2018.08.30 - Hand Over Minder

Robins 1 and 2 investigate a Hand recruiting site, and they find more than a clue there!

---

The Teen Wonder drops into the club, now dark and still. "Batcomputer says there's been a number of Hand operative sightings here, trying to recruit kids that dance here." He lands, quietly.

"Ugh, Hand," says the second Robin. "You'd think even those dickbags could just let people dance in peace without showing up and going all psycho-recruiter on the,."

"Ugh, Hand," says the second Robin. "You'd think even those dickbags could just let people dance in peace without showing up and going all psycho-recruiter on them." Having alighted gently beside his senior sidekick, he crouches down and follows along in the darkened club.

Robin stalks forward, through tables and booths, shining his micro-flashlight around. The caped boy nods to his bro, as he moves towards the bar area. "They might have left clues; lets try the staff areas in the back," he says quietly.

Robin-2 vaults over the bar, checking out behind it, and comments, "Is it lame that I don't know what half these bottles even are? Maybe more than half." He inspects the area carefully for anything of note, and when he's done he follows after Robin-1 to enter the staff area.

Robin flashes a smile to his little bro and reaches to friendly-punch his shoulder. Then he carefully pushes through the doors into the back areas - offices, waiting and break rooms, stuff like that is easy to spot. The Teen Wonder hmms as he turns slowly, looking through the first large staff room and numberous doors that open into other areas.

Robin-2 follows along, reaching up to tap the side of his mask and swapping through several different enhanced vision modes. "What do you think we're looking for? I mean, I'm sure a big contract pinned to a door with a dagger is too much to hope for, but... how do ninjas recruit, anyway?" He idly pushes a door open, leaning his head inside to scout around as they follow the hallway.

The figure on the other side of the door is a handsome Japanese man, young, fit, and dressed in a dark uniform. He smiles and gestures as Jason peeks in, reaching out with dark Hand magics to snare the boy's mind and will!

Robin, Dick, looks through other door - finding only boxes of wine, beer, and liquor in a front storeroom.

The other Robin, Jason, cries out in surprise at the sight, and he struggles with all his training to resist the mental influence. The result is that he staggers back, slamming into the door, and his hands fly up to his head, gripping it as if in great pain, but he doesn't immediately fall under the spell.

Robin whips around and rushes to Jason's side. He grips Jason's shoulders, supporting the caped boy, and looks into the room. Darkness. "Robin, what happened?" he says, concerned. He turns Jason so he can look at his masked face.

"He's... in my head!" Jason manages to gasp out, still clutching his head and trying to fight through the strange spell that sought to control his mind. "Agh, make... it stop...!" In this state, he can't do much but struggle mentally, for as long as he can last.

You belong to me, boy. You belong to The Hand. Submit! Submit and join us! Jason hears echoing in his head as the psychic attack continues, bombarding Jason with images and desires. Working his way deep into the boy's mind, the Hand psychic touches, then strokes Jason's desire to please.. to belong...

Robin shakes his little brother, angry and undirected. He eases Jason to the floor, and whirls around, kicks open the door Jason opened, and tosses in a flash bomb.

The ninja psychic cries out as he's revealed, but stands his ground and launches an attack at Dick as well. Dick sinks to his knees beside Jason, struggling to resist the insistant call to submit as well!

"Get.. out of my mind..." Robin growls, fists clenched, using the techniques Batman taught him.. but will it be enough...

The second Robin also struggles, drawing on those resistance techniques, and for now he draws a lot of strength from anger, some of it so old he thought it long buried and gone, and his outrage at such a violation. It's enough to give him limited control, even if he is still writhing on the ground in pain from the struggle. He manages to activate his utility belt computer, mashing one of the security features, and manages to start a loud, penetrating alarm siren to begin wailing from within the unit. If nothing else, it might draw some attention...

"AUGH!" exclaims the ninja, hands suddenly clapped to his ears. The psychic assault fades, falters, then is suddenly gone. Robin leans woozily on Jason, shaking his head, trying to clear it. He's angry, but nothing approaching Jason's level of rage.

The psychic now staggers back and stumbled, going to one knee.

Jason lurches to his feet, anger plain on his face, and takes two steps before snapping out a kick to land right in the center of the ninja's chest, intending to knock him back hard. As he moves, he draws a tazing batarang from his belt and flings it at the guy, too. He's pissed off enough to want to make double sure the ninja goes down for the count.

POW! goes the powerful blow, sending the psychic staggering back into the far wall. BZZT! goes the batarang as it strikes home, making the ninja quiver his way into unconsciousness.

Robin gets to his feet, and catches up to Jason. "Robin! Are you alright?" he groans, his own head still pounding.

Jason looked like he might be about to haul off and punch the ninja for good measure, but at hearing Dick's voice, he stops short, visibly taking hold of himself and starting to breathe in, slow and careful. After a moment he nods and says gruffly, "I'm okay. We need to get this guy contained, fast. Whatever that magic was... it got in my head. God, it hurts like hell."

Robin nods as he stops and lets his green leather glove massage the back of Jason's neck, easing some of the tension there. "Yeah, I felt it, too. Pain, like I've seldom felt before. That must be how they break down a person's resistance." He looks at the sprawled figure in black. "Good job lil' bro," he says with a tight smile. Who says bat-mentors are all grim and uncomplimentary?

Jason taps the computer on his belt, silencing the last of the alarm. He manages a tight smile, but the reassurance does make him relax some. "If he starts to wake up, I'll have a spray ready to put him back out," he says. "Don't want to chance it." Then he moves around behind the ninja, bat-cuffing his hangs behind his back, and taps the computer on his belt again, sending a signal to the police about the crime scene. "We leaving him for the police, or taking him somewhere else?"

Robin shakes his head. "We'll need to take him to Arkham temporarily; they have specialized holding cells,and if he's some kind of wizard or psychic then they can handle him where the police cannot. He'll stay put while we search this place, though." He turns and looks down another corridor, already on the radio to Arkham to tell them to have a special metahuman cell ready.

"Right," Jason says. He frowns at the downed figure, feeling apprehensive. "Are you sure we should leave him alone? He is a ninja. He might escape." He looks to the first Robin, though, ready to follow his lead. Logistics just go all to hell when there's mysticism involved.

Robin frowns. "I don't like leaving him, but .. no, you're right. He's far too dangerous. We'll come back here, and hope if there's anything to be found it'll still be here..." He hefts the man over his shoulder and heads for the doors. He taps his belt. "Calling the Redbird," he says.

"He's probably our best lead, anyway," Robin-2 observes. "I'm pretty sure we just got a really good, clear look at how they operate. Assholes." He rubs his forehead a little, shaking it off, and seems relieved at the decision to take the ninja in. The mental invasion really creeped him out.

Robin dumps the ninja into the car's backseat, and waits until Jason is all buckled up, then roars off towards Arkham.