Showdown at Slaughter Swamp

[newoutsiders]

Batgirl and Green Arrow have been riding for a few hours now, on their way to Slaughter Swamp: the last sighting of the mutated, truck driving zombie dubbed "Gingross." The red-tinged air pollution of Gotham fades behind you, giving way to the muted moonlight of a cloudy night sky. The swamp carries something of a supernatural reputation, as you're well aware- if the "hauntings" in Connor's building can be traced anywhere, Slaughter Swamp is as likely a point of origin as any.

Eventually, you run out of road and park the Batcycle. The nearest source of real light is coming through the window of a nearby, small wooden shack right on the edge of the swamp.

Comments

[newoutsiders]

Connor gives the signal, and you both charge for the door- but Connor steps right on a concealed electric mine. He gets a pretty horrible shock from it.

"That's the trap!" A voice shouts from inside. "I told you it wasn't safe here!"

You hear a gun lock and load.

[not_easy_being_green]

... um, ow. Connor's just going to... lie here for a bit.

[stephbrown]

Oh, crap. "Green Arrow? Are you... how toasted are you?"

Steph's hoping he answers. Really, really hoping. And that he can move, because she's pretty sure she's about to get ambushed. She pulls out a gooperang and throws it towards the door, hoping that it gives her enough time to... make a better plan.

[newoutsiders]

Someone tries to open the door, but it doesn't budge much against the goop.

"It's stuck!" the other guy shouts.

"Good! Then they can't get in!"

[not_easy_being_green]

"Nnnhhhh."

That's... about all he can manage right now. It feels like every muscle in his body is shaking, even though the current is long gone. He can't even speak, let alone sit up.

At least it sounds like he's not going to be attacked before he can recover.

[stephbrown]

"Okay, let's just..." Steph pauses. "I'm going to pull you out of here, okay? If I hide you in the brush, I can try to get in and do some damage before they can call for reinforcements." She leans down and grabs Connor under the arms. "Sorry, this is probably gonna hurt. I'll go as quickly as I can."

She pulls him back towards the brush, thankful that he's not wearing Bat-standard armor. He'd be a lot heavier if he was.

Once he's in the bushes, she pulls a sleep gas pellet and an explosive Batarang from her belt. "You just, uh, stay put," she says to Connor. "I'll be back."

She heads back towards the shack, positioning herself so she's angled towards the window - not straight out, since if she does this wrong they'll probably shoot, and she's got a better chance of not getting hit if she's not dead on. She takes a deep breath, waits until she can see the two guys aren't right next to the window, and chucks the explosive Batarang, hoping it caves the wall in.

[newoutsiders]

The batarang demolishes the window, and shakes the whole shack. The wall doesn't come down, but the door falls right off the hinges. You hear a lot of equipment shatter inside.

"You idiot! You and your damnable zombie boss! I told you these working conditions were inexcusable!"

[stephbrown]

Steph runs for the door and tosses the sleeping gas pellet inside, rolling into a tumble so she doesn't inhale the fumes herself. She pulls a stinkerang from her belt, too. Hopefully she won't have to go there, but she does carry them for a reason. That reason is making grown men retch and drop guns.

[newoutsiders]

The armed guard fires his gun at you, but misses widely while stifling a yawn. There's a scrawny, scraggly guy in the back in a tattered lab coat surrounded by broken beakers and spilled chemicals, covering his mouth and nose and glaring at you.

[not_easy_being_green]

That was... humiliating. There's really no better word for it. Dropped by a trap he hadn't thought to check for, that he should have been able to spot anyway. Connor's thankful for Steph's quick thinking, or he could well have been killed.

Still shaking, he manages to push himself to his feet. He takes a moment to take a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, then draws his bow and looks at the shack.

He doesn't go rushing in just yet - he's learned that lesson the hard way, and Steph clearly isn't in any immediate danger.

Through the blown open door, he can see a man in a lab coat, barely visible through the smoke of whatever it was Stephanie had thrown, and an armed guard. He takes a deep breath. He nocks an arrow, and draws his bow, but does not yet release, waiting for the moment.

[stephbrown]

Steph's pretty sure that the guy closer to the door is going to hit the floor snoring soon, so she focuses on the guy in the back. She lets the stinkerang fly, aiming for the guy's arm in the hope that it'll make him uncover his face and get a good whiff.

[newoutsiders]

All of those things happen. The falls asleep, and the poor guy who looks like he hasn't had a shower in weeks starts retching.

[not_easy_being_green]

Or she could... um... not need his help at all. Connor relaxes the tension in his bow, though he does not undock the arrow, and steps up behind Steph.

[stephbrown]

"Yes" Steph says, pumping her fist in the air as she grins at Mr. Pukes A Lot. "Bet you wished you just took a nice nap, huh?"

She turns around to check on Connor and is surprised to find him right behind her. "Whoa! Hey. Feeling better?"

[not_easy_being_green]

"I just needed a minute." He looks at the scientist. He looks... somewhat worse for the wear. "Is he part, of this or a captive?"

[newoutsiders]

"Hate... you..." he says, retching dryly between words. Seems like he doesn't have much in him to puke.

[stephbrown]

"I don't know, but let's restrain him before he decides he hates us enough to attempt murder," Steph says, stepping over Snoring Beauty and pulling a zip strip. "You can come quietly, or my friend back there can put an arrow in your favorite shoulder. The choice is yours."

[not_easy_being_green]

Connor looks a little bit uncomfortable with the threat. Quietly, he murmurs. "Batgirl, I really don't think he's a threat..."

[newoutsiders]

"Please... take me," he says, on hands and knees. "Holding me here... for weeks."

[stephbrown]

Steph puts the zip strip back in her belt. Crap, she'd stinkeranged a civilian. Even with her go-to policy of stink first, ask questions later, this isn't her shining moment.

"Okay, okay, sorry," she says, squatting next to the guy. "Let's get you some fresh air. That'll help."

[not_easy_being_green]

Yeah, that's what he thought. Connor stows his arrow back in one of the quivers on his back and stands next to Steph. If she hasn't offered the guy a hand up, he will.

"Who are you? Who's been holding you?"

[newoutsiders]

The old scientist looks up at you and wheezes a laugh.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, in this state. But I assure you, in any other circumstance, you would both be at your knees at the mention of my name. For you see, young heroes, I... am PROFESSOR BRAVO."

[stephbrown]

Steph blinks a few times, trying to figure out if she's heard that name before. It doesn't sound familiar at all. She glances over at Connor, hoping he's got his aha! face on.

[not_easy_being_green]

In the swamp surrounding them, crickets chirp loudly.

He offers Steph a small shrug. Connor's got nothing, man.

He turns to the scientist.

"Professor Bravo. Do you know who took you?"

[newoutsiders]

He looks at Steph and Connor in annoyance.

"...Creator of the Plastic Perils? Arch-nemesis of that hack Will Magnus and his Metal Men? Bah! Kids. Well, I was a big deal once. Ask your father, Batgirl. I'm sure the Batman has cursed the name of Professor Bravo many a time."

He grunts.

"And of course I know who took me. It was that asshole, Grundy. Where do you think we are, boy? This is Slaughter Swamp."