Tim Drake/Red Robin (bloodred_robin) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2011-02-27 17:04:00

Entry tags:

gk, inactive - lian harper, npc - tim drake, plot - "blackest night"

Running on Empty
Tim Drake has been hard at work for the last two days, rarely eating or sleeping since J'anna's death. Frank Wells was dead, so he couldn't have arranged this kind of sick surprise. Tim combed his memories for the extensive list of people who could know his identity and put something like this together. The resources necessary for this kind of psychological warfare were above and beyond those of most of his enemies, but there were a few who could still pull it off. But then it took a special kind of psycho to /want/ to do something like this at all.

All of Tim's thoughts kept going back to the League of Assassins and Damien Wilson.

Not for the first time, Tim wondered how much Lian had given Damien on all of them. He pushed that thought down. This wasn't her fault. She'd been honest about everything and she'd cut Damien out of her life. After all the pain he'd brought her, there was no way she'd go back to him.

But Damien had threatened to kill Bruce, Marissa and Terry; Bruce was dead, because of him. Cerdian was dead because of him. Giselle died because Tim couldn't trust her enough to be honest and now J'anna was dead because Tim hadn't thought to prepare for something like this. The guilt was eating him alive, but he couldn't give into that. He had to find a way to help Giselle rest in peace.

The abandoned sewer tunnels beneath Star City made a great place for a back-up HQ, which Tim had prepared for shortly after his arrival in town a year ago. He'd intended to move his operations here permanently, but never got around to it. Now, he had to choice.

The motion alarms picked up movement a mile away from his HQ, causing Tim to look up from the device he was putting together. He'd have ignored it and gone back to work, except now...whoever was out there was moving closer to the base. They weren't stopping for directions either.

He had incoming company. He raced for his uniform and mask, ready to greet his new guest.

He just hoped it wasn't Giselle.

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	Re: Inside the HQ bloodred_robin 2011-03-13 06:01 am UTC (link)
	"There's trouble. I was just assaulted by two dead women that I used to know." Red Robin says. "Are you two all right? What happened here?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 06:02 am UTC (link)
	As they come into visual range of the doorway, Sliver makes a gesture that is half wave, half Prisoneresque salute. "Ladies." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Inside the HQ

rightontarget
2011-03-13 06:08 am UTC (link)

"Terra was attacked by the first Terra," Lian said. "Who is also, guess what-dead."

Lian's gaze went down to her feet.

"I came here after I was...attacked by people I cared about. One who was dead...and one who's heart got torn out in front of me."

She didn't feel comfortable mentioning that Damien had been there with her and she had also gotten attacked by his dead grandfather in front of a stranger.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-13 06:14 am UTC (link)
	"Tara Markov's body has since gone missing," Calypso added. "I believe it went to find her head." Which had been uppercut far, far away. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Inside the HQ

bloodred_robin
2011-03-13 06:20 am UTC (link)

"When it rains, it pours." Red Robin mumbles, motioning for Sliver to step forward.

"This is Sliver. He's new in town, but he's been working out of the Triangle recently. He was in my path when I got attacked and I brought him here because it was safer than any other place I could have left him at the time." Red Robin says.

"Do we know if this is limited to us or has anyone else in town seen or heard anything? Have we heard from Q or Element Man?" Red Robin asks, trying not think about where this question is going to lead them, but knowing he has to say something before it comes up.

"Manhunter won't be joining us. She's dead." Red Robin says simply.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 06:27 am UTC (link)
	He stands as indicated. "Sorry for your loss," he says, since it's the first time Red has indicated it. "I know the Green Lanterns are trying to do something about the zombie problem. There was a thing. With the colored rings. Like that stuff in the news when we were little, you know?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Inside the HQ

rightontarget
2011-03-13 06:29 am UTC (link)

"Jade Arrow," Lian said, giving Sliver a nod.

"Q's been investigating the situation, and I asked Element Man to do the same, I've been trying to get into contact with the YJLA but so far communications are mostly down-"

Lian's voice cut off in mid-sentence when Red Robin mentioned that something had happened to her friend.

'What? What do you mean, Manhunter's dead?" A knot formed in Lian's throat, and her voice cracked. "Please... please tell me it's not true."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-13 06:34 am UTC (link)
	Calypso gave Tim /a look/ and then moved a hand to Lian's shoulder. "Jade Arrow, you have to stay strong." She looked up. "Were they wearing black rings? Tara Markov was wearing one when she attacked me. And when I died, one of them tried to claim me as a prisoner. The Earth stepped in and brought me back before it could, though." Tact, she did not have. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Inside the HQ

bloodred_robin
2011-03-13 06:41 am UTC (link)

"She was...with me and one of the women who came after me murdered her." Red Robin says quietly.

"I told her to run, to leave...but she wouldn't listen..." Red Robin says, his voice trailing off.

Tim's not sure about Calypso's question, but he does remember seeing something on Giselle's hand. He didn't get much chance to check out Stephanie's, but considering that Giselle found him not long after, it wasn't a stretch to believe that this was some kind of Lantern issue, taken together with GK's words, which he vaguely remembers.

"Yes, I saw a ring on the finger of at least one of the women, but the other ambushed me at my back-up base. Then the first one found me. Maybe that's how they're communicating. Nightwing told me the Lanterns can do that through their rings, and I read something similar in Batman's notes once." Red Robin says.

He probably could have been easier on the revelation with the pregnant woman, in retrospect.

"I need to find out who or what is behind this and stop them before this spreads, if it hasn't already. We need to find out who is being affected and why." Tim tells them.

"I'll be in the lab. Sliver, relax for now. We'll need your help coming up." Red Robin says, turning to head to the lab.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 06:46 am UTC (link)
	"Wait...you died?" GK thought that when newspapers claimed a hero had 'come back from the dead,' it was because they'd initially been misdiagnosed. But he nods a little at Red Robin's suggestion. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ rightontarget 2011-03-13 06:53 am UTC (link)
	"At least...at you're still here," Lian said to Calypso. "I'm...I'm going to talk to Red Robin," she said, before going down the hall to the lab. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-13 07:03 am UTC (link)
	She looked quizzically at GK. "Yes." She let Lian go off to speak with Tim, but she wasn't settled down. She looked to GK for a moment, and then decided it was better to pass the time to speak with, er... him. "Red Robin addressed you as a boy, but you don't look like a boy." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 07:06 am UTC (link)
	"Well...I'm glad you recovered, then." He watches Jade Arrow go, and there's a pause for a moment at Calypso's last remark. "...It seems I don't. But I am, indeed, a boy. Queer, but not female." He adjusts his jacket to better show that he is indeed flat-chested. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-13 07:19 am UTC (link)
	"Interesting," Calypso replied. "You will have to clarify that if Element Man arrives." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 07:20 am UTC (link)
	And the makeup certainly doesn't cover the humiliated blush that occurs at that statement. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ the_element_son 2011-03-13 06:16 pm UTC (link)
	Joey had been trying to catch some z's in one of the few parts of the HQ that was intact, when the voices of the others woke him up. "Somebody mention my..." his eyes fell on GK. "Uh... hey?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-13 06:20 pm UTC (link)
	Still blushing overwhelmingly, GK says "Um...hi. Um, it's Sliver with the makeup on. The zombies finally hit my turf in the Triangle, but they were apparently after Red Robin." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-14 12:33 am UTC (link)
	"Have you two already met?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ the_element_son 2011-03-14 12:41 am UTC (link)
	"We, ah, broke up a robbery. Spur of the moment team-up thing," Joey said, perhaps a bit more quickly than he intended. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-14 12:44 am UTC (link)
	"...We broke up a robbery, yes," he says quietly, looking away. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-14 12:46 am UTC (link)
	She raised an eyebrow. She wasn't a detective, but she could tell that Joey and GK weren't telling her something. She wouldn't press the issue, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they had a /thing/ together. "I see." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ the_element_son 2011-03-14 12:55 am UTC (link)
	Well, definitely awkward. "So... uh... what brings you here to our humble abode?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ veryperceptive 2011-03-14 01:04 am UTC (link)
	"Like I said, zombies made it to the Triangle. Red Robin and I ran into each other. I hitched a ride. Stuff's getting sorted out." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ terra_mater 2011-03-14 11:11 pm UTC (link)
	Alright, so, the sneaking suspicion was getting on her nerves. The nosy girl in her was starting to come, but Calypso was very direct. "Did the two of you have sex?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Inside the HQ the_element_son 2011-03-14 11:15 pm UTC (link)
	First, Joey was like ^_^; and then he was like 0_o and then he was like 0_0. "Oh, God no!" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)