Sunday, December 18th, The Midnight Channel

[thepull_mods]

Who: The Port's Latest Shadow Televisions Stars! And Thousands of Home Viewers!
When: Midnight, Sunday, December 18th
Where: In front of your Television Sets or Streaming NV TV. (Digital Cable? You'll still get the analog effect.)
Summary: Full Plot Details Here
Warnings: Please Put 'em In the Subject Lines As Necessary, Kids?

Comments

[proxysearch]

[The static opens to a dimly lit room, open and ominous. On each side of the central platform rest two statues each. History afficionados will recognize them as statues from the Medici chapel. At the very back, beyond a partition screening, rests a dark throne...and on it is Re-l herself.

Gone is the makeup, the mask, everything that she usually is. She's wearing her old outfit from Romdeau, heels and all, her hair longer than usual. She looks, for lack of a better word, depressed.]

And that's all it is, huh? At the end of the day, there's nothing.

[Her voice seems a slightly higher pitch than usual, almost lighter.]

It's just endless suffering. That's all it is.

[She turns her head to the screen and sits up.]

Why? Why did this have to happen? Why do I have to be the only one who survives? It'd be so much nicer to just...just...fly away. Fly right into the goddamn sun.

[Her face falls.]

I don't want to feel like this. I don't. But I can't... I can't stop.

[She stares at the screen and her eyes almost look glassy and almost dead. Her voice cracks as she stands. She walks over to the partition screen and it almost seems to resemble the cage that it's always been to her.]

What can I do? What can I do to just make them stay? Do I put the makeup back on? Wear less clothing? Quit my job? Maybe I should take up something more feminine. Would that be enough? ...Or would they just want to kill me like the others?

[She grabs hold of the partition metal and looks through it. Her eyes seem to glint in the dim light.]

"Selfish Re-l. Useless Re-l. Incomplete Re-l."

[And the static overtakes the picture.]

reaction + action;

[kingofrooks]

[ He has been keeping up with the news even though his usual patrols and the search of Jack has kept him away from looking at his NV after sirens. Today is the first day he has the chance to truly investigate, but there is little deduction that needs to be done with what he sees. Re-l's insecurities, laid out fully on the screen for all to look.

What can I do to just make them stay?

Within the echoes of her words, Bruce can hear his own voice. The voice of a child- and he's already leaping out of the Cave. He doesn't take the bike with him; instead, he grapples onto the roof, and moves on from there.

He's going to look for her. He doesn't know how much help he can be, but he knows the solution. At the very least, he offers a distraction. ]

action;

[proxysearch]

[The moment she sees herself on the channel, back in her grandfather's throne room, she gets up and gets ready to go out. Her stomach twists every time she hears that goddamn high voice in the background, the voice of that goddamn clone. And she's rattling off Re-l's insecurities like they're her own. She's mocking her.

She doesn't have the patience to deal with it calmly. She's already out in the Darkness and looking for her, unsure where to even begin looking. The Pulse of Awakening is loud in her ears (or maybe she's just frightened) as she goes.

Anything that stands in her way gets killed. She won't put up with this.]

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ There's anger in her movements, anger in the way that she's looking. Bruce can see it even from a rooftop away, and he knows he has to tread carefully. He knows what she's capable of, and he honestly doesn't want to use the small torch hidden in his belt- the one capable of emitting sunlight itself.

He shoots the grapple line, and swings over until he lands near her. Far away to react if she decides to attack. ]

Re-l.

[ Quiet, low, as unthreatening as Batman's voice is capable of being. ]

action;

[proxysearch]

[She sees the flutter of black and turns, ready to strike. But it's only Batman, grappling down near her. He's looking at her like she's some sort of animal bent on destroying its own. It immediately makes her feel even worse and she turns away and keeps walking.]

Go home.

[Let her do this without anyone having to die.]

action;

[kingofrooks]

After what I've seen?

[ He follows her, his steps silent in the Darkness, eyes flickering from side to side to keep a lookout for the monsters. ]

No. I'm not letting you face this thing alone.

action;

[proxysearch]

[She turns right back around to face him, her gaze hardened.]

I don't need your help, dammit. I can handle this on my own.

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ He just tilts his head to the side, and lets the silence stretch between them for a long time. ]

I'm coming with you, Re-l.

[ No arguments. ]

action;

[proxysearch]

[She opens her mouth to reply to that, to retort something back at him, but her voice comes from a different direction.]

You're pushing him away too, Re-l? You're so cruel!

[She turns and spots her Shadow up on top of one of the buildings, dangling her legs over the side. Her gold eyes are glowing in the darkness.]

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ A thought flicker in his mind- what would his Shadow look like? But he ignores it and instead slips a hand into his belt, throwing it towards the Shadow even as he steps back. To let Re-l deal with it first.

He doesn't say a thing. He knows that if it does, something like this will twist his words into something he doesn't at all mean. ]

action;

[proxysearch]

[The Shadow moves, much faster than Re-l is capable of. She jumps down and lands on the pavement with ease, walking towards them.]

What do you even see in her, Bruce? Potential? Or are you just homesick too?

[Re-l grits her teeth and pulls out her gun.]

You won't shoot. You might upset him again.

action;

[kingofrooks]

Assumptions and questions.

[ Softly, and he moves to the side, leaning against the railing of the roof and letting Re-l have a clear shot of the Shadow. ]

Do you think us so weak that those are your only weapons? [ He doesn't glance at Re-l. ] Shoot it, Re-l.

action;

[proxysearch]

[She does, pulling out her other gun and going for her. The Shadow easily avoids the bullet, watching Batman.]

I don't think you're weak at all. I just think you're afraid. You're lonely and afraid because you think everything's your fault. Just like her!

[She glances back at Re-l.]

And look how you turned out. You became Batman.

action;

[kingofrooks]

I became Batman. [ Softly. ] I saved a boy yesterday, do you know that? He was locked in a basement, being tortured by a monster.

[ Jack being captured is his fault too, but he's not going to say that in front of Re-l. He's even having this conversation because of Re-l. ]

How many people has Re-l saved this week, little Shadow? [ Mockingly. ]

action;

[proxysearch]

[The Shadow laughs.]

Two. But I don't think it counts since plenty of others die every single day.

But you don't get it, do you? I am her.

[Re-l's suddenly in the Shadow's face, one claw out to get at her.]

Shut up!

[She sidesteps the claw in the blink of an eye and grabs Re-l by the throat, throwing her into the side of the building. She's incredibly fast.]

Can you really call yourself a cop? You're not saving anyone.

action;

[kingofrooks]

Come on now, Re-l.

[ Whether he's speaking to the Shadow or to Re-l herself, he doesn't know. ]

Those two people would be incredibly insulted to hear that their lives don't matter. Others might die, but you saved two.

That's two lives that didn't end prematurely, because of you.