Crates [open]

[question]

The shipping yards were quiet, almost desolate. Like nothing was going in or out of the city, Q had noticed within a few days of the stronger seemingly government presence. This did nothing but set the faceless vigilante further into paranoia. About an hour ago The Question had started going through the shipping records for the Crates that would normally have came daily by freight liner, but had almost suddenly ceased.

One must start at the bottom to work their way to the top. He ran his fingers through his messy black hair before placing his hat back on his head. He Looked over his shoulder for a moment before returning to not only the shipping manifests but the scheduled ships that never docked today, who were carrying anything from toys to medical supplies that the city would never see.

There was something bigger than everything going on here in this city. Not even his true self could get out of the city. Even after he flashed the press badge.

He remembered a similar situation that over took the city after the earthquake. The city was cut off, the police was dissolved to nothing more than a gang. This was bound to go in the same direction, any kind of strangle hold on supplies would force any city to madness.

What seemingly took him by surprise was it was like something from a bad nightmare he had long ago after consuming too much coffee one night. The government taking control for nothing short of sinister reasons, but Question Knew that he would get to the bottom of it one way or another, someone would make a mistake an let slip the true nature.

He just had to find the right guy, make him spill his guts... one way or another. Question looked around one more time before he began to place everything back exactly like he found it. Q looked around once more before he closed the door behind him as he exited the office room of the shipping warehouse an made his way to the roof via an access ladder to watch the bay.

He placed his hands in his pockets as he watched the lights from the few boats that were more than likely patrolling the harbor to create a line of what seemed embargo on the city.

[ferine]

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“Hunting for flavor thirty-two again, Q?” Huntress flashed him a brilliant smile in a way that was knowing, and absolutely female, a hand placed on her waist confidently. “Or do you simply enjoy playing hard to catch?” Helena had been standing there for several moments in the quiet, a watchful eye on him before making her presence known. The cold flick of a breeze danced through her cape, but she stood firm and seemed not to notice its slight chill. A rush of adrenaline flooded her veins, bright eyes liqufied sapphires in the amber street light. Electricity hummed in the scant distance between them, hand in hand with the sudden silence. Helena studied him with near admiration in her amused expression. Her footsteps drew swiftly closer to him, absent of sound.

She brushed the collar of his blue overcoat off tenderly, delicate fingers straightening it fixedly. Helena lingered in the feel of his warm body against his own, but shied away from view abruptly as she tucked her dark hair behind one ear and allowed a little half smile to curl her lips. She pulled his attention around so the gift she'd brought was out of sight, eyes roaming over his figure. “You know, I usually prefer my dates to have a face,” she shattered the stillness coyly. “But you'll do for now.” Her expression lightened with mirth, a smile entranced with a note of humored charm as she slung her arms over his shoulders casually.

The enchanting moment was put off by a strained noise, and she turned to glower as if she greatly wanted to murder the next person she saw. It was hard to ignore the sound of her present---one in the form of a criminal crying convulsively. At this, she took a step back from Question and into the new, more solemn mood and stared down at the tied up, wriggling figure. Huntress glanced over her shoulder at Question, a silence hanging in the air. “What?” She wrapped her arms at her hips almost defiantly as she turned back to him, as if he wouldn't approve of her methods. “He looked suspicious,” she reasoned as if that was explaination enough. If not, well, at least it brought a little more entertainment to their otherwise dull night. “I don't know why he's sobbing on like that, I barely touched the creep,” she continued in a tightly fixed tone. His face seemed vaguely familiar, but she always had a hard time telling the lowest of the low criminals apart from one another. “I found him skulking about in an alleyway nearby. I figured I'd be a humanitarian today and take out the trash. Aren't you proud of me?” Helena flashed another smile his way, proud of her antics. The man sobbed again as tears flooded his face, and she crouched as if to inspect him on his level. “Please! I want to live! I didn't do nothin', I swear!” Helena muttered exasperatedly and stood to her feet. “Oh, just shut up,[/b]” she droned with a near roll of her eyes. She gave him a soft boot to the side to encourage some renewed silence. Alright, maybe it wasn't that soft.

Huntress glimpsed back at Question again, eyeing him in the moonlight. “So, what are we doing out here exactly?” She said, automatically inviting herself to his lonely party of one.

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Notes: I'm quite amused with this post.
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[question]

"You could call it a bit of both" He spoke softly, his mind still all to focused on the current possible strangle hold on the city. something was going on an he knew it, Question just couldn't quite put his finger on it exactly yet.

Question reached a gloved hand to lay over the top of her arm, knowing that she was always going to poke fun at his mask. He didn't mind, at least not from her. He let his hand fall back to his side when she moved from him to the criminal she dragged along. Who was crying rather timidly, like a frightened child.

He tilted his head at her, "I didn't say anything about it, But other than just being a 'creep' What did he do?" He asked turning his attention to the bound sobbing man. Her Antics towards the man were... Expected. He knew that Helena followed no rules but her own really. One could say that was part of her charm.

Q Looked up at her from his position akin to what hers was only moments ago.

"Somethings going on, An its not just my normal paranoid suspicion, This is something the Government is actually doing. " He paused to look across the bay at the ships in the harbor again. "The shipping manifests showed that over sixteen barges were supposed to dock, none of them showed up an some were redirected to near by cities according to the documents.. " He stood an Looked back at her, "I couldn't even get out of the city today, The tunnels are blocked, the bridges are manned by the military. The streets as well. "

He looked down at the man, his face unreadable due to the material of the mask. "you said you found him in a near by alley? He may be a worker.. Which means he may know something."

Reached down a grasped the man by the back of his shirt an wrenched him forcefully to his feet. "This is your chance to spill what you know Or I spill something else." He threatened in a cool calm voice, knowing that it was far more threatening then any growl or shout that man could muster.

[ferine]

Helena approached Question again idly, no real purpose to her steps. Bright eyes surveyed the city skyline as if it would bring about some clue to the mystery. He had a point, the desertion in the docks did seem extremely off. Any criminal activity was awfully scarce, if it even existed. Helena was lucky to have even wrangled a live one on the end of her hook tonight, but however useful he'd prove was a different matter entirely. It wasn't as if he was the biggest fish in the pond. Not on this end of the city.

“Nothing outright,” she reasoned. “Its not hard to spot the pest problem when they're not exactly quiet about it,” she mused coyly. “Besides, rats like that you practically smell a mile away,” her tone chuckled, as if it were second nature. Her victim pleaded incoherantly in a low and desperate tone, trying not to sob so loudly. Question wanted to know the truth behind her antics, and she was more than happy to indulge. “If you must know, he picked the wrong night for a mugging.” One hand still perched on her hip, quite proud of herself. Bad night indeed. “I found him about an alley or two back trying to knife some guy for his wallet. Pathetic, really.” Helena shot the thief a hard stare, as if he meant less than dirt. “I thought I'd see about bringing him along for the ride tonight, at least temporarily, to persuade him to possibly change his view on stealing from decent people.” Now she was simply having her fun with the unfortunate soul, like a cat toying with it's food. “If he's an employee around the docks, I'd have to say he's not a very good one.” Helena flashed Question a wry grin.

“So, what conspiracy are we chasing tonight then, hm?” Huntress folded her arms almost defensively across her chest. “Why would the government be so interested in the docks? Or, well, anything around this part of the city for that matter. Their interest in it would be a first,” she scoffed.

[question]

Question stared down the man, "not a dock worker then, records show that base line pay for them is three to six dollars above minimum wage, Highly unlikely they would attempt petty theft. " He shook the man for a moment, "unless he knows anything about whats going on then he best speak or we leave him for PD to find." After a moment of silence Question released the man from his vice like grasp an dropped him back to the roof.

"Embargo, strangle hold on the cities supplies. Crime will slowly increase, Police department, hospitals, fire department ill run out of supplies, Martial law will be imposed. city will tear itself apart. All ending with an over elaborate government cover up of the casualties that will be lain at their feet. " He spoke to himself than anyone else in his company.

"Which means this is something knew so there for not a conspiracy if they have been given the jurisdiction to do so in broad day light. " Truth be told the Idea frightened him a little, it was all like a bad dream, something that should have been just in his head not actively affecting his already paranoid nature. The signs were clearly right there in front of the both of them, out in the open for any one to see. Then any one that tried to interfere would be gladly given a hot round of led an never seen again.

Vic turned back to vie the water front with a heavy sigh, "this cant really be happening."