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Post by Ricky Grayson on Aug 1, 2015 2:45:59 GMT
It had been a restless night, Ricky Grayson tossed and turned in bed as the thought of oversleeping and missing the event that'd shape his life dawned on him. Pulling in a measly two and a half hours of sleep before getting up and sneaking out of the orphanage as he had done so the previous day.. he made sure to keep a low profile. It was still early, there was about half an hour to spare as it was roughly 8:30AM.. he was planning on meeting Barbara at Gotham Square at 9 and proceed to move forward with Plan Sneak into the Funeral which he felt absolutely stupid for having to do. The fact that he wasn't able to attend John and Mary Grayson's services was mind-boggling, eventually he would find out the reason behind things and who was responsible for this act of cruelty.. and he'd have his revenge. Until then, he couldn't lose focus on what he needed to do... one little mistake could cost not only his freedom, but Barbara's as well.. but more importantly, the chance to say goodbye to the most important people in his life.
// Ricky]: This is gonna be a long day.. damn...
With a sigh, Ricky stepped into Gotham Square and turned to face the water-fall of the wishing well.. reaching into his pocket he removed a penny and twirled it between his fingers before looking up at the sky and squinting his eyes from the sun beaming down on him-
// Ricky]: .. I don't ask you for much big purple flying spaghetti monster in the sky.. but for once in my life, show me something- let me know something good is gonna come my way. I've been put through a lot recently, I know you've other people with bigger problems to deal with.. but if there's someone up there listening..
"Hey, who are you talking to?"
Finishing his request silently, he flipped his penny into the well and pressed himself against the concrete ledge- noticing it had fell on tails and he cut a little smirk out of happiness. Turning around, he spotted Barbara Gordon standing there with eye brows down- awkwardly looking in Ricky's direction as he flashed a smile her way.
// Ricky]: No-one.. Just making a wish, that's all. You ready?
He'd never admit, but he prayed- he was asking God for help in this time of need. Ricky was always told that never look to God just rely on what he does.. but this was different. Whether or not it would happen and he'd have his prayers answered would be a different story, but for now- getting to the right area needed to be smooth, there was no room for error. Looking in Babs' direction, Ricky kicked his right foot up and pressed it against the concrete.. waiting on an answer.
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Post by Barbara Gordon on Aug 2, 2015 9:49:18 GMT
It had been a strange night. Barbara had raced home from the diner in such haste that she'd forgotten her bike locked up outside the Orphanage. She'd had to tell her father that she'd lost the bike. His concern had of course outweighed any type of anger he could feel but it now meant that, until her birthday, she would have no bike to use. Barbara hadn't seen her father for some time so he had prepared breakfast for dinner (a Gordon tradition). It had been as they had prepared to sit down and eat that the world had changed. Bruce Wayne had revealed to the world that he was alive. Barbara's shock had been replaced by anger at the deception. Alfred the Butler had told her that Ricky couldn't live at Wayne Manor as he was elderly and simply wouldn't be able to cope. Barbara had taken him at face value. She'd trusted him yet Bruce Wayne had been alive the whole time; laughing at her. Barbara hadn't tried to contact Alfred or Bruce. She had no desire to speak with them. She also hadn't told Ricky about her visit to the Mansion. She didn't want to set up his hopes for something that just wasn't going to happen. Getting to the Square had proven difficult. She had taken the old monorail and walked the remaining distance. She was wearing her smart black trousers, grey converse shoes, grey shirt and her black blazer. She also had her purple backpack on inside of which were several items she knew she may need at some point during the day. She paced on the spot several times, constantly checking her phone for any updates. Nothing so far. She hadn't seen her father's name on the guest list for the funeral but she knew what he was like. He preferred to be in the background with events like that so could appear at any point. Barbara turned to see Ricky walking across the Square and gazing up towards the unusually sunny Gotham sky. Although she couldn't hear what he was saying, Barbara was sure he was talking. "Hey, who are you talking to?" "No-one.. Just making a wish, that's all. You ready?" "Yep I think so. I've brought my laptop this time so if I need to have a search through anything, I've got a lot more fire-power to back us up. So...what's or first move?" |
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Post by Ricky Grayson on Aug 4, 2015 2:14:18 GMT
He had gone over the plan in his head through the course of his restless night... but it didn't make any sense now. It was jumbled, completely unorganized and his thought process was stuck. Ricky was facing the consequences of risking the freedom of not just himself, but Barbara as well, he needed to make sure whatever approach he planned to take was the correct passage. It was one thing for him to get hit with a misdemeanor like trespassing as any judge would see the situation for what it was and wouldn't be too harsh on him, but the same couldn't be said for Barbara, especially because of her father's role within the community.
// Ricky]: I'm drawing blanks right now.. must be anxiety or something.
Taking a second to sit down on the ledge around the water-fall, he knew time was working for him and he couldn't take too long to figure things out. All of a sudden though, all the oppressed emotions, everything he locked away had come to the surface and hit him square in the nose -- it was apparent as his eyes begun to water and went from white to red.
// Ricky]: I swear I had it all planned out, it was perfect.. it's just.. I don't know anymore.. I.. I don't know..
It's all he could bring himself to say, for the first time in his life- Ricky Grayson didn't know who he was. Since his childhood he was confident, he was a perfectionist and he was quite obsessive with detail, but since the death of his parents those traits disappeared and what he became was pitiful and lazy. Many would chalk that up to the tragic loss of his parents but Ricky wasn't one for excuses, he knew there was a problem -- and the only way to solve it was to met the demons he had in his mind head on and show them who the boss was.
// Ricky]: Feeling this way Babs, it makes me sick. I'm here; feeling sorry for myself all the mean while within hours my mom and dad is going to be be buried in a hole paid for someone that I don't even know. That's not even the worst of it -- I can't attend the funeral as their son, I'm not giving the chance to grieve like anyone else. I've been pushed through the situation, treated like some nobody all the mean while it's not THEIR parents in a casket- it's not THEIR parents that's gone.. it's MINE!
The lunch at Nelson's marked the first time Ricky got to break his silent strike -- he had a lot to say, but had to watch how it came across as the last thing he wanted to do was scare Barbara away. He wasn't some savage with an attitude problem -- he didn't need anger management or a psychiatrist to tell him where the source of his problems was, he knew that. It stemmed from being disregarded as trash, a total nobody. He was once one of the highlights of a popular East Coast based circus, signing autographs and taking pictures with kids... now, he was reduced to nothing. He had to question his existence a few times as it was like he was invisible, and that bothered him. A single tear dropped from his left eye -- studies say that pain brings that on, and the boy was suffering at the moment.
// Ricky]: I didn't mean to put this on you Babs -- I'm sorry. I've just had so much piled on my plate, I.. I'm on the verge of losing it- I gotta get this out of the way, they won't let me grieve, luckily I don't really care what they want.
Using the back of his thumb to wipe away the tear that trailed down to his chin, he pushed himself up and got control of himself, rolling his shoulders forward... he cleared his throat.
// Ricky]: It's what- 9AM now? They're getting arrangements set up -- at worst, the church will have the groundskeeper and priest around. As long as we keep our heads down and not draw attention, we can pass off as being visitors to the church grounds cemetery. That's like- worst case scenario -- if things go as I see them, we'll be on the grounds, we've just gotta find a way to keep a low profile. Being IN the church is going to be near impossible, but so long as we're able to get within the area, we'll be OK.
It sounded as if he repeated himself through the course of the plan of action, but it made sense.. kinda. The important part of it all was getting ON the grounds, once that was completed, finding a place to keep a low profile until the services started. With the hits GCPD had taken recently, causing a scene at a church with the boy who's parents died wouldn't be a good highlight, he had that working to his favor.
// Ricky]: I've got one request Babs.. If things look bleak, I mean if you sense any kind of danger- get out of the area. Don't stick around, I don't want you to go down for me. With who your dad is and how he's been put under the light recently, all they need is a reason to smear his name -- I don't want you to be that catalyst. There's no way I'm leaving without saying goodbye to my parents, for you.. the risk is heavy. Promise me if things go bad you're gonna cut loose- and don't worry about offending me, you won't.
The old Ricky Grayson had shown up, he wasn't the tearing unknown that had surfaced earlier. Looking in Barbara's direction- before they'd make their move to the church, he wanted her word... as in this world, you could lose yourself and become nearly non-existence, but your word would always remain. Once Barbara would promise Ricky she'd look out for her own safety and freedom, they'd proceed with their plan... until then, he didn't feel right with her being Ok with making such a huge sacrifice.
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Post by Barbara Gordon on Aug 4, 2015 22:39:59 GMT
"I've got one request Babs.. If things look bleak, I mean if you sense any kind of danger- get out of the area. Don't stick around, I don't want you to go down for me. With who your dad is and how he's been put under the light recently, all they need is a reason to smear his name -- I don't want you to be that catalyst. There's no way I'm leaving without saying goodbye to my parents, for you.. the risk is heavy. Promise me if things go bad you're gonna cut loose- and don't worry about offending me, you won't." "Of course. If things look bad, I'll make myself scarce. But, if we do this properly then that shouldn't happen." Sitting beside Ricky, Barbara drew her laptop from her bag and opened it on her lap. Ricky needed to grieve. He was clearly not in the right mindset to make any plan of action. Swiping her finger across the touch screen, she brought up monorail times, a map of the churchyard, a map of the surrounding area, scheduled patrol times for the officers working the funeral and the contact number of the Reverend the GCPD had for the funeral. "If we get on the monorail within the next 15 minutes then we'll get to the station closest at around 09:18. We'll then get to the churchyard at 09:34. We'll have to take the longer way there but it'll mean it's less likely for us to be seen. Now, I made a voice recording last night that we can play to Rev. Thomas when we arrive. I used my Dad's voice from his phone's answer machine, filtered certain words and created a new message. It basically will tell Rev. Thomas that he is needed at the front entrance for the arrival of your parents. With him out the way, we can enter the church and hide in the crypt. We should only need to be there for just over an hour. When the funeral starts, we'll be able to get outside and into the crowd of people. From then, it's going to have to be a case of attempting to stay as long as we can without getting caught." Barbara felt guilty not having a clearer idea of getting out from the funeral. She turned to Ricky and gave him a smile with the hope that he'd return it. |
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Post by Ricky Grayson on Aug 11, 2015 1:45:21 GMT
9:18AM: Arrived at the station.
9:34 and 34 seconds: Arrived at the churchyard.
Just as Barbara had calculated, they hit each place on time- needless to say, Ricky Grayson was floored with how on-point Barbara was. Of course with the advancements in modern technology, it was easier to make predictions but Barbara didn't rely on special apps, she calculated using simply math which was impressive. Grayson gave off the vibe that he definitely was in no state of mind to be making executive calls, luckily Barbara picked up on it and led the way, especially after that mini breakdown he had earlier. The two shifted through streets- sticking within alleys and only when absolutely necessary put themselves into plain view. Up on the horizon, they spotted the church where the funeral would be held- Barbara continued to move forward but Ricky's knees locked on him- his eyes welled as he.. couldn't move forward.
// Ricky]: This is it...
He meant what he said earlier, he was ready to move on, but that was until this point. The finality of it all, how things were DONE after this hit him, and hit him hard. Sure, he knew that his parents were never coming back but facing the reality of the situation snapped someone into shape really quick, as in Ricky's situation. As much as he tried to move forward with Barbara who was closing in on the church, his body refused. His mind was going one way- his body another and that proved troublesome.
// Ricky]: You've gotta do this.. You've gotta say goodbye, you've gotta move forward..
Speaking out-loud to himself was a habit he developed as a child. People thought he was crazy at times, often he didn't understand why people looked at him confused. He didn't catch it most of the time, it was something that he did unconsciously, but nonetheless, it was noticed. Closing his eyes for a brief second and pressing his back flat against the concrete wall that lead down a narrow alley, Ricky tried to relax himself and get himself into gear. He knew that the time-table Barbara provided was as close to perfect as possible so little hiccups in time wasn't planned for.
// Ricky]: Show up.. Say your goodbyes, move forward in life. Nothing can be done until this is figured out, not until I say goodbye..
Ricky continued to tell himself that nothing could be done until this chapter was closed, and he was right. If he decided to say 'screw this' and ditched, he'd not only be sabotaging his newly found friendship with Barbara Gordon who's went out of her way to develop proper entry points and a plan of attack so Ricky could see his parents one last time- but he'd never be able to live with himself without saying goodbye. Despite knowing where they were going to be buried, once again- thanks for Barbara's investigative skill- it''s not the same to visit the grave.. it was.. different.
// Ricky]: Everything depends on how this goes- get in, wait.. say what you need to say and go from there. Nothing Ricky.. Nothing can happen until this is handled. So suck it up, make your move and do what you've gotta do.
Knowing what he had to do, he took his own advice and indeed.. sucked it up. Shooting forward, he saw Barbara had crouched near a tree as she continually popped her head out to see where he was and once he made a move in her direction, she smiled seeing that he finally had put whatever reluctance he was experiencing to rest. Joining her behind the tree, Barbara led the way again as they moved around an old concrete wall that was beaten up from years of weather and general wear and tear. Around the wall, near the back of the structure was surely enough that open wall Barbara had spoke of in regards to the church letter.
// Ricky]: You're damn good with your estimates Babs.. but the better question, what now? We've got time.. and we don't want to get in there and have to wait TOO long to risk being exposed.. what do we do now?
Through life, there's moments that make or break who you become- and this was one of those moments. In any other circumstance, Ricky would have taken the lead and made it a point to keep himself charging forward but with everything that's piled against him, it wasn't that easy. Instead, he knew the better option was to defer leadership to Barbara who had a clear head and was thinking with her brain and not her heart. Looking toward her, he waited to see what the next plan of action was.
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Post by Barbara Gordon on Aug 12, 2015 17:24:47 GMT
Barbara and Ricky emerged from an alleyway and moved quickly down Broad Street. Sliding past half a dozen people, they entered another alley. Barbara checked her watch. 09:34 and 34 seconds. They were 34 seconds late. Barbara didn't know why that irritated her so much. Turning left, the pair looked down the rest of the alley. At the end was the large churchyard. Before them was the wall surrounding the grounds and a tree standing next to it. The church stood on the other side of that and beyond the church building; the graveyard. Barbara jogged forwards, avoiding a large puddle. Her footsteps reverberated in echoes in the tight alley. Just her footsteps. Barbara stopped and looked back. Ricky wasn't moving. Barbara bit her bottom lip and took a few steps back towards him. If he needed her to find them a route to the church without being caught, she could do it. If he needed her to distract anyone to move forwards, she could do it. Heck, she could hack into the Mayor's email account if need be and she could do it. However, when it came to comforting someone with the death of their parents...she could feel her stomach tightening. She wasn't emotionally equipped to handle such a situation. Ricky was muttering to himself. Barbara couldn't quite make out what he was saying. She checked her watch to see that they were now one minute and 12 seconds late. "...need to say and go from there. Nothing Ricky.. Nothing can happen until this is handled. So suck it up, make your move and do what you've gotta do." Barbara managed to hear some of what he was saying in the quiet of the alley. Barbara walked to the tree and kicked the dirt around it. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring Ricky to the funeral under such pretences. Maybe she should have spoken to her father and asked him to take Ricky. There was no more time for further thoughts as Ricky joined her at the tree, seemingly ready to press forwards. Barbara gave him as comforting a smile as she could muster and led him around the side of the wall. Soon, they came to the opening that she had decided was their best chance of access. "You're damn good with your estimates Babs.. but the better question, what now? We've got time.. and we don't want to get in there and have to wait TOO long to risk being exposed.. what do we do now?"Barbara knelt down, taking off her backpack and drawing out her laptop. Opening the screen, she logged on to her sound system. Beckoning Ricky to join her, he knelt beside her and watched as she pressed play. Jim Gordon's voice crackled out from the laptop. "Reverand Thomas...Hi Reverand, it's Jim Gordon. I'm at the main entrance to the Cemetery. Looks like we have a slight problem with someone claiming to be one of your regular churchgoers. He is claiming that in 20 minutes, he's getting married in this church and has had the space booked for the better part of a year. Could you come and help clear this up? Oh and come quickly, the bride has just turned up."Barbara couldn't help but give Ricky a cheeky grin. "In a sec, I'm going to phone Reverend Thomas and play this message. He'll leave the church giving us a chance to slip inside. If we go through the church and take the door on the far left, we'll enter the Reverend's private quarters. There's a trap door there leading into the Crypt. I've searched through emails for the past five years with key words and I don't think the Crypt is ever used so nobody will look there. There's a tunnel in the Crypt that leads to an opening on the far side of the graveyard. That's where the older graves are and the tomb stones there, that are still standing, are the biggest. We can wait in the Crypt as long as we want then go through the tunnel. The tunnel should take 14 minutes. It isn't that long but it's pretty tight so we'll be crouching or crawling for the most part and will be right below where people will be. Silence is the key. Time it right, and we'll emerge as they're...erm...bringing your parents into the graveyard. It looks like the Reverend will say some words then ask if anyone else wants to speak. Then they'll...be buried. How does that sound?"Barbara's finger hovered over the send button. She didn't think he would, but there was still time to back out if Ricky wanted. |
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Post by Ricky Grayson on Aug 18, 2015 4:34:56 GMT
// Ricky]: Hit it.
Barbara nodded as she dialed out the number- of course someone with her computer savvy nature had found a way to set up a Skype-ish call pop up under a different name. Once the other end picked up, Barbara pressed send as Ricky crossed his arms across his chest.. extremely impressed with how she manipulated technology.
"Reverend Thomas...Hi Reverand, it's Jim Gordon. I'm at the main entrance to the Cemetery. Looks like we have a slight problem with someone claiming to be one of your regular churchgoers. He is claiming that in 20 minutes, he's getting married in this church and has had the space booked for the better part of a year. Could you come and help clear this up? Oh and come quickly, the bride has just turned up."
The voice-over didn't allow for questions, rather- it was more of a demand.. and when the commissioner of Gotham City's Police Department said something- you made it happen. The reverend let off a sigh and hung up the line all as Babs nodded in Ricky's direction before she packed her laptop up back into her pack and threw the strap over her shoulder. He admired what she was doing for him, he was saving the "thank you" for once they were done with the mission at hand.. there was no time for that right now. As Barbara had mentioned, time was of the essence, and one miscalculation could cost them everything they've planned for. Watching her watch, Barbara had everything down by the second- and after roughly 20-25 seconds she darted forward- Ricky wasn''t far behind, she was quicker than she looked he thought.. he wasn't exactly MIster American Athlete but he was in shape. Just as she explained, the window that looked within the church saw that it was empty- both managed to get within as Ricky could feel the ice-stone form in the center of his stomach. The day of reckoning- the rise of who he'd be in the future was upon him.. and he didn't even know it.
39 seconds: At the door to the left after moving through the church.
With a nod, Barbara smiled all before she could reach for the door- Ricky grabbed her hand quickly and pulled it back. As she was about to say something, the door opened in their direction, the reverend stepped out- mumbling something under his breath. Ricky returned the cheeky grin and wink in her direction as once he had moved towards the big wooden doors, Ricky and Barbara slipped into the quarters. Ricky noticed Barbara looking down at her watch again, she was calculating the time all as Ricky looked around the room- stepping a bit harder than he usually was-
// Ricky]: Trap-Door.. Trap-Door.. You manage to land the blueprint for the building?!
He spoke with haste, not panic. Looking in Barbara's direction- he knew that she probably had and it was a stupid question.. but with time being so pressed as it is, there wasn't time for him to be playing detective. He didn't know how much time they had before the reverend would return, they needed to move quick so there was no other problems that could present itself.
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