Word of the Press [Cyclone]

[rae]

Players: Cyclone and Raven
Location(s): Gotham City
Plot Summary: After learning some dangerously juicy information, local gossip queen Joann Greene has received death threats, putting her life in danger. Oracle puts her under superhero protective custody, unaware how much trouble Greene is about to face!

"...she'll be getting liposuction any day now. That private trainer of hers isn't helping burning the baby fat fast enough for her to rejoin the cast of next summer's blockbuster comic book movie The Defenders. Although by the looks of her tussled hair in these photos, she is getting one type of exercise done daily. Make of that what you will. On to local celebrities, Bruce Wayne has been m.i.a for a while now, leaving investors a bit nervous. But what Wayne Enterprise investor doesn't go through that same panic every year? You'd think they'd learn that Bruce Wayne is an unreliable figurehead that doesn't seem to care about the thousands of jobs on the line. When we last asked him about his odd behavior, he evaded our cameramen, but we were able to get a shot of his sons Richard and Timothy. They both provided no comments on the situation, but by the looks of their Armani suits and Benz, they don't really seem to care either. I guess the sentiments run in the family. For more details, go to our website and click on the big icon on the right to visit my blog and see who else has been caught Greene-Handed. I'm Joann Greene for GCTV news."

Oracle paused the video and looked at Cyclone and Raven. "So that's her," Barbara sighed. "That segment was from last Friday's show. According to her co-workers, she went missing all last week with only a phone call to the producer Saturday morning. She said she needed a couple days to investigate a lead and that was it. No one heard from her for six days, police got involved, nothing came up until last night. She walked into the studio and told her producer that she had a huge story that she wanted to announce live for tonight's show. She wouldn't give him any information, she didn't answer any questions. She was in her office all day until about six hours ago, the studio got a phone call stating if Joann Greene leaked that story, she would be killed on live television. Then every phone in the studio rang to repeat the same recorded message. Police weren't able to track it, and neither have I. Well, not yet. So that's where we come in," she forced a smile.

"You want us to watch over her tonight?" Raven chimed in. Barbara nodded. "Or for however long we need until we figure out a solution." Raven stared. "And how long could that be?" Barbara stared back and then spun in her chair to grab the pink box of donuts and two cups of coffee she had purchased earlier. "No more than a week. Donut?" Raven's expression fell, although her expression was almost always serious. "It won't be that bad. As long as the studio announces that Joann is still on vacation, there's no immediate threat. I just need to figure out who these people are so we know what kind of firepower we need. As soon as I do that, you guys don't have to babysit anymore." Raven looked back at the screen to see Joann Greene's smug face smiling at the camera. "Okay, I'm sorry that I picked you two to deal with this. I know you've got things to do with the JSA," she looked at Cyclone, "and you with...whatever it is you do on a daily basis, Rae, but I really need your help. Everyone else is tied up and I wouldn't have asked for your help if I didn't think this was something you gals couldn't handle. Greene is out of Gotham, out of sight, and under your protection. This shouldn't last longer than the night. You'd be helping me out big time if you do this. Please..." Babara said. This Joann Greene was the epitome of the type of person Raven disliked. She cringed thinking of the night awaiting her and Cyclone. "Fine," she said as deadpan as she could.

[Cyclone]

Maxine looked at the video that Oracle showed about that reporter of Gotham. Maxine wasn't a fan of gossips, as she suffered a lot in highschool beacuse of them, especially the ones that talk about the famous people. Then Oracle explained the situation about Joann Greene and the red haired girl raised an eyebrow intrigued. "So do you think she found something really important? Maybe it could be a stalker. Many of them are experts in this kind of things or could find out how to do these things. Or maybe...she did it to get more attention"said Maxine but when she realized what she said she quickly shut up. She was in front of the famous Oracle and Raven both have been in super heroics for more time and the red haired girl was making a fool of herself in front of them.

It was the first time she met both of them and Oracle gave her a chance, so it was better not to fluff it with her big mouth. Oracle explained them that at least they should watch over the reporter for a week. Maxine looked quickly at the empath, she didn't look very happy, well she never looked happy, but Maxine was sure that Raven wasn't glad by the news. Maxine hoped that this only last tonight, she wasn't sure if she could afford an entire week especially with classes and the theatre project of Wicked. "Well I was thinking in entering the reserve of the JSA for...personal matters"said quickly as she accpeted a donut from Oracle and took a bite nervously. "But if you need our help and if you think is something big...you can count with me"said the freckled girl.

Well this was her first job as "bodyguard" or "babysitter" she wasn't sure which one was the right definiton of this mission. She took a look to the frozen screen showing the face of Joann Greene and realized that she looked like the mean girls in highschool. She looked again at Raven, who with her agreement to this didn't look really happy at all. This was going to be a very long night. "Where is Ms. Greene now?"

[rae]

Oracle turned her wheelchair back to her many screens and brought up a map of New York City. The location at the top was highlighted as the map zoomed into the apartment building in the Big Apple. "New York. It's a studio loft, real inconspicuous, secure, safe." Barbara typed for a couple seconds and stopped when two small communicators to the right lit up. They looked like cellphones, but were more accurately high-tech walkie talkies that only connected from the person who possessed the item, to her Oracle line. She handed them to Cyclone and Raven. "We'll keep a line of communication open with these. If I need you to move her or should something come up, I'll let you know through this..." she paused.

"I really want to say this is nothing and it will blow over tonight, but there's just something bothering me about all of this. When those phone calls came in threatening Greene's life, I couldn't track them. Granted I probably could have if I had been there at the time, but even still, there should have been some trace of it I'd be able to follow. But nothing. Whoever this is, or people these are, I don't know, it feels like they have some influence on their side to be able to be that secretive. It's just not sitting right with me," she concluded by removing her glasses and wiping them clean with her shirt. Raven looked back down at the communication device and slipped it hidden away under her robe. "I hope you're wrong and it's like Cyclone says. Just some crazy stalker doing all this." "Me too." "We'll keep in touch."

Minutes later, Raven and Cyclone arrived to the front door of the studio loft. Raven let out a slow sigh. She hoped that Joann Greene's mean, superficial attitude was just a character she built for her t.v. persona. If it's how Greene always acts, then she'll be getting death threats from Raven too.

She knocked on the door and it unlocked immediately. Raven glanced up and noticed the camera in the hallway corner. "O," she pointed it out to Cyclone. Oracle was watching over them and probably had control of the entire building's security camera system by now. It was reassuring. She pushed open the door and shut it after Cyclone entered. The loft looked like a page straight out of an Ikea catalog. Everything matched, looked modern and hardly appeared lived in. It was too sterile for her own taste. "Oh heeey girls!" Raven's thoughts of the loft shifted to the skimpy dressed gossip queen wearing nothing but a small towel around her body. She stepped out of the bathroom and approached the heroes with a big bright smile. "Be honest with me. How much does this suck?" Raven stared.

"P.S. Totally loving these costumes," Greene said, pinching the fabric of Cyclone's green dress. "Very Halloween chic. Almost like Jean Paul Gaultier for suburban tweens. It's cute," she grinned. She strutted her way back to her laptop and began to type. "Feel free to sit down, raid the cabinets. I don't live here and no one said we couldn't touch anything so might as well right? What are your names again? I'm updating my Twitter." Raven stared still.

[Cyclone]

Maxine payed attention to the image of the screen that showed where Joanne Greene was currently. Maxine saw how the small "walkie talkies" appeared and accepted the one that Oracle gave to her. She quickly put it in one of the pockets of her costume. "That meant that you could hear us and if something happen you would know right?"asked the red haired girl as she finished the donut that she grabbed before. Oracle seemed a little worried by all of this and a part of her hoped that she was right with the stalker theory. "Don't worry everything will be ok"replied Maxine as she grabbed another donut. "You don't mind right?"asked the red haired girl with a grin in her face. When she was nervous sometimes she tends to talk more, other she tends to eat sweet things. She thought that it was better eating than talking.

After a long time in silence, for Maxine it was an eternity, they finally arrived to the direction of the studio loft. She heard her partner sighing, she was probably upset by all of this. "So you ready for the worst?"asked Cyclone looking to the empath and finally breaking the awkward silence. Then Raven pointed a security camera and Maxine looked at it. She was glad to know that Oracle could be watching them but she was worried: if whoever did those calls to Ms Greene maybe could be watching too with the cameras and that scared Maxine.

Once they entered Maxine took a quick look to the main room. "Ummm...it's just me...or did we entered inside a shop window of a furniture store?"asked surprised the red haired girl to Raven. Before she could get an answer Maxine heard the voice of Joanne Greene leaving the bathroom with only a tower and the reporter didn't seem to care that she was half naked in front of two heroines. Okay the situation was getting more and more awkward. "How much does it sucks?"asked the reporter with a smile of superiority that made her look like the bad girls of high school. Raven didn't answered she simply stared at her. "Like returning to high school"was Maxine's answer, but she didn't say that in high voice.

Then the reporter pinched Maxine's costume while using the tactic of popular girls in school: making fun of other through her clothes. Maxine didn't answer as she was getting more and more uncomfortable. It was like returning to high school. Meanwhile Joanne Greene sat down and started type her computer. "Ummm... Ms. Greene. I don't that it's very wise to write in twitter currently. You are aware of your current situation right? Maybe it could help whoever made that call to find you easily. Do you have any idea who could threaten your life?"asked the freckled girl as she gave Raven a quick look asking for a little of help.