Sixth Night [Action, Voice]

[cowledcrusader]

 [It's been a long couple of weeks.  Between falling trees, killer butterflies, a rash of disappearances with most who returned telling the same story, there was enough to keep the Dark Knight busy behind the scenes.  But it gets better.  Green Lantern, Terra, Hellboy, and Adell had brought in Kefka of all people as a prisoner into the tunnels.  This made Batman happy beneath that cold stoic exterior, but it didn't last long.  He instantly took extra precautions for dealing with Kefka being down there and preventing another escape.  Without advanced technology like in his Batcave, he was forced to jury-rig a lot of traps.  Many of them are surprisingly effective, but not nearly as reliable as he would like.  A chief difference this time is that Batman has trapped all of the locks leading into the prison wing; anyone attempting to pick the locks will receive a nasty (but non-lethal) electric shock.  He doesn't want someone breaking Kefka out or him having an easy time leaving if he manages to find a way out.  The point is, getting to the prison cells is far more difficult now than it used to be.    These traps can be disabled, but such a thing would take time and would be reasonably difficult.

There is a sign before the traps begin though.  It simply reads:  Secure Prison Wing: No Entry Permitted Without A Justice League Escort.

The Blue Rogues might have some leeway if the issue gets brought up.  But you have been warned.

Anyway, the other part of his two weeks has been doing a lot of menial recordkeeping and research.   For many hours, his housemates will have no doubt noticed he's been working in one of the rooms he's claimed as his.  Inside this room, there are bookcases filled with various books on forensic sciences, psychology, chemistry, physics, criminal science, and many more types, as well as filing cabinets stuff with notes and records Batman has taken over his time in Luceti.  There's also a ton of scientific equipment; most of it you'd expect to find in a high school science lab.  Batman's access to higher technology has been limited, but he's been working with what he can take from the stores.  The windows are covered shut to make sure no one can see inside, and it's clear he's experimenting with ways to recreate some of his gear.  His housemates are free to enter this workroom if they so wish.  He keeps his most secret records in another location.   Yeah, he's kind of paranoid.  

His current project is still experimenting and analyzing the corpses of a few Tease he had recovered.   When night falls, Batman will go out on nightly patrol for trouble.  And to raid the store for more scientific equipment.  But before he leaves...]

[Voice, Filtered to Terra Branford 100%]

Terra.  I'd like to speak with you.

Comments

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

It wasn't alive? ...So is it some sort of robot? [It certainly seemed alive when it tried to bite her.] Perhaps the butterfly is just an alien form we aren't familiar with.

[Also, she frowns at his tone when he brings up magic. While she's had some unpleasant experiences with it, she's lived with it her whole life. Heck, she was created by magic. But she does understand his frustration.]

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

[Not that he really knows about how she was created with magic. Yet, anyway. But he shakes his head.]

No, there are no electronics in it at all. It appears to just be animated, and programmed with a single desire to consume living matter. Humans seem to be its preference.

But the perplexing thing is there appears to be no living matter in it at all. Look.

[He turns the microscope back on and slides out of the way so she can see. When she looks at it, she'll see... whatever Tease are made out of. But even that doesn't look like it was ever alive to begin with.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She looks into the microscope. Whatever she sees disturbs her. It was unnatural. And wrong.]

Why would someone desire to do something like this?

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

They don't appear to gather any sort of resources. They're simply made to kill. So someone would likely use these for assassination. Or to send a message to someone.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Why don't they just write a letter like normal people.D:]

It seems this place isn't as peaceful as I had thought.

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, it isn't. There are several individuals here just looking for trouble.

They'll find it with us. Kefka already has, though that was a team effort between John and a handful of others.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Yes. She always misses the good fights. Wait till she hears that the boys got drafted while she'll have to remain here and be a good housewife and wait for them to come home.]

Speaking of Kefka, do you need help with him?

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

If he proves uncooperative. But there's not much I hope to learn from him. He's nearly as delusional as the Joker. And I'm working on security countermeasures in the event of his escape. Or someone trying to break him out.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

I could take a few security shifts if you want.

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

[...Normally he would say no, that he could handle it. But he had a lot of other things to do.]

...That would be helpful. I'll show you how to deal with the security I put into place tomorrow.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Well, color her a little shocked at his accepting her offer.]

All right. [She glances at all the things in his workroom.] You've been keeping yourself busy.

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

...It's been difficult not having the equipment I'm used to.

[Which is to say, he's clearly getting along, but it's more frustrating to deal with the inferior equipment and the difficulties to get the answers and subtleties he's used to seeing. Also, not having a database for personal files? That sucks.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

Have you gone to the ruins of the laboratory? Perhaps some of the materials there can be salvageable.

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

Most of the useful materials were totaled behind repair. Even scavenging them for parts produced nothing of value. I suspect anything useful had already been picked over by the other villagers at some point in the past.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

That's unfortunate. [She doesn't want to bring this up, but if it could help...] I heard that you can request certain items from the Malnosso.

[cowledcrusader.livejournal.com]

...I'd rather not owe them anything.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She knew he'd say that. He really is predictable sometimes.]

So you'd rather just make do with the equipment you have?