@blumenk

Upon your arrival to the Mid Town West you find many people rushing about in a frantic nature as they all tried to get way even the criminal types, but none of them really seemed to know where to go too. Along the streets were a mix of civilian vehicles and police vehicles as a very few number of police tried to stem the rising chaos. Looking harder you would be blessed to note that in some shops, bars, and even a couple nightclubs some people gathered with a nervous sense of security whilst the mobs of people rushed about. A police officer takes notice of your arrival.
"Excuse me, um..." he looked you up and down, not quite sure what to think. "you must be here to help look for the bomb. We have units searching the north and making their way down, but we don't have the man power to search all the buildings before the timer is up." He looked at you obviously afraid, and silently telling you there was no way they were going to find the bomb in time. "Do you think this is for real? One guy planting bombs in three major locations?"

Michael had finished doing a show and demonstrating his powerful magic to a crowd of cheering people. He was in business and he was loving it. For Michael being his own boss was great. He made his own decisions and was independent of others. In between his shows, Michael would also sometimes use his powers to fight crime and combat those that tried to do evil. It was these escapades that had him run into the likes of John Constantine and Tim Hunter.

He wasn't a big fan of the British con artist since Michael believed in a more honest business as a democratic capitalist, but his encounters with the sorcerer were necessary when otherworldly demons and monster sought to turn the world into a dark and scary place. For Michael some acquaintances were out of necessity instead of friendship. After his show was over he decided to go out and patrol the city of Gotham for a bit. Things in the city had become more chaotic since the disappearance of its greatest hero The Caped Crusader otherwise known as Batman, along with the rest of the Justice League.

Villains were more bold, but the young generation of heroes such as himself were able to try and fill their shoes. As the magical hero known as Zorn, Michael was doing his part and had several encounters with various villains, most of them were minor adversaries of the older heroes and not the top bad guys. For now he was content with dealing with robberies and stopping murders and assaults. His Weird Magic allowed him to create bizarre illusions to frighten and confuse his foes and then defeat them.

He was a master illusionist and his family's magical arts were among some of the legendary kinds of magic. Gotham at night was as dark and grim as it has always seemed to have been. It almost seemed perfectly fitting for crime to happen in this city and wasn't a surprise that its protector was a fittingly dark vigilante. Ever since the league disappeared Michael decided to help out the new league and he was confident in his abilities to assist in keeping the world a safe place.

@Almosegosum@bluetommy2

After Stepping through the portal and issuing your command, that granted you little more than a awkward look form a few, they continued to shuffle about with a slow growing fear. It wasn't long at all before squads of police were all about the place escorting people into buses and armored trucks as bomb squads and crowd control moved slowly about repeating the same instructions as was being said over loud speakers, and hand-held PAs "Please remain calm and proceed to a transport in an orderly fashion, bring only what you can carry, no bags are permitted." The police take little notice of Melecoda while others eyed Khnemu with caution. Several squads with dogs walked about the shuffling people as the dogs sniffed indifferently about them as the passed, before moving on to cars and buildings. Many police officers with riot-shields stood at the entrances to Subway trains, only letting people out and search squads in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Mephistopheles, intimidating some of the people and dogs in the area, seems to be sniffing from rain-drain to man-hole cover quite intently making his way towards The Gotham Law Library. A police officer with light ballistic suit notices you not heading towards a transport and approaches you with a visor helmet on obstructing the upper portion of his face. "Sir, I am going to have to ask that you and you... friend, proceed to one of the civilian transports for your own safety." Looking Khenmu over with no expression he then stated. "They may ask that you remove the cloak."

@Master Crim @bluetommy2

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Dr. Malacoda Zatanna

Stopping and looking over at the officer - Malacoda raised a single eyebrow, the sides of his mouth turning downwards into a slight grimace. Mephistopheles raised his head, and howled into the sky - the sound causing tremors in all those faint of heart in the area - which made his earlier barks seem like adorable mewls. He started rushing towards the Library. With a casual flair Malacoda looked over to where the large black beast was heading, and without a word rose a few feet into the air. His eyes flicked back towards the officer, his head a few feet above the other's - and his grimace became, just for a moment, a smug smirk. Suddenly he moved forwards, much faster than he would normally walk, his coat flapping behind him. He landed next to the dog, and patted the head that stood nearly up to his shoulder.

"What have you found, dearest?" The dog looked over to him, before sitting down in front of the door and nodding inside.

@Master Crim

"While there is a possibility of a supervillian doing this, its almost impossible, based on the clues that the voice said the bomb is possibly on one of the gangs hideouts so it could be a man that had ties to the mafia or a gang, tell your men to detain men suspected of gang activity and ask them about their hideouts and bases location, if they dont comply threaten them with not letting them go till the bomb goes off, they will probably care more for their life than loyalty to their bosses. Contentrate your effort on finding the hideouts and bases, searching every building is futile" Hayato paused and grabbed the Policeman arms "If we play our cards right we can come out alive of this, show this city that the GCPD can handle cases like this without the Bat"

After saying this Hayato took off, the situation was really grim and both of them couldnt afford to waste precious time, now he had to initiate a search of his own too. Finding a gang member didnt took as long as he tought it would, running a few meters from were he met the policeman Hayato found two men fist fighting in the middle of the street. One of them had his jaw covered by a orange bandana, had an orange cap and oversized jeans and shirt, the other man instead wore his bandana on his head, which was blue in color and a pair of sunglasses on his head. Hayato ran to them and stopped their fight, using his strenght he grabbed the one with the blue bandana by the collar and kicked the other one on his knee; causing him to fall on the floor where Hayato stepped on the man´s arm, with not enough force to break bones of cause extreme pain but enough so that it would be difficult to break free from it. "Since you werent in any hurry of escaping, I decided to use the time we have left to do better things than fight amognts ourselves, so if you dont want to die here with me I need you to ask me some questions"

@Almosegosum@Master Crim

Ignoring the officers, Khnemu confidently stomped over to where Zatanna was crouching. Clenching his fists, he unwrapped up to his arms, the bandages on his arms touching the ground. These men were all dressed the same, they seemed to be protecting the others, but they were still presumably cultists.

Looking around, he noticed a woman wearing shorts far too short in one of the transports, confused by this, Khnemu came to the conclusion that she was a prostitute. Pointing a finger at her, Khnemu relished the moment as the rest of the crowd looked at each other confusedly.

"That woman, she is in a state of undress. I will not have a prostitute anywhere near me. The gods frown on her actions, as do I. If she does not remove herself from my presence, I will show her how poor her decisions are." Turning to the officer who had spoken earlier, Khnemu growled beneath his breath. "And you will have more respect for an avatar of the god of death. If you wish to remove my cloak, you may not like what happens as a result."

Turning back to Malacoda, Khnemu watched as the sorcerer toyed with his dog, in a way that caused Khnemu some distress.

"Hurry yourself Malacoda Zatanna, I wish not to be involved with this any more than necessary." He spoke, his voice belying his frustration.

@Master Crim @bluetommy2

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Dr. Malacoda Zatanna

Walking forwards - towards the doors spoke - not looking at the other man. "Quiet. While I might have found your ignorance amusing, endearing even - it is very quickly starting the Grate on my nerves." The doors flew open and he walked inside, the sound of the heels of his shoes, and that of his umbrella tapping the ground echoing through the area - seeing that the front area seemed to be mostly empty. Mephistopheles quickly followed, not waiting for Khnemu to enter, starting to sniff around and growling slightly. Malacoda walked behind him, looking for anything that seemed out of place. He spoke again, his voice carrying around the area - the sound echoing back slightly the marble floors and walls - "No Offence, but none here are subject to your gods - nor their laws. It would be best for you to realize that while some upwards snobbishness remains entirely reasonable... You are not entitled to anything, and this city owes you nothing - least of all obedience or fealty." With the last words he looked the other in the eyes from afar, before he followed his dog deeper into the building.

@Almosegosum

As Dr. Zatanna walked into the library, Khnemu stood a moment, his cloak clacking as the wind pushed it to his side, revealing his bare stomach, green and covered in stitches. The disrespect shown was intolerable, especially to a scribe such as himself, and even moreso to an avatar of the gods. This man showed just how strange this new world was, how everyone living could be so disrespectful to their betters. Khnemu had thought himself in the company of an ally, instead, all he had found was another enemy.

This new human race, such a blight on the Earth, poisoning the very air, tearing apart the ground and daring to question one who was only attempting to protect it, it infuriated Khnemu, no, it more than infuriated him, Khnemu's body felt rocked by a mixture of profound disappointment and searing rage. His hands twisted into claws and sand began to gather in the air around him.

He knew now what he had to do, to purify this land. No building would still stand, no man in his path, Khnemu was going to fix this, he had to. Gripping his cloak with a growl, he stopped a moment to stare at the many buildings, hideous, disgusting corruptions of what the Egyptians had created, none of it was worth saving, none of it.

"Prepare yourself, Malcoda Zatanna," he said, not even looking at the disgusting man. "For by the end of this day, I will be home."

Khnemu tossed his cloak to the wind and in a moment was covered in a swirling mass of sand and wind. After a moment, the sand was tossed aside, and standing in Khnemu's place was a massive beast of sand, at least ten feet in height, with a tongue that flopped loose from its mouth, wet even when it was of the same sand that made the rest of the beast. Rearing back, the beast let out a blanching roar, tearing cars and people from the road and tossing them into buildings and each other.

"Hear that, Malacoda Zatanna?" His voice echoed from the heart of the beast. "That is the wrath of the gods. They will be heard, and you will understand how big a mistake you have made."

@Master Crim @bluetommy2

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Dr. Malacoda Zatanna

From deeper into the library, the shadows shuddered - the lights flickered erratically, as something quickly moved through the hallways towards the exit. Just as it almost reached the front, a howl could be heard once more from between the dormant and quiet books. The thing moved through the front doors, the metal shaking and the glass panels cracking.

The sand that in the air stilled as the invisible force moved towards the beast. It moved, enveloping the sand tongue and forcing the beast's mouth wider open, as if something was forcing itself into it. A moment later, and the force seemed to be gone - but, at the back of Khnemu's consciousness he could hear a polite chuckle...

"...What are you doing?" The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, covering the other's consciousness. As the echo's started to fade, so too it seemed Khnemu's mind started to wander away from his body - into another realm, filled with quiet and darkness.

@Almosegosum

Khnemu knew he wasn't standing, but he couldn't help but feel a cold wetness wrapping itself around his feet as his mind wandered into a new realm. Sorcery, he knew, trapping his mind away from his body. The sorcerer had entered his mind, and as a disciple of Thoth, he knew more than Zatanna could ever imagine, if anything, Zatanna should have been cowed simply by the information that he had accessed, it would be too much for a mortal, but perhaps this sorcerer was more powerful than he thought.

"I am fixing the wrongs of this new world, Malacoda Zatanna, trapping me in this world will not help you, my will shall be done, for as long as I have the blessing of Osiris, I will die, and my death will free my mind of your trickery." Khnemu spoke without moving his lips, his voice still barely above a whisper.

"Kill me, Malacoda Zatanna, stop me here, for you will die if you do not, and I will outlive you." His gambit was simple, if Zatanna followed through, he would die, but as was sworn, Anubis would not allow him entrance to the land of the dead, awakening his body and allowing him to be free once more, to purify the world and fix it all.

@Master Crim @bluetommy2

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Dr. Malacoda Zatanna

"While I would love to go through all of it, I really must insist that you stop underestimating me. I have been sharing my mind with hundreds of beings accumulating memories spanning thousands of years... if you think your mind would quell mine... well don't. As to your righteous indignation. I fear I might have offended you when I expressed mine, and the current general disinterest towards your convictions. More prevalent and more... universally palatable gods have come and gone since you first left and returned. Religion is a private thing... for the most part. Why don't we calm down, and I will help you start a church through which you can proselytize all you want. BUT - LET ME BE CLEAR. WE DO NOT DO CRUSADES! You do not use your offence to validate your rage!" His voice rose near the end, growing more and more prevalent. "You think I would just kill you - a being clearly resilient when it comes to death?! I promise you, there are realms and fates far worse than any death you can imagine... And I just happen to carry the keys to a few of them!"

Inside of the library, Malacoda's body sighed loudly, where it was sitting against a wall. His dog was sat next to him, keeping a watch out. The sweat was forming on the sorcerer's brow. Shit... even with the telepathic advantage he got from the spiked tea from earlier... he could feel his power taking it's toll. He could not hold him much longer. He was either ending this guy, or letting him go - and realistically there was only one outcome he could allow. Shit.

@Almosegosum

Khnemu growled as the man gave his lecture, the man was wrong, in so many ways, and yet, he was terrified, the thought of being imprisoned forever in a world far beyond his comprehension, it was something he dared not contemplate. Khnemu finally attempted to tap into his own magic, but failed to, he attributed it to rust, but he couldn't be sure. Instead, he decided to call on the gods, even in this world, he had a connection to Osiris, and through him, Thoth. All he needed was a prayer.

"Almighty lord of death, speak to me, speak to me, speak through me, take this mortal soul as your own, and allow me one prayer." He deliberately attempted to sound as pitiful as possible, as to ensure it wasn't taken as a threat, and instead as a broken man praying for his salvation. Immediately, he knew he had been heard, his link with the gods had not been severed by his journey into this mind-space.

"Almighty lord of knowledge, tell me tales, speak to me, make me a stronger man, give me the knowledge of the gods above." A moment passed with nothing happening. Unfortunate, Khnemu thought, he would be imprisoned now, he was terrified. Then, a thought, fire, the first man to find it, his name, his family, through them his descendants, what they invented, what languages they spoke, the sorcery they forged, the beasts they met, the worlds these beasts came from. Khnemu felt pain, but at the same time, salvation. The pain was searing and brutal, more than anything he had experienced, burning, searing, tearing, he knew what man was not meant to know, it was pain, that's all he felt. He suddenly felt like he made a poor decision, hopefully the mind link would work.

Meanwhile, in the material plain, Khnemu, contained within the sand beast, began to have a massive nosebleed.

George knew his form would draw a lot of attention that he didn't want mostly because he found these primates to be ignorant buffoons undeserving of life.

He ducked into an alley, he found several dead homeless people. He took their clothes. He was able to get the hoodie and trench coat on. He now smelled like an extremely pungent odor of urine, excrement, cheap alcohol, and garbage. If George could smell he would pass out. He began tracking the beacon he picked up. "That is interesting. Same general location as my Earth. Wonder if that is some kind of multiverse constant." George took the shortest but least occupied route to the location, the rooftops. When was near his destination he had a huge gap that he could not cross via rooftop, so he got a running start and jumped as far as he could. He landed on and killed a dog, he turned to apologize for killing the man's meal. The guy pulled out a flimsy stick that he had to unfold. George grabbed and threw the stick. "Do not get hostile with me, you will not do any damage to my chassis. Now begone with you." George proceeded to walk away towards the HQ of the Justice Leage completely unaware that the man was blind. He also thought, that they sure like the dogs get awfully big and fat before eating them.

@Master Crim @bluetommy2

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Dr. Malacoda Zatanna

Mephistopheles looked over to its master, and quickly dashed over - nosing Malacoda's side, and producing the closest thing it could to a whine - sounding more like a wailing spirit than anything else.

Outside of the building however, inside of the mind of the desert beast - Malacoda realised that his power was leaving him. He still needed to find that bloody bomb. He called forth another burst of mental strength, before making the darkness fade around their entwined consciousnesses. Instead of a vast emptiness there was now a vast plain of fire - a mere memory made into an image for the other. "This place, where my parents now dwell - without such things as time and space, where no god of earth had ever even considered trespassing - this is where I could send your mind. Where I could have you stay until such a time as I felt you worth saving. I won't do it however. I can't. I realise that you are a sentient being. I realise that you have agency and reason. I realise that you have been taught to the best of your people's ability. I realize that nothing you have done, or nothing that you contemplate could ever justify this punishment." The flames and light vanishes - and the darkness seemed to start cracking around them.

"I need you to realise that while you might think yourself vastly beyond all of them - the people of this world, even the most common ones are more informed about the world than the richest among your people. We have learned to afford them the courtesy and dignity you would have afforded the best of yours - because that same ability to reason and understand - we believe makes them deserved of making their own choices... Please realise that you are not wrong - but neither are-" His mind suddenly vanished from the other's and he awoke again in the building. He coughed up blood and he he felt his hound whine next to him. Shit. He left too soon...

As soon as Agent was done helping the firefighters with the destroyed bus and corpses, her phone buzzed. She cursed at herself, forgetting to leave it at home, and quickly grappled to the nearest building. The woman checked her phone, reading the "Breaking News" report. Bombs in Gotham, all going to blow up, all in three sections of the dark city. Personally, Red Agent tended to stay in Metropolis since she lived here, but this was an emergency. Red Agent grappled back down and hopped on her hoverboard.

It wasn't too hard to choose which area of Gotham she was going to go to. She zoomed to Midtown West. It wasn't the nicest area, but she was positive the police would send most of their force to Uptown since it was the richest area. The Penitentiary, well, what could she say? Citizens lived in Midtown, monsters lived in the Penitentiary, and it was hard to think, but citizens took priority over criminals in her book. It didn't take her long to get to Gotham, to arrive in the chaotic Midtown.

@Almosegosum

Khnemu followed every word Malacoda said, terrified of what would happen, his gambit had failed, and now he was at the sorcerer's mercy. The sorcerer spoke of how he wouldn't do such a thing to him, and how Khnemu was right, even as all of his people said the exact opposite and were still just as correct. Such a thought confused Khnemu to no end. Then, just as suddenly as he had been forced from the material plane, he was back again. His mind was aflame with confusion as he thought on what the sorcerer had said, his breaths heavy and long as he gulped down air. Realizing he was still in his demon form, he dispelled it, sending sand into the air around him as he fell to the ground in a three-point landing. Breathing heavily, he stared at the destruction he had caused.

Perhaps he was wrong to kill people in defense of the Earth, perhaps they were just trying to survive, they would learn, he was sure of it. He stood slowly, his shirtless form covered in green paint. Malacoda Zatanna had proven much more enigmatic than he had imagined, a friend, perhaps, maybe Khnemu was hasty to dismiss him so fast, maybe there was hope for this new human ra-

BANG

A bullet struck Khnemu right in the forehead, tearing through his head and embedding itself in the library behind him, blood and sand flew into the air as Khnemu collapsed on his face.

"You've returned, fool of Egypt," a voice spoke to him. Opening his eyes, Khnemu was face to face with Anubis, dog-headed guardian of the underworld and perhaps one of the least friendly gods. Khnemu stumbled to his feet.

"Anubis, god of the dea-"

"Spare me the drivel, follower of Osiris, I will only tolerate your company for a short time, any longer and I will be forced to alert Ra to your presence." Anubis interrupted, his voice deep and echoing. Khnemu did not wish to see Ra, for he might have stayed dead had Ra found him when he had first arrived.

"My apologies, do you happen to know what cast me into your realm?" Anubis chuckled at this question.

"A gun, Khnemu, did your friend Thoth not teach you of them?" He tittered with closed mouth.

"If that is all, then you may return to life, do not force me to see you again." Anubis smacked the ground with his snake-headed staff, and a horde of black locusts surrounded him, covering his eyes and leaving him unable to see, he did not attempt to fight them, as suffering blows was the way of mortals in the land of the gods.

Awakening a moment later to a police officer standing over him, Khnemu shot up and grabbed him by the collar.

"Face the consequences of your actions." Khnemu then held him to the sky and allowed a swirling vortex of air and sand to consume the man. Khnemu removed his hand after two seconds and dispersed the vortex a second later, nothing was left of the man. Standing up, Khnemu walked towards the library, he wished to converse with Doctor Zatanna.

@Almosegosum@bluetommy2


After the ordeal of Khnemu and Malacoda’s mental dual and the mild destruction caused by Khnemu tensions in the area only got worse as people tried to flee from both the bomb threat and sand beast. Police began to surround the building as khnemu lay dead. ”Dispatch we have another 10-10 involving what looks like the same perp from the Lex Corp. Building Site 10-35 and Malacoda Zatanna. Perp seems to be-” he cut himself short as Khnemu was revived and disintegrated the officer that had shot him and moved in to confirm the situation. The gathered officers stood speechless, as they watched a fellow officer be killed in a way so unbelievable.”Officer down! permission to-"

”10-4, please be advised the perp is in the care of Malacoda for the time being. Secure the perimeter, and 10-12. Civilian evac is top priority. Perp can be delt with after the threat is cleard"

after the bulk of the people were evacuated a few of the units packed up and headed off along with some of the empty buses while others stayed behind taking the rest of the citizens to safety. A couple units surrounded the Law Library and hunkered down as Khnemu re-entered with Malacoda.


Inside the Law Library, after things had settled down, it was quiet as sand settled in various places all over. The building was a large open three story construction with the focal point of the building being the large circular desks and counters at the center of the main floor. Above was it was open all the way to the domed roof where an oversized chandelier hung. The two upper floors, due to the open center, were more of large balconies giving effect of a larger space than it actually was. Each floor had numerous bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling acting as both book storage and supports.

Sand had settled within the library, brought about by Khnemu, covering most of the floors, desks, and shelves. Listening closely one would be able to hear very faint scratching sounds on both the second and third floor as well as a couple of muffled coughs. On the desks in the center of the main floor there were scattered files and books.

@1Hawkeyes@blumenk

Hayato’s interrogation

Both the gang members were taken off guard by the sudden appearance of this new hero figure, and the man in the orange bandana let out a cry as Hayato delivered a firm kick to his knee sending him to the ground followed by a heavy foot landing on his arm. Grabbing Hayato’s foot he tried to struggle free, wheezing under the weight and then letting out another yell as he grabbed for his shattered knee. The man in the Blue watched in surprise as he was hoisted into the air. Laughing a little he spit at the man lying on the ground before being addressed by Hayato. ”Ha!, you think if I knew where the bomb was I would be fighting this greaser scum!” He replied, referring to the man in orange who was part of a chop-shop group.

Agent
Arriving a short time after Hayato had the scene hadn’t changed much other than there were now a few busses that had been sent down from Uptown due to overflow. People were still just as scared and swarmed the overwhelmed officers trying to get to the busses. Other people avoided the rush to get on a transport and instead walked in large groups out of the area.

A helicopter had showed up slowly shining its light around the masses of people and hovering around the area altogether. From the chopper came a familiar voice; Commissioner Gordon. ”Attention Gothamites! This is Commissioner Gordon! Please remain calm and proceed to the transports in an orderly fashion.” The people all paused for a moment looking up to the chopper circling overhead. ”We are getting more units and transports on the way. If you can remain calm we can get through this as we always have; together” After this announcement the people seemed a bit calmer, but were still rushing about. busses and more units were arriving as time passed

@Almosegosum

Entering the building, Khnemu was still shirtless and with sand still falling from his skin, adding to the already massive pile. Walking closer to Zatanna and his hound, Khnemu stopped with a tilt of his head when the dog growled, preventing him from getting any closer.

"I understand how my actions could have offended you, I only wish to protect this planet in any way I can, and harming my own people seemed the only course. I swear to you, Malacoda Zatanna, I will not harm another human being in cold blood." Khnemu said, not even eyeing the hound by the sorcerer's side. Khnemu meant it too, he took promises very seriously, it was against a man's moral compass to ignore a promise.

Noticing that Zatanna was bleeding from his mouth, Khnemu attempted to approach, thwapping the ground with his bandages to force the dog away from him, the seemingly weightless strips of fabric left dents in the ground and tossed sand into the air with every hit. Kneeling next to Zatanna, he examined him very closely.

"You are wounded, Malacoda Zatanna. If this is my fault, I must give my apologies. If you wish to kill me in return, I will not fight back, I'm sure it would be pleasurable, and I will suffer no consequences unless my limbs are amputated." He offered in the same monotonous tone of voice as usual, it barely sounded like a kindness coming from him.

The panic in Gotham was as expected, especially when everyone wanted to get out. Red Agent listened to the commissioner and nodded. They seemed to need help evacuating as well as searching. She wasn't too sure what kind of bomb to look for and how to identify one properly. What if she found it and accidentally set it off? Red Agent wanted to help the people, so she stayed in the evacuation sites. Maybe the sight of a hero would keep them relatively calm. The young woman then proceeded to prowl through the lines, offering words of advise and comfort. Some people gave her positive responses, other negative. This was expected too, especially when tensions were so high.

As she walked through the crowds, she stumbled upon a dropped stuffed animal. She didn't recognize what kind of animal it was, and it seemed hand-knitted, one of a kind. Her eyes looked away from the toy and scanned the crowd for the owner. It was hard to spot out the children through the midst of legs. When she finally did find a crying boy, tugging at his mother's shirt, she strode over.

"I'm sorry, baby, I don't know where your pookie is, but we're going to get on the bus soon, everything will be okay," the woman cooed, though it was easy to see she seemed nervous.

"But mommy!" the boy sobbed, wiping his nose on her jeans.

"I know, I know, shush, it'll be okay," the woman said and picked up her son.

"Is this what your son is looking for?" Red Agent asked, holding out the toy. Immediately, the boy's tears disappeared and he held the toy.

"Oh thank goodness you found it, he'll never be able to be calm without it," the woman said, some of her anxiety disappearing. She quickly gave Red Agent a hug and said, "Thank you."

"No problem, anytime," Red Agent said, careful not to hurt the woman. She was pretty much bullet-proof, unable to feel certain bullets hit her flesh, how was she supposed to feel a gentle hug?

"What are you doing?" a man called from the crowds, "You're supposed to be out there looking for a bomb, hero!"

"Sir, I'm on crowd control," Red Agent said, not really sure how to respond. The police didn't put her on crowd control or anything, but this was where she felt most needed.

"Crowd control? Playing with a kid isn't crowd control!" he shouted, shaking his fist.

"Sir, please calm down, the police are doing their best to find that bomb."

"The police?" he spat with a mocking laugh, "You think they can do anything? They can't even keep the scum off the street! Ha! Find a bomb! I'll tell you who'll find the bomb! Batman! Batman could find the bomb! But Batman isn't here, is he?"

"No, Batman isn't here," Red Agent admitted, "but there are heroes here working on the case."

"Yeah? How funny," he said and boarded a bus. Red Agent bubbled with anger, but kept that on the inside. Instead, she continued to move through the crowds. A few people had minor injuries she was able to clean up with her mini first aid kit from her utility belt.

"Thank you, hero," one citizen thanked. Red Agent nodded, but internally cringed. Wouldn't a hero do more than 'crowd control'? She looked around and found one of the available officers.

"I know you're busy, is there any way I can help?" she asked.

It wasn't like Ashton wasn't aware that things were going to shit. It was Gotham, after all. And a Gotham without Batman, at that. But it still felt like every time she sat down to just rest, something new happened.

Her TV had turned to static, and she was just about to hit the old piece of junk when a distorted voice came on, talking about bombs in different areas of Gotham. Uptown Central, Midtown West, and the Penitentiary. Immediately she started putting her gear on. Chances were the GCPD would immediately go to Uptown, after all, that was the elite and they would get the most protection. The Penitentiary was the least likely to get help, but she figured there was a reason for that.

Midtown West Side, she decided, as she raced out of her apartment and got into her Jeep. Sure, there were gangs and mobsters there, but there were also civilians. That was most important.

She didn't get too far in her Jeep. Everybody was evacuating, whether on foot or in a car, and that meant the roads were blocked. Didn't take Ashton too much time to ditch her car. What was harder was trying to run in the opposite direction of everybody else. Finally, she got away from the crowd and found GCPD officers - to her surprise - and a woman in red who must have had the same idea.

"Any word on the bombs?" she asked, not bothering to introduce herself. Instead, she slung her rifle into her hands, years of training putting her into a comfortable zone. "Has anybody set up a perimeter? Or started a sweep? What's going on?"

@1Hawkeyes