to salvation. Alternatively, to judgement. Under most circumstances, it invokes a sense that those who come see the Justice League are in a unique situation. Whether or not it was foreboding was another matter.

S.T.A.R. Labs

[levelshift]

Kirk isn't the only one doing some skulking! Accelerator is, unfortunately, very familiar with how particle accelerators function. Academy City has one of its own, the Hula Hoop, and his own ability is named after them. He's probably one of the few people in Etraya who is well aware of just how dangerous those things can be.

Which is why he occasionally makes the trip out to the lab to poke around, check on the accelerator's equipment, and make sure no one is cluelessly messing around.

Unlike Kirk, Accelerator is making exactly zero attempt at stealth. He's never been a stealthy person, waltzing in with his choker in normal mode, the feet of his crutch echoing down the halls as he heads towards the main control room. Start there, make sure the thing isn't online, then head to the actual accelerator and look it over. That's his plan.

[godsandbats]

The noises Accelerator makes as he walks around is easy for Kirk to pick up. He hears the crutch along with footsteps. Accelerator's scent is unfamiliar. Curious to who he is and why they're in the labs, Kirk quietly follows Accelerator in the dark. He stays to the shadows and is using Accelerator's sounds to mask whatever noise he makes.

Something Kirk recognizes is that Accelerator is heading towards the particle accelerator. Interesting... Not many people know how they work.

[levelshift]

The lab is generally empty, so Accelerator doesn't expect today to be any different. He reaches the control room, the path through the halls familiar, and drops down in front of a computer. Booting it up, he clicks boredly through menus and interfaces, rapidly skimming through the various settings and statuses for the particle accelerator. It all looks very normal to him, no unusual readings from the sensors around to indicate it was booted up, so that's good.

The entire time he doesn't notice he isn't alone. Without his ability switched on his senses are that of a normal human, unfortunately. When he finishes he stretches his arms over his head, cracks his neck, and gets back onto his feet. Next stop is the accelerator itself!

[godsandbats]

As far as Kirk can tell, Accelerator seems to be a normal human. So he continues to keep his distance as he stealthily follows the teenager. He also mentally noted how confident and competent Accelerator had used the computer before moving along. Kirk doesn't smell a single bit of nervousness from him.

[levelshift]

If anything, he's kind of bored. He's done this before a few times, and he's only doing it because he'd rather not see Etraya destroyed because some dumbass was messing around.

He ambles down another hallway until he reaches the room with the particle accelerator. As soon as he steps inside he hits the switch on his choker. His senses open up, and he heads on over to the equipment to get a closer look.

[godsandbats]

When Accelerator flips on his choker, Kirk pauses. Is there a specific purpose to that? Now more cautious, he attempts to take a few steps closer, still trying to keep to the shadows.

[levelshift]

Unfortunately for Kirk, his movement causes the displacement of air molecules, and with his esper ability functioning Accelerator is able to pick up on the erratic vector motions. He immediately dismisses the notion that some wild animal got in - there's too much shifting going on, unless this is a big animal. Whatever this is either just showed up or it's been quiet for a while, and he doesn't particularly like any of these options.

He clicks his tongue, irritated. "You've got three seconds to come out. Otherwise I'm going to get really pissed off."

[godsandbats]

At that, Kirk stops. Ah... So the choker enhances his senses? Or the teenager naturally is that sharp and the choker is a suppressor instead? Either way, the jig was up and Kirk's trying to not look for a fight.

Kirk calmly steps out of dark, revealing himself in his full Batman suit.