[Junk XIII] Can Lightning Strike Twice? (J 5-5)

Rich

Jack,

Aquafina has the pedal to the metal on her lil truck as you're bouncing along on the long stretch of road between Oasis and Bubble City. Junk Radio is blasting some appropriately hard rock anthem of some kind over those tinny speakers, do you recognize it? You're seated up front with Aqua, since she asked you and it's her truck. Perks of frakkin the driver, eh?

Rinso raps on the roof of the truck from his position standing right by the back window. He calls out the Wendys off to the right. They're in a couple vehicles, including a UPS truck that's been painted bright yellow with flowers and headless dolls dancing on it. There are three motorcycles to the left, all heading to push the truck towards the UPS truck.

Rinso yells, "Gun it, Aqua!"

She glances at you, saying, "Its already full tilt. I can nitro, but I only have half a tank, need to wait."

What do you do?

Adam

The song on the radio is a rather interesting piece by a band named for the demons of the night who pray upon young women for sexual congress — Incubi, or some such. I'll admit, the singer is quite the wordsmith — albeit the noise is enough to give a man a headache...

Sadly there's not much I can do at the moment, beyond offer some assistance as a back-seat driver... And I'm not much of a quick thinker in that regard. I pull my earbuds out, and close my eyes — slumping deep down into the back of the truck, and let the voices spill over me.

... Rinso ... Aqua ... The "Libs" ... Hmmm, hello there ... Who are you?

Adam

OOC: Opening my brain to the psychic maelstrom. Roll+Weird. +1XP rolling highlighted.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 3, 1. Total: 7)

Rich

Red Robin. You hear the name Red Robin on the wind.

Smaller than the others, too angry to fall in line.

Took off with a handful of cast-offs and miscreants east., where the Candies don't patrol anymore.

Perching outside Oasis, to strip carrion off passers-by.

This time they are ready. Push them to the road, kill their tires and pick them clean.

Adam

I narrow my eyes at the name... I remember him all too well.

"Watch the tires!" I shout to Rinso, then I poke my head into the cab of the truck, "they're trying to keep us on the road! Don't let them!" Where is he? I begin scanning the bikes, then the truck, for that familiar face. I'd remember his obnoxious paint anywhere.

Rich

You see him, your third or fourth cousin, the midget, Red Robin.


He must be siting on a stack of books to sit that tall in the UPS truck. But how the frak is he reaching the pedals?

Aquafina looks at you, "Get off the road? Frak... okay, Jack!" She flips open the back window slat and yells, "Hold on! Gonna get bumpy!" Then she takes a breath and swerves left, towards the bikes.

Like right at the bikes. She's going to count on Rinso and the Libs to knock them out.

You see the razorstrip on the the dusty road she just left, Jack. Just barely missed it.

What are your intentions here with this group?

Adam

Robin's always been an enterprising sort — I wouldn't be surprised if he's duct-taped some contraptions to his boots to reach the pedals. I should have seen that dirty trick with the razorstrip coming... It's practically Robin's M.O. I suppose I should be thankful we did miss it... I'd hate to be dragged by the neck over those things... It's not a pleasant way to die, or watch your friends die...

I'm rubbish in a fight, sadly, and so I've got to focus on out maneuvering my little cousin. I've got to out think him, you see. I shift over to the side of our truck facing him, and I stare him in the eyes — reaching out to him through the maelstrom.

Speak to me, Robin...

Adam

OOC: Reading Robin. Roll+Weird*. +1XP
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 2, 4. Total: 9)

Adam

OOC: How can I get Robin to slip up, and let us go?

Rich

You're already eluding his grasp. If you make the bikers break and manage to pick a path through the scrub without breaking an axle, you can arc back to the road and if any of them can keep up, Aqua can hit the nitro.

Adam

I poke my head back into the cab, "Don't worry about us back here, my dear, drive carefully! If you can get us back to the road, and hit your nitro, we'll be free of them!"

I reach into my pocket, and produce my trusty scalpel... It would be a shame to use it, but I will if any of them get too close.

Rich

Let's see if your group can Go Aggro here.

Adam

OOC: Going Aggro on the incoming Wendys. Roll+Hard.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 3, 2. Total: 6)

Adam

OOC: Rolling Help from Aqua. Roll+Hx (currently+1).
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 5, 3. Total: 9)

Rich

Rinso nails one of the riders with a spray of fire. A second lunatic actually jumps off his crap dirt bike and lands on your hood. He's going to try and beat on that windshield with his big pipe and then kill you two.

The last biker, he has a hook and chain, uses it to rip off the back gate of the truck.

What falls out, Jack? Some of the cargo, or one of the Libs?

And which Wendy dies? The one on the hood or the one who took off the gate?

Adam

I don't even hesitate — as the choice is obvious — I jump up onto the roof of the cab, and slit the throat of the man threatening Aqua. Of course I'm pretty sure we lost a rather large box of goods back there while I was preoccupied with kicking his corpse off the hood of the truck... I hope those thieves are satisfied!

I pat the roof of the truck, "Get to the road, my dear! Quickly! Rinso! Hold down whatever you can that's not tied down!"

Rich

Rinso yells back between bursts of his pulse rifle, "I'm a little BUSY, Jack!, BRRRAP BRRRAP! "HC, grab the drek and pull it in!"

Aqua banks hard and the body you thre from the hood bounces nicely on the scrub. She starts angling the truck back towards the road. Red Robin is driving to intersect you. He's hoping to force you off the road, and he's got a bigass truck with more mass. If you don't do something, it might work.

What do you do?

Adam

Well this is just fantastic ... I suppose if we're going to get out of here, then I'll need to do something about that truck.

I reach down to Rinso's leg and take the pistol he's got strapped there — carefully pulling back the slide to load a round into the chamber. I remember I once considered stealing one quite like this from my mother's trunk... They're just so barbaric... So imprecise.

I bring the sights of the pistol down on the little man driving the old UPS truck... I'm so sorry Robin...

Adam

OOC: Seizing our safe passage by force. Roll+Hard.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 2, 5. Total: 8)

Adam

OOC:
• I take definite hold of it.
• I impress, dismay, or frighten our enemy.

Rich

You pop off three shots around Red Robin's head, and the guy's fury breaks, replaced by fear. This. this is why he was weak, not his size. He ducks down and turns the wheel, breaking off.

Aquafina bumps up onto the road and swerves to stay on it, barely pulling out of a fishtail spin. The truck eats up the road and before long, Rinso screaming at Honeycrisp to save his ammo, and Gala is screaming her, uhm, his excitement at surviving.

"Oh frak, that was scary, Jack!" Aqua says without looking at you. Then Rinso raps the hood of the truck above you with excitement, too.

What do you do?

Adam

I gently rub Aqua's shoulder as I check back to make sure we haven't lost anyone... I spin the gun around and place it in Rinso's hand before answering her. "Yes... I'd just as soon never see a single one of them, ever again..."

Rich

--END SCENE--