2017.01.05 - Murder Mile

Robin and Zachary Zatara brave the cold to save a man's life.

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Robin is on a building corner, binoculars in hand, yellow cape flapping in the icy breeze. How this guy with the short-shorts hasn't frozen to death by now, only he knows. Anyway, the Teen Wonder slowly scans the ruined and eerie buildings, marked by strange artwork and rusted, now-freakish billboards.

"I swear, this is your idea of a good time." Zachary Zatara is, yet again, wearing his more formal black cloak, the hood up and keeping his face shielded from the icy breeze. "I don't know how you can dress like that in this weather. Are you secretly like the Tamaraneans? Or maybe the Amazons. They both seem to be allergic to pants."

Robin quirks a smile, even as he's trying to be bat-serious. "How can you NOT have a good time at the circus?" he says, taking the binoculars away from his eyes and gesturing with one gloved hand at the vast and super-creepy ruins spreading out from this area. "Bat-antifreeze - Batman makes me drink it before we go out," he says, deadpan serious, before he looks through the binoculars again. "So, if you were Penguin's accountant, on the run from the felonious fowl, the police, AND Batman, where would YOU go?" he says with a grimace as a particularly cold and wet gust of wind ruffles his raven-black hair.

"Crazy insane clowns. I always kind of liked clowns, until I came to Gotham for the first time." Zach smirks as he looks around the Amusement Mile, from what he can see. Actually gifted with very good vision, he's of course not able to do as thorough a scan as Robin. And he figures Robin can handle it anyway. "You're asking me because you want me to answer, aren't you. You're *so* much like that guy." Meaning Batman, of course. "The first place I'd think about going to would be the last place anyone would look for me. Which would be here, since this is Joker's stomping ground. But he's safely shut in Arkham, for the moment. So, ideal."

Balancing twenty stories on an icy ledge with only tiny leather pixie boots for purchase is no-one's idea of a good time. The mention of the Joker makes the youth's mouth twitch into a frown for the briefest of moments. "Well, that is the idea, yes." He pauses and looks at Zach. "Are you sure you can't just say 'tnatnuocca eb dnuof' and save us, like, sixty hours of running around in the sleet?"

It's Zach's turn to frown then, and he shakes his head. "Unfortunately my magic isn't very good directly on living things. Especially if they're complex. But I can maybe ask the environment for some help." Shaking his arms out of the cloak, he extends them dramatically before him and gestures. "Sgnidliub tniop eht yaw!"

At this, the very structures of the Amusement Mile, at least for a moment, indicate each in its own way where the man has gone...at least, somewhere in a smaller area than the whole Mile. It'll cut down the search easily by half.

Robin pulls up the binoculars, and notes - a lighted arrow here, illuminating a clown pointing the way there... "Thanks," he says as he unlimbers his grapple gun and shoots a line to a nearby building, then stepping off so the caped youth soars across the icy snow-slick streets below. Up, over, vault over the edge, and he's crossing into the Mile itself. Weird fantastic shapes revealed by distant lights and the Teen Wonders own flashlight loom around the boys. "Good idea, this is.. yeah, a lot easier," he says as a door banging in the wind shows an arrow, pointing the way down what used to be the midway. "Yeah.. not creepy at all.." the caped boy mutters.

Zach hesitates, then floats along next to Robin, frowning as he takes in the creepiness that is the Amusement Mile. It takes his concentration to keep himself aloft, not one of the easier magical feats. Even his cousin has to focus on it more than anything else, otherwise it's a long way down. "I'm just glad they were inclined to help. Not all buildings are, as weird as that sounds."

Robin drops down to the street level, both to increase his speed and give Zach some breathing room in case he needs his magical backup. "Trust me, after a few years in the Titans, nothing is really weird to me anymore.." he says with a warm smile for the other teen and a comradely pat on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot for coming out with me, tonight."

"Thanks for inviting me!" Zach smiles, a bright, authentic smile, not just the practiced one for his posters. He reaches a gloved hand up and pats Robin's on his shoulder. "Honestly, you're always pretty down to earth. I like that. We've both seen...some crazy shit, I'm pretty sure. I feel like I can usually let my hair down when we team up, so that's nice. Are there any traps around here, by the way?"

"Probably!" the Teen Wonder chirps. And sure there are, as a fumbling teddy bear stumbles out of the ruins, cute and funny - or it would be, if half it's fur wasn't gone and one of it's button eyes wasn't missing, revealing the glint of a camera lens. It's about the size of a five-year-old, and it throws it's arms wide once it's free of the junk that was laying on top of it - and it runs towards Robin. The youth shakes his head and flings a batarang at the thing, reaching to pull Zach to the side as it impacts with a BOOOOMMM! Bits of bear and pavement pepper down over the area as Robin's grip on Zach's arm tightens. "Joker left dozens of those things around here. They rebuild themselves, too," he says, shaking his head.

Zach prepares a spell, but soon enough Robin has it handled. He stares, for several seconds after the explosion, looking around. "Oh...great...Joker traps. Joker traps and that idiot accountant. He'd better be alive after all this. If he's got himself killed, I'll just..." The young magician raises his hands to gesture, then sweeps them through the air like a broom. "I guess I won't do much of anything but be very annoyed at the dead guy."

Robin rubs his chin. "He is, or I think your spell wouldn't have been so effective," he ponders. "So.. he must have a way of avoiding these things. I wonder what?" he says as he resumes walking down the broad mostly clear street, wind whipping his short cape out behind him, ruffling his hair. "He couldn't have run to a nice warm steakhouse or movie theater, could he?"

Zach keeps pace, so as not to be smacked in the face by a whipping cape that's much shorter than his own. "He might have done this before. Or prepared for it. I mean...all these crooks seem to have the goods on each other, to some extent. I'd be positively *shocked* if the Penguin didn't have *some* dirt on the Joker. As plans go, this isn't the least likely place for him to have a map of, with diagrams...nobody comes here because they're scared they'll run into the Joker. *I* wouldn't have come if we hadn't made sure he was still in Arkham." He slides his hands into his pockets, even with the gloves. "I think if he'd run off from here, the buildings would have shown him going out. He's got to still be here."

Robin nods as he unclips another batarang from his utility belt, holding it in hand just in case. "You sure he's still there?" the Teen Wonder says with a slight smile. He really shouldn't joke about that, either, and he knows it. "He is. He's gone to ground someplace and he's not coming out until he's sure Penguin isn't looking to kill him. So, that could be awhile..." the youth says as he breaks into a trot, as a flapping banner shifts direction momentarily against the wind, the ragged pointed edge showing the way down a side street. Only it's mostly blocked by rubble, the ruins of a massive Ferris wheel that has crashed to the ground on it's side, here. "Well.. gotta climb..."

"Don't question my resolve, or I might lose it." Zach quips back, moving to follow Robin. It's not exactly the same as wearing Robin's footwear, but Zach does at least choose shoes with good grip, even if they look especially fancy. No need in falling on icy ground and injuring himself at a crucial moment. Especially not in this place. He suppresses a shudder, pulling the cloak closed as he runs.

Once they come up against the debris, Zach extends an arm in its direction. "Raelc a htap!" And obligingly, the fallen wreckage does make a fairly attractive way for them to simply walk up and through, rather than have to climb over. Just like the rest of the Amusement Mile, though, it's kind of claustrophobic and creepy.

Robin started to leap up on a twisted piece of girder, but then he watches in amazement as the ruins re-arrange themselves with creaks and crashes. He claps a gloved hand on Zach's back. "I knew I kept you around for a reason," the teen detective jokes. "Thanks, buddy." He trots down the cleared pathway, as the wind picks up, lashing both boys with spits of sleet and rain. "Wow.." he shivers as he trots along, keeping a sharp eye out for the next indication of the man's whereabouts.

Zach snorts at first, then laughs sharply, warmly, and moves to follow Robin again. "It's handy, especially when you're wearing something designer and you really can't be springing around like an acrobat in hot pants." The renewed efforts of the storm to freeze them do not go unnoticed, and the sour look returns to the young magician's features. "Ugh. Oh, there. Look, there's a gumball machine pointing that way."

Poor Zach. This really isn't his wheelhouse. Cold, inclement, and generally freezing. He'll be glad when they get back to civilization. He'd even settle for the chilly Batcave, since at least it's not cold *and* wet, which always makes him feel like he's on the threshold of shivering and, no matter how long ago it was he had his last hot drink, that he should find a bathroom.

• Uncomfortable*.

"Hey, don't diss the hot pants," the Teen Wonder smiles. He gives his friend a sympathetic smile and mock-punches him in the shoulder. "Buck up, we'll have this guy soon, and then you can get back to a nice thermos of coffee and LOOK OUT!" he shouts as he pushes Zach to the side. A massive clown stumbles out of the darkness, bashing a door aside and reaching for Robin! It grabs his arm and hauls him off his feet!

"Hey, I *love* hot pants. But on you. There's no way I could--" Then Zach finds himself stumbling off, arms wheeling to stop him from falling over. It's all so sudden that he feels faintly numb, turning to face...*that*. The horrible giant clown clutching at Robin. Okay, okay, think! Think. Heart thumping in his chest, Zach waves his hands before him. "Ezeerf!!" Whether it's an actual living person or an automaton, that should stop it in its tracks and give the Boy Wonder room to move and them both time to think.

Zach grimaces, faintly. Now he's *sure* he needs to wrap this up as soon as Robin was saying. And he'd let himself get so relaxed and comfortable at the thought! If he could feel his extremities better...

Robin grunts as he struggles in the massive hand, and manages to reach his utility belt - he gasps for breath as he tosses an explosive pellet at the suddenly frozen clown, and blows it's mechanical head off - as it begins to fall, he HEAVES and frees himself, somersaulting to the ground to land in a perfect dismount. He stands and pushes his cape back off his shoulders as the machine falls. As it does so, they can see a figure scurrying away out of the same building the clown burst out of...

Head still spinning just a bit from that unexpected Clown Encounter of the Terrifying Kind, Zach points to the man scurrying off. "There. There's the guy!" He frowns and shakes his head, trying to clear it as he moves along in a rush. He feels dizzy and unsure, but he's able to focus at least enough to run. He can pursue someone, at least, and once he gets a moment of clarity, he calls out, flinging purplish sparkles in the fugitive's direction. "Spmal elgnat ym eof!!" The various street lamps start to move to wrap around the fleeing man.

Robin dashes after the man, then slows as he sees the lamps trap him and lift him up.

"Oh thank God, that thing had me trapped in there for days!" the scrawny man chirps, waving his arms.

"I'm sure Gotham PD has a nice hot thermos of coffee for you and all the doughnuts you can eat," the Teen Wonder grins. He looks to Zach. "Thanks, bud; can you let him go, now?"

Zach motions again, this time speaking a different spell. "Esaeler mih." And the lamps do release the man, setting him down gently on the ground for Robin to do with as he will.

He just watches Robin do whatever it is he's going to do, although he seems slightly distracted, for whatever reason. Probably imagining himself back in some place warm and dry, in contrast to the winter weather surrounding them at the Amusement Mile. But as he's not even from Gotham City, Zachary is nowhere near as used to the place and its surroundings as the Boy Wonder, or any of the Bat-family. He stays fairly oddly quiet, until Robin has the man ready to be picked up by the authorities.

Robin zipties the man just in case he tries to rabbit, and leads him out of the ruins, where his Robin-cycle is waiting. After he gets the scrawny accountant settled, he pulls Zach aside. "You OK, buddy?" he says, leaning in close, a serious and concerned expression on his handsome face, hand on the other teen's shoulder.

Zach walks along with Robin, keeping his eyes open and alert. Just in case any other horrific monsters come stumbling out of the darkness. Magical abominations, he can take. Mechanical murder clowns...not so much. It seems almost that he's lost in some sort of reverie that he has to shake off before he realizes Robin has just asked him a question, but he gives a sort of apologetic smile, steepling his eyebrows and glancing towards the ziptied man, then looking back to Robin.

Well, he has to get on the Robin-cycle, probably, so Zach knows he can't just *not* say anything. And he figures, the apprentice of the world's greatest detective -- at least, so he's known to most, and Zach can give him that concession because of his own grand title -- probably would figure it out sooner or later. But he waves a hand, pursing his lips, breathing in and then sighing out. "I will be...*so glad*...to be back to the Batcave, and...I think I'd like a nice big mug of hot cocoa...and a nice hot shower."

Robin's concern turns to a smile as he squeeze his friend's shoulder then lets go. "You and me both. Meet me back there?" he says as he gets on the cycle. "Shouldn't take me too long to make sure this guy is in protective custody."

Zach nods, hurriedly, grateful for the discretion Robin shows and relieved in more ways than one. He waves a hand, glancing to the others, and murmurs under his breath, then vanishes...off to the auspices of the Batcave, and all of its amenities, likely to take advantage of all he can do to get cleaned up and ready for the enjoyable leisure activities to follow later. Best of all...they'll be in warmth, heat, and a distinct absence of wintry weather.