batmanschmatman | 103 [voice]

It's been over a year and a half since I've been home for more than a few hours. I can pretty safely say this isn't the welcome back party I expected. [There's some humor there, but he mostly just sounds... tired. Maybe a little in shock. There's a short pause, and there's some quiet, largely unintelligible conversation with someone that sounds like Tim for those with good ears before Dick continues, and his voice is harder, more focused.

This might not be their Gotham, but they sure as hell aren't going to let it burn to the ground, and Dick is stepping up into leader mode. Which means bossy, lecture-y Bat, so sorry about that guys. :c]

I understand that for some of you, this is like stepping onto a set of a movie, but these are not characters from a cheesy kid's cartoon. They're violent, psychopathic murderers. If you see the Joker, or anyone dressed up in clown make up, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Do not try to engage him or any other costumed criminal unless you have no other choice. This isn't me trying to lecture you on laws of reality or common sense, it's advice to keep you safe.

Anyone who's able and willing should support the GCPD in any way they can. I understand first priority is keeping your inmates and yourself safe throughout port, but I'd be appreciative to anyone who's able to help stop this from getting worse. [And here he's warden filtering directions to the GCPD headquarters and Gotham General, with a note about how he's not sure either will be operational, but they're enough of a jumping off point to orient people and he'll provide further information once he gets updates.]

Stick together, and watch each other's backs. If anyone starts getting reports of or runs into anyone who's fallen overboard, keep people informed. Keep track of your inmates.

[Filtered Separately to Steph, Cassie and Superboy]

Tim and I are headed to see how bad the damage is. [Meaning, they're finding the Manor and the Cave and seeing if there's anything they can salvage/any proof that people they care about are still alive. :|] Try to organize anyone who's willing to help to start getting things under control, and make sure someone's helping out anyone who doesn't have combat experience who decided to leave the ship. We'll be able to help in a couple hours at most.

And I know this isn't a major concern on the Barge, but try not to be too open about our identities, especially on public filters. We don't know who could be compromised, and who they could pass the information along to in this world that could endanger our counterparts when things go back to normal. [Assuming they're still alive, anyway. :|]

If we find any information about [what happened to everyone else and if they're alive or not] you'll be the first to know.

[Filtered to Steph and Cassie]

Keep an eye on him. I trust you both to be able to figure out where to start working.

[Filtered Separately to Kirk, Shego, Buffy, Dean, Sara and Steve, forward dated to after he's got some more gear]

I need to meet with you in person at your earliest convenience. Assuming you came into port.

[Private to Rorschach]

We need to talk.

[Spam for Tim]

[Messages sent out, Dick put away his communicator and surveyed the street briefly again. It felt like he was right back in the middle of the gang war, or Bludhaven, except this time, they were alone. There was basically no back up, not really. A couple Bats and Titans members did not a Justice League make, and there was no Bruce to be the detached leader, either, probably no Babs to run tech support, no anyone. Just them. And the people on the Barge, who - as much as he liked and respected some of his coworkers - weren't exactly a well organized strike force against crime in Gotham.

Which meant he was already shutting down. It was instinct, in times of true crisis, to shut down and act more like Bruce, and he was falling back on it now without even realizing he was doing it. His expression, voice and posture were suddenly altered, and while it wasn't as obvious as it could be - and would probably only be getting worse - Tim would probably pick up on the difference.

Dick just privately hoped he wouldn't call him out on it.]

Let's go. We should run by the clock tower, see if there's anything there. [Not that he was getting his hopes up, based on what they'd been able to put together so far.]

[ooc: Dick is slipping pretty heavily into Batman mode, so he probably won't reply to trollish responses, and Tim will probably be chiming in as well. Dick will be out and about in port in the Batsuit pretty much the whole time, and I'll be putting up a log for that later in port for anyone who wants to run into him, and will obviously be tagging around with him! Batman tags will probably be coming from

isthenight because omnomnom icons.

FEEL FREE TO ASSUME THIS IS A WHILE AFTER THE ADMIRAL'S ANNOUNCEMENT. I just got impatient and wanted to post. :V]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Dick had spotted him as he approached and quickly tried to figure out how to work with this. Sneaking up on a guy with a gun wasn't a smart idea, even with their training, so he watched and waited, and finally positioned himself on a building above him, calling down to him as he crouched over the sidewalk.]

Dean.

[His voice is somewhere between Dick and Batman, familiar enough to be recognized, but different enough to sound... different. Once he was sure he wasn't going to startle and shoot, he leapt down from the ledge, using the cape's gliding system to help break the fall.] Thanks for coming. Run into any trouble?

[Even odds - Dean isn't anywhere near as trigger happy as it's very easy to believe he is, but he's very quick to take the first shot, figuratively or literally, if he feels even remotely threatened. The hunter is oblivious, not spotting Dick, though there's something and his eyebrows pull together in agitation. He hates feeling like he's being watched, but there are more important things that need his attention right now.

Dean had been expecting Dick somewhere, so he doesn't exactly startle at his name, but his attention clicks up to the sound pretty pointedly. And then Dick is gliding down at him and Dean barely remembers to bother standing up - he's pretty busy staring.]

You have got to be shitting me. [First of all, have you seen the city, Dick? It's pretty much made of trouble right now; second of all, what is on your head. Disclaimer: Points may be reversed in actuality.]

[He isn't sure if he should be amused, or apologize, or both, so he just gets down to business.] I'm not.

[He reaches into his utility belt for a commlink and an emergency first aid kit he's thrown together for people - a couple heavy duty bandages, some antiseptic, and labeled antidotes - and hands them both out to Dean]

I've got an emergency comm and some supplies in case you're ambushed by one of the big guys. There's antidotes for Joker Venom, Crane's fear toxin and Ivy's pheromones, and they should at least hopefully buy you some time if you get hit. [No guarantees. This wasn't his universe, the chemical formulas could be completely different, but it was worth a shot.]

[The hunter is normally pretty quick to roll with unexpected situations and, to be fair, if someone were shooting at them right now or trying to slam him through a wall Dean would not be just blinking at him. Ironically, what snaps him out of it is less Dick shoving things at him and getting down to business so much as it is that the elder Winchester notices something else: it has to be Dick. He's done something to his height, probably in the boots, but he's still shorter than Dean.

He pointedly does not say "I thought you'd be taller" and does say, instead, smug and triumph dripping from his voice,] I knew you weren't just a cop.

[To his credit, that seems to be the extent of his tripping out, at least for now; Dean actually brought an emergency version of his own massive medkit with him, but he accepts the new supplies and slings his duffel around to put them away, dropping the commlink into one of his utility pockets opposite his Barge communicator. All set.]

So I'm going to completely bypass how ridiculous all that sounds because I'm pretty sure you know and from the looks of things, we ain't got time. In which case, where do you want me? This is so far from my show, it ain't even funny.

[Dick's mouth twitches into something that might have been a sheepish smile, if he wasn't pretending to be Batman, so it's really nothing too expressive. He would have fessed up eventually, but this happened before he got the chance to.

And since Dean's moving right along - which is once again proving Dean was a good person to have on your side during this kind of thing - Dick doesn't bother with an apology or explanation.]

Find Buffy. You've got a similar skill set, and I know you work well together. We don't really have demons or vampires around here, but I think you both can handle scaring off some street gangs. Keep clear of the big name guys Redwing's- [And it's still weird to say that instead of Robin, even if there's a part of him that's still incredibly amused/pleased/flattered that Tim's new costume has elements of his Nightwing uniform in it.] Coming up with a contingency plan, he'll probably assign you two to the Cauldron. I'll be around if you need me.

[Dean quirks an eyebrow and is really actively thinking of things to say to make Batman - freaking Batman - crack a smile when he's handed his assignment, the other eyebrow joining it at mention of "Redwing." The rest of it though? Easy. He would've found Buffy eventually anyway if he had his way. The hunter nods.]

Sure thing. Don't shoot at people in clown masks. Don't walk on the grass. Wait for orders. No big. [Dean is already fishing his own communicator out, intent on messaging Buffy when he gets a sudden, stupid grin that can't be anything good. He glances up, feels like there's always time for bad jokes.]

You gonna make me call you the old fashioned way, or do I get like, a portable Batsignal or something? [Expect him someday, Dick, to make one out of a flashlight. Just saying.]

103 [voice]

[ Spaaaaaaam! ]

[ Spaaaaaaam! ] So subtle is out then.

[ Spaaaaaaam! ] He's Batman, subtle isn't really part of the equation.

[ Spaaaaaaam! ] FINALLY. Dean hates subtle.

[ Spaaaaaaam! ] SURPRISE

[ Spaaaaaaam! ] WHERE IS THE DAMN BAT-SHAPED CONFETTI