Supergirl and The Robin Hoods - Chapter 5 - Captured

[scforbes8489]

Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - Captured! -
Summary:
Kara has one more public relations appearance for the weekend, before getting some much-needed down time. However, her 'down-time" is extended when she encounters kryptonie infused rope!

Chapter Text
Chapter 5 – “Friends in Need.”



Friction. Not one of the fundamental forces of nature. It arises from the electromagnetic force, the interaction of atoms and molecules at the microscopic level. It a bit like this … if you try and move a book across a table by sliding it, it resists and then, finally, moves. Now, Isaac Newton had the insight to discover that if you took away the table and gave the book a push, it would move until something stopped it. The book stops on the table because it’s like your taking two pieces of sandpaper and pulling the rough sides over each other. The rough places make it difficult to move. Now, presumably, the book and table are a bit smoother than sand paper but the principal is the same. Microscopic resistance that builds up and inhibits motion.
I the case of rope, an individual piece of nylon or cotton isn’t very strong. But if you take millions of those pieces and weave them together, you have the makings of a long, flexible, and beautiful example of friction in action. Knots hold because of friction. And, often, pulling against the knots simply makes them tighter….



Thank goodness it was the last stop of he day, Kara thought. She’d had four appearances this Sunday, interspersed with three impromptu rescues and assists. Everything from a forest fire in the Sierra to a water tower collapse half way across the state. This was going to be fun, at least. A stop with the Central City Explorers – a teenage hiking and adventure camp that she remembers attending herself, one summer, when her adoptive family visited Central City.
“And here she is!” came the announcement over a speaker in the park as Supergirl flew a circle over the crowd and settled gently on the stage set up for the scouts and audience. The stage rose about 4 meters above the park with a semicircular view of the surrounding city and trees, now turning red and orange with the coming autumn.
Kara took a quick glimpse of the scout-leader and crowd as claps and cheers went up. Usually, Kara would have remembered her DEO protocols, taught to her by Alex herself.
1. Fly around once and do a quick x-ray survey of the area.
2. Listen, with her exceptional Kryptonian hearing, for anything that seemed unusual.
3. Check in with Alex, or someone from the DEO.

This was scouts and a public relations stop before she could finally settle for whatever few hours the weekend had remaining. It was one time when Kara’s oversight of the protocols let her miss some subtle clues that something was not, quite, right.

- Two days prior – Friday evening –
-
Shannon, “Jazz,” entered the warehouse to the sound of grinding and machines humming.
“What are you two making?” she directed her question to Tech and Yose.
“See for yourself. “ said Tech as a loud machine that resembled a lathe was slowing turning out coils of black, nylon rope.
“Rope. Big deal. I rock climb …. I have piles of rope.” said Jazz.
“Not like this …” said Yose. “Follow the machine.”

Indeed, the black rope continued through a small hole and into a small box that was filling the warehouse with grinding sounds.

“Remember our haul from the museum?” started Tech, not even bothering to look up or wait for an answer. “I’m grinding the stone from that shield and using pressure to infuse the dust into this black rope. It’s subtle. Just barely three parts per thousand … but the nylon is perfect for holding the particles and ….”

“Ok, enough, speak English …” interrupted Jazz.

“The rock form that relic was a relic too. A relic of Krypton, Supergirl’s home world.”
Tech said. “This isn’t enough to hurt her and, if I’m right, it’s not enough for her to even notice unless she gets very, very close. But put this around her, and we’ll have our Girl of Steel out of the way long enough for the plan.”
“THE plan?” said Jazz. “We’re really going through with that?”
“It’s the first giant strike against the Luthors and Supergirl….” Said Yose. “And, we promise, before we blow the dam we’ll give Central City time to evacuate. No one will be hurt but it will make the statement we need. The WORLD needs….”
“You know how I feel about it. NO one gets hurt. Property is expendable, people aren’t. My dad taught me that before ….” Jazz’s voice trailed off ….she stopped mid sentence and walked out.
Yose and Tech gave each other a look, and then called after her; “Come back in an hour and we’ll talk about the plan for Sunday.”

- Central Park –

Had Kara done her usual diligence, and not been exhausted form a day of being Supergirl – instead of just being Kara Danvers – she’s had heard the faint, muffled grunt of a scout leader tied and gagged in the SUV that sat below the stage.
Had Kara noticed the scouts she’d have picked up that they didn’t really know their current scout leader, who’d come in at the last minute saying she was doing the demonstration today as their regular leader was feeling ill.
She’d have checking in with the DEO and might not have been so tired as to not notice the almost-imperceptible green glow of Kryptonite-infused ropes that sat on the stage.

“Welcome, Supergirl!” said Shannon “Jazz” Long with the microphone. As the cheer went up from the two hundred plus crown Shannon did a subtle check of her own wig and straightened her “borrowed” scout leader uniform.

As demonstrations and public appearances go, Kara was in her zone and this was her place. The crowd, the kids, the scouts, were all impressed with her displays of flying acrobatics, bending of steel into pretzels, and using heat-vision for everything from popcorn to hot chocolate.
After forty-five minutes, her time was winding down and, even though she wanted to stay longer, Kryptonians get tired too.
“One last thing here, Supergirl …” came Shannon with the mic.

“The teenage explorers are working on their merit badges. They’ve done CPR, first aid, and – now – they’re working on their knots and ropes since Central City is right here along the coast.”
Kara smiled. She hadn’t remembered this part when she was briefed but she went along with the entertainment.
“So…” continued Shannon, “…you’ve shown that steel is no match for you, but did you know that Houdini himself couldn’t break ropes? He was a lock expert. Do, you, Supergirl, think you can escape from some of our basic knots?”
Kara smiled and hammed it up for the audience.

“Well sure … “ Kara smiled and laughed for the scouts. “Bring it on.”

Two CCE’s (Central City Explorers) came forward and Kara crossed her wrists in front of her … They wound and tied blue rope around her wrists and cinched it with the knot they'd just learned, a solid figure eight. A classic rock-climbing knot.

“Oh, wow, you guys are good at that!” said Kara.

There was a countdown over the loudspeaker and a “One, two … three!” and Kara easily pulled her wrists apart and broke the half-inch braided nylon ropes.

Just as Kara went to exit and wave, the “scout leader” took the microphone.

“How about just one more try … this time we’ll make it just a bit tougher with Supergirl’s wrists behind her cape …”

Unexpected, but Kara figured she could do just one more and fly off to be home in her apartment by 4:00.

“Scout-leader” Shannon, “Jazz” Long, this time, reached for a few length of black rope sitting near the edge of the stage.
Supergirl spun around and presented her crossed wrists behind her back for the CCE scout-leader to tie.
As the soft, black, nylon rope touched her Kara felt just the slightest bit dizzy. It was so minor she knew it must be from a frantic day of rescues and appearances.
Shannon went to work … Shannon would the black rope five times around Kara’s wrists, and quickly tied a double-knot. The windings were neat, close, but not too tight. This didn’t last for long as she now took the rope and cinched it between Supergirl’s wrists, then criss-crossed the rope several times and tied a very secure knot that would be out of reach of any fingers.
Kara felt strange. Something wasn’t right. She allowed Shannon to apply yet one more rope, this time just above her elbows. Shannon found the middle of the rope, the bite, and weaved several turns about Supergirl’s elbows and took the remaining slack and passed it several times about the center … making what was, essentially, rope cuffs.

Shannon then took Kara, Supergirl, and spun her so they were face to face. And, in that moment, wig or not, Kara recognized they eyes of the lady in the grey jumpsuit from the museum. She knew her and just as Kara went instinctively to break her bonds, a bell rang from offstage.
“Oh, that was our time and Supergirl has to go …” said Shannon.
This would have been the time for Supergirl to easily break through the rope, for her to apprehend Shannon, for her to save the day and herself.
It would have been that time had Kara the strength to break the rope. Tech and Yose had the concentration of the kryptonite just right.
Kara was whisked offstage to what everyone assumed was her next rescue. Instead, just offstage, Yose and tech were there with several coils of the kryptonite-tainted nylon.
Kara pulled, squirmed against the ropes holding her wrists and elbows close. Then she went to do something she almost never had occasion to do. She was about to call for help.
Jazz had anticipated this and pulled the com mic from her ear so she couldn’t yell to the DEO.
Jazz took her hand and muffled the Girl of Steel while Yose and Tech went to work adding turn after turn, wind after wind, of the rope. Booted ankles were crossed and tied; more rope was applied above and below her knees. Rope even was wound around her waist to anchor her now helpless wrists and arms.
Kara was being completely and effective bound.
When Jazz finally removed her hand, the Girl of Steel felt it replaced with a knotted, cinched cloth. One last bit of Kryptonite-infused nylon – this time in the form of a scarf – that would effectively silence Kara as she was carried and deposited in the back of the waiting SUV beneath the stage.
Kara twisted, pulled, arched and tried to escape her bonds; but Jazz had taught her accomplices well. Kara was now completely the bound and gagged captive of the three museum thieves.

[scforbes8489]

I'll write more if anyone cares to read it :-) Thanks