2017-10-31 The Darkness Below: Tut and the Cat

The message from the Bat was civil and short, "Urgently request you get Professor Ottawa Wilson Hale (King Tut) to translate these glyphs I found. He is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. He reacts badly to me in either persona. This may be vital. Thanks ~B." Attached was a series of photographs of scratching on a rick wall, perhaps a cave.

“Got any 6 & 7/8's?" Hatter asks. Lock Up slams his hand on the table and snaps, "Play the right way dammit! No ... that was yer turn. We gotta have rules here ..." The other inmates jump a little.

She's only doing this as she's getting paid. This isn't the type of thing she does for free or commission. THIS is the type of job that Selina's accepted purely as there's a cash and tender at the end. The Hatter gets a glare from her as she sneaks around then. What to do, what to do? Much as she'd like to start a riot and some chaos for old time's sake, that goes against her payday.

So she carefully maneuvers on past, if she can, making a quiet go over of it towards the nearest guard station.

“Anyway this so-called historian says that our recent calendar is off by 300 odd years and this is the year 17920 due inaccuracies of the Julian calendar and historical documents being invented in a grand conspiracy to advance the agenda of the Holy roman Emperors ...”

“And they say we so called super criminals have weird goals. Preposterous!” Professor Crane sputters laughing. “That’s more of a laugh than Skinnerian therapy methods.”

”But Professor, I’m no super criminal. Tut is forever separate and apart from me ... the bloody handed old goat,” Professor Hale says sniffing slightly.

”Still going with that story are we Bill?” The two men, one almost emaciated, the other portly at best are just past the guard post.

Then ... "CODE J! CODE J --all guards to the west wing! This is not a drill! Code J!!!"

The guards hustle on out leaving only a very tense pair of orderlies trying to look tough. The inmates keep playing cards. "It's raining, I can’t … no one escapes in the rain. I’ll get wet," Hatter whines. "He couldn't pull a code J on a nice day?

She knows what this one means. Oh bother. Selina goes to quickly send first a text out just in case the Bat is out of the loop. She clamber sup to the ceiling to get out of the line of sight of the orderlies, going on by her claws. Scampering along, remaining out of sight, then as soon as she's sure that both the orderlies and the card game playing loony toons aren't noticing her, she slowly drops off the ceiling to check the computer. Quick as a flick she would go to check the station. Seeing a slip of paper with 'How can you forget, it's the luggage code' she lets out a sigh, and then goes to put in the ever popular password..

For the Air Shield on the planet Druidia. Never fails.

That done, she would try to quickly move to get the cell station for where her target was, and when that was done silently log out of the computer and go back up and out of sight presuming this all worked.

Oh, Hatter. How she wishes she could wring his scrawny neck out. But.. She goes to line up a small dart, which was then flung out. The dart was loaded with a rather potent knockout drug, and hopefully would have the Hatter snoring like a loon for an hour or so. As she would then saunter on the table, going to take one finger up to her lips as she would pop the door open to whisper.

Professor Hale half rises courteously and slides a chair out for Selina. "Certainly my child." Scarecrow gets a sudden gleam in his eye. "Catwoman, if you hand me a lock pick now, when I get out I'll owe you big. What do you say?"

Lockdown watches Hatter go down. He shrugs and takes the little man's dessert. The orderlies shrug too.Thorazine flashback?

Selina lets out a sigh then and shakes her head, going to tug Hale over underneath the table. NOT the most dignified of hiding spots, but one didn't get to be an orderly in Arkham by knowing how to pay attention. "Need a favor. And maybe when you make out, sorry. Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I need something translated. Think it might lead me to a bit of a score if my info is good." Lockdown is ignored and Selina just goes to throw a couple of hundred bucks on the table. "You never saw me okay?" Then two packs of cigarettes.

Scarecrow or Crane whispers angrily, "Don't you just ignore me you … hoochey mama! Give me a pick or I will destroy you with dreams of snakes eating snakes. I will turn felines into a horde of demons for you!"

"Shut up John. The girl has an academic question for me. I have to think," Hale says.

"Sorry Bill. Sometimes I get carried away. Catwoman, please. One little pick? I can be very generous. There could be a couple non persistent fear grenades in it for you. New formula. The Bat hasn't cracked the antidote for it yet."

Hale looks at the photo and then Selina and says annoyedly, "Did you say score? I am not that blackguard Tut. I'l have no part of any criminal enterprise. Sorry child, but I am an honest academician. I held the Archaeology chair at Hudson University."

Crane is listening and shaking his head

Selina nods cheerfully, "This is some deciphering. I think it might have something to do with something no one has seen for ages. You're the best when it comes." She glances to Crane then. "And you shut up." Crane's tongue has a mousetrap thrown over on it if possible then with a glare that there will be far, far more of those if he keeps it up in her presence.

Selina goes to then turn over to take out the picture, and passes over a small notebook. "IF you can translate these it would be appreciated.” She turns to Crane, “And the next word from you has more of those on your fingers. And if that isn't enough for you to shut up, I know which of the toilets is stuck in a flush cycle and you will be hung upsides down in it until they find you."

Professor Hale glares and says, "I do not consort with criminals of your ilk ... Community college graduates! Begone, go stick Batman in a giant litter box death trap or some such."

Crane stifles a scream and hurriedly pries the trap off his lower lip. "Guards! Guards! It's Catwoman. She's assaulting me! Assistance! She's under this table!" Crane attempts to turn the table over. The orderlies begin cautiously moving forward.

Selina's hand pops out, and it goes to casually flash her claws over, which quickly dig over onto the table. And she turns over to Hale. "Fine, ti's not for me." She takes a breath. "YO know Wildcat? Ted Grant? Runs a gym. Helped raise me. He needs a hand with it. You know the big lummox is too proud to ask for this sort of thing and I owe him. Figure I can give him a hand and he gets to keep his pride." She goes to casually hold her claws over in front of the orderlies. "Now boys, do you want to have it be known that you let someone else go to the cell, pop open the cell, and talk with the inmates during a J? Or you want to keep it quiet then for the sake of your continued jobs?"

The orderlies looks at the claws. Look at each other and return to their posts. No one there. Certainly not Catwoman. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Crane hisses angrily, "I hab enub ub you ad fat boy's agt. Here. Let me helb wid by bast knowledge of psychology. Bud ... you owe be one Cadwubbin!" Crane grabs a treatise on the Pharaoh Akhenaten from the table and brings it down on Hale's head.

Hale goes down moaning and holding his skull. "Nnnnnnngaaaahhh …"

Selina hisses at Crane, "Don't make me lose my temper. You really won't like me when I'm angry." Her claws when to slash out, going to try and hold them along his chin threateningly to if she could lift him up and over by his throat. "Sorry about this, be done taking out the trash in a few minutes.”

Hale gets up and grabbing a towel improvises a head dress from it. "Nnnnn who dares assault the sacred personage of Tut, son of the Moon ... oh hello John. The Bat got me again eh? The big fink ... hello loveliness ... behold! Bast incarnate ... " he recites. He holds a hand out invitingly to Selina. "Could you please not strangle the beanpole? He's the only decent conversation in this place since Bookworm was released." Tut’s eyes take in Selina eagerly, then come back for seconds.

Crane says, "See I helbed you. Now leggo!”

Selina yanks her hand over, "As the representative of Bast, I take your eyes with illness. Now remember formalities or Ra shall shake the heavens with his wrath." Crane is for now released, and she goes to drop the picture. "Translate that for me and I shall spare you the wrath of Ra, the Ever-Living."

Tut shushes her gently, "Stay thy wrath oh representative ... and let's not bring dad into this. Truly it is written no one likes a snitch. Hmmmm. Hmmmm. This is from a time long before my own but ... 'All hail the hearthstone of the evil night' Could be night or darkness you know how it goes. 'Let those who would impede the Black Pharaoh vanish into the depths of the underworld." Howwzzat? Now about making you my queen ... " Tut tries kissing Selina.

Selina hisses and flashes her claws once more, "I shall for your favor -not- mention your insolence to Ptah for you would not wish to see what he would give you for a work of nightmares. Remember that I have spared you twice, the third time I shall not be so forgiving." The paper is then tucked away.

Tut bows and says, "Forgive me representative. I had no idea your priestess hood was chaste. A pity. I would otherwise lavished jewels and luxuries upon you fit for Isis herself. As the great god Thoth is fond of saying, "You can't win them all."

Crane heads for his bunk. "Pffft. Crazy, both crazy, I'be done."