YOU GUYS ARE SO LUCKY I DIDN'T PUT A QUOTE HERE

[grinbitch.livejournal.com]

WHO: Dr. Horrible [Billy], Drowned Ophelia, Hichigo Shirosaki, The Hulk [Bruce], Katurian [K. Katurian], Polaris [Lorna], Red Hood [Jason], Rikku, and Trowa [03].
WHERE: The starting gate is wherever they happened to be in the City.
WHEN: Starting at about 6pm on Saturday, May 22nd.
WARNINGS: THERE WILL BE SO MUCH BANGING except not, really.
SUMMARY: A disc containing the data of an A.I. program is hidden in Washington D.C. If there was ever a group that could be called a crack team, it's the folks she asked to go get it back.
FORMAT: GO NUTS. Treat this as an open post!



[The filtered post has just gone up, and the race is on. You can try to team up or take out your competitors, but either way, somebody's going to have to get there first. Oh, and not to mention those strange phone calls you may have been getting. But one way or another you're going to have to fight for your right to party your place at the front. It's just a matter of whether you have help or not.]

Comments

THE MISADVENTURES OF SHIROSAKI-KUN. PART THE FIRST.

[holeheart]

The second Lachesis had given the all clear, Shiro had grabbed the silver white sword by the window and leapt out. Ichigo protested, briefly, "Where the hell are you going?!" and leaned out the window after him. But Shiro was already long gone. "Tch. Better not get into any trouble."

But trouble was just a part of it! The most fun part of it. Shiro used a few Sonido steps to get to the south end of the City, the static boom of the technique shattering any glass that was dumb enough to be in his way. He rested idly on a rooftop for only a few moments, twiddling with his iPhone (a recent purchase, and one he loved quite a bit). "Fuckin Lacheesy, hidin' that damn thing in some place I've never even heard of!!" The Hollow hissed and loaded up a GPS app. A kindly computer voice told him he needed to head south.

Yeah, no shit, bitch. He knew that much at least. So he stuffed the phone in his pocket and took off again. The voice giving him helpful directions and each step he took covering between a half mile or an entire mile. Still, it would be a long haul.

A really long haul.

It was a few long, grueling hours. Along with, of course, three breaks for snacks and coffee, and seven stops to take a piss. He had a love/hate relationship with caffeine by the time he got to DC. He found himself perched solidly on top of a skyscraper in downtown, the helpful voice informing him every five seconds that he needed to make a U-turn at the next legal spot.

"Shut up already will ya?!" He shook the phone in his hands and hissed again. He soon realized he'd get his wish; the battery icon was in the red. It wasn't a few minutes before the phone shut itself off, cutting the polite computer voice off midsentence. "MOTHERFUCKER!!" He nearly threw the thing down into the streets below before remembering how much it had cost him. Instead he gritted his fangs and dug his nails into his palms.

PART THE SECOND

[holeheart]

Shiro tucked the now useless device into his pocket. He hadn't brought his communicator. Did it even have a GPS? Now he'd have to use a map. Great. His excitement knew no bounds. Pulling the hood up on his jacket, he made his way down to street level.

Finding a map of the city was easy.

Figuring out how to read it was not.

The Hollow was still childish, in many ways. He knew that a map was used for finding places, but HOW was beyond him. These lines and pictures represented a simplified aerial view of the city. But how the hell was he gonna find this memorial? He let out a frustrated roar, attracting more attention than he would have liked and threw down the map in rage. He'd scour the whole damn city if he had to!!

And so he did.

For hours.

The white-skinned teenager visited many memorials (always seeming to miss the Lincoln), including the Jefferson and the Washington. The White House wasn't nearly as elegant as he'd expected. The wreckage of the museum was cleaned up a bit. Statues, buildings, museums, memorials, parks, rivers, BUT NOT THE ONE HE WAS LOOKING FOR. Shiro was positively livid of running around this damn maze of a city (and like hell he was going to call a cab or ask for directions!) He was tired, he was sweaty, and he just wanted to grab the damn disc, get his money and go home. Why was this so fucking difficult?!

Why was he SO FUCKING LOST?!!

Another roar, and this time he didn't care who saw. Something had to give, and he decided it would be the rather crowded Starbucks he was standing in front of.

PART THE LAST.

[holeheart]

The Hollow leapt up on top of the building adjacent to the Starbucks. People on the street gasped and pointed. Did that boy really just jump 3 stories?! Shiro didn't notice. He pointed his fingers at the pristine little coffee shop and with a sneer began charging a blast of pure nuclear red energy. It formed into a ball the size of his fist, then surged forward in a beam with a very distinctive sound. It struck the building with the force of a bomb.

The building immediately began to collapse from the blast. People were screaming, crying. Music to his ears. It calmed him a little. But he didn't stick around to watch his handiwork burn. He would come back later for the souls of any deceased. But honestly, that blast had been weak; being so far from Ichigo reduced his power reserves exponentially. Fuck. He had his own body, but still he was limited by the King.

Shiro found a new perch, this time on top of the Washington Monument. It was early night, but the spotlights on the structure were not yet on; he was nearly impossible to see perched on the top of that obelisk. "Why couldn't it have been this damn monument? I found this one like 30 goddamn times!" He huffed his annoyance and glanced at his watch. It'd been a full 12 hours since the porter had given them her challenge. Someone would have already gotten there by now, someone who actually knew what the hell they were looking for.

It was then that he caught something out of the corner of one yellow eye, something in the fading light. A building. That looked eerily similar to the photo of the Lincoln Memorial he'd looked up.

"... are ya shitting me."

The screech of pure frustration wasn't quiet. People would wonder for days what that sound was. It seemed human, but... not really. Had it been a bird? A machine? A monster? Tabloids would speculate. But only Shiro knew.

He tugged his lips into a snarl, showing short fangs. "Fuck this. I'm going to the mall."

Oddly enough, he was able to find the nearest mall in less than half an hour.

Go figure.

[deadredbird.livejournal.com]

[ Quiet and methodical, Jason packed a long black bag, the same one he'd taken to Monet's little get together, got dressed (what? He didn't lounge around in his Red Hood gear... okay, sometimes he did), and went to retrieve his motorcycle from its hiding spot. He made one last stop at a warehouse to pick up a special item that he was sure he would need before speeding off to the city limits.

Texting while riding a motorcycle was not a safety-approved action, but it was a short one, to Danny: if i dont msg you in 24 hrs feed the cat until i do. ]

[goryteller]

[The park where Katurian waited for Lorna was only a few miles away from where he was keeping Takaya. He had moved his captive underground to a bomb shelter that one of his old patients had known about but didn't remember, and made sure that the food and water was accessible enough from the place where he had been bound.

'I'm going on a trip,' he had said, and left him. It was only when he got outside that he started shivering.

A few minutes outside, though, and he calmed again, or at least looked calm. If he wanted Lorna to take him seriously, he was going to have to project success. His gun was in his slacks.]

[apocalypsewench]

[Lorna flew to the place she was told, going as quickly as possible to get Katurian. This could stall them in actually getting there first, but as long as they got there before it could disappear, it was fine.

She landed right in front of him, wearing a uniform she'd formed mostly out of metal pieces, but lacking the cape. It was a style she hadn't worn for a few months, but it would do.]

Hello. Ready to go?

[goryteller]

[Never before had he felt so unprepared in his flimsy cotton shirt, his brown slacks. He nodded, extended a hand, and then hesitated.]

Do I just hold your hand, like, hold your hand, or do you need me to grab around you somehow?

[apocalypsewench]

[Lorna lifted her hands, raising his body by manipulating some magnetic fields.]

I can make you fly like this. It's very easy.

[goryteller]

[His first instinct was to yelp, but he swallowed it with a short, nervous laugh instead. When he looked at her, his gaze was steady.]

Let's go.

[apocalypsewench]

[Lorna levitated herself, and directioned them towards where they needed to go. She sped up considerably as they went along, thinking back briefly to her flight with Alex a few days ago.]

I'm in complete control, don't worry.

[goryteller]

[Katurian spread his fingers. Stared down at the ground beneath him. The wind whipped his hair. His breath caught in his throat.]

I dreamed of flying. When I was a boy. I always wanted to fly.

I'm not worried at all.

BABY YOU FORGOT ME

[klutziness]

[It's about a half hour after the message went out. Dressed in mostly black, Rikku sneaks into some car dealership and yoinks the keys to a yellow Ferrari. Then she is on her way, though she stops for some donuts on the way before she punches "Lincoln Memorial" into the internal GPS.

Keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of her competitors, even though she's going at a steady 150MPH.]

[badhorsefan.livejournal.com]

[ It's about five minutes after the message went out-Billy isn't wasting any time. Getting to the lot behind his apartment building, Billy fiddles with his jetpack, frowning as he gets the machine started. With a loud roar, the machine started. He put his goggles over his head and punched the switch. BOOM. He zooms forward, going at a fairly decent speed. Fast forward twenty-five minutes and some minutes and this chick in a yellow Ferrari is catching up to him, going faster than he is. Dr. Horrible's logical response? Fly down and mess with her.

Hi there Rikku. You are being buzzed by a man in a jetpack. ]

[klutziness]

[She's been humming along to some song on the radio, quickly changing lanes every now and then to dodge the few cars on the out-of-the-way highway. She's startled out of her reverie by him, and looks up with wide green eyes.

Oh wait. She knows him. He's one of her competitors!

Giving him a wide grin, she revs the engine and speeds up, pushing 200MPH now. See if you can keep up now, doc.]

[badhorsefan.livejournal.com]

[Frown on his face, Dr. Horrible flips a few switches, glaring at Rikku. His jetpack zooms forward, obviously pushing it to the limit. Still, he managed to catch up with her. Grin on his face he gives Rikku a thumbs up, then lets out a little eep as he swerves up to avoid a SUV.]

[klutziness]

[She watches him in her rear-view, and then glances to the side as he catches up. She grins and blows him a kiss as he swerves. Brushes bangs out of her face with one hand, then pulls in front of another car, trying to shake him off.]

[badhorsefan.livejournal.com]

[Smirk on his face, Dr. Horrible keeps the jetpack going, following Rikku pretty much expertly. He had practiced on the jetpack (thank heavens).]

[klutziness]

[She realizes she probably can't shake him, and just sighs, resigning herself tot he fact that she'll just have a buddy along the way.

But if he tries anything, she'll definitely won't take it lying down. Or sitting, rather.]

Meanwhile, at the Monument... *crazy bat swirl logo*

[queenofblacktears]

Ophelia had a way to cheat that the others didn't, in that she could get to their destination simply by teleporting through the tear cloud that always followed her around. However, this implied that she knew where she was going.

Of course, she didn't actually know where Washington DC was, so that had been the first hurdle, though it wasn't that hard to overcome. DC was hard to miss. On the other hand, she didn't know who Lincoln was either. That was a bit trickier, and it had taken her a decent chunk of time to sort out what the monuments were and who exactly she was looking for when she got there!

Still, eventually she emerged from a black tear puddle tucked behind a pillar in the memorial itself, holding a five dollar bill in her blue hand. She peered around the pillar at the face on the nearby statue, then at the bill for a moment, then back.

"Finally."

She tucked the bill away and remained behind the pillar for a few moments, considering the situation. It was possible she'd run into people...well, better safe than sorry, yes? Using a new trick she had figured out since arriving, she began drawing the black tear cloud into her, trapping the substance entirely within her body. Eventually she wound up looking like this, a perfectly normal young woman. The clothing was made of tears, though you couldn't actually tell, it wasn't doing her usual writhing-around thing.

The music that followed her around stopped almost immediately as well, perhaps a side effect of 'going incognito'. And satisfied with the disguise, she set out into the monument to find the ever-so-valuable prize.

I AM SORRY THIS IS SO LATE

[klutziness]

The car had definitely been a good idea--there was no way Rikku would have made it to the monument in one day if she hadn't "borrowed" it. Her Berserker dress sphere could run pretty fast, there was no denying that, but she could only use it for an hour, which would have been a problem; it took her more than a couple hours to get to D.C. by car, after all, and that was at a steady 150 MPH. She didn't think she could run that fast.

She started driving within the speed limit once she got into the city limits. No need to draw attention to herself now, after all. Yellow shades slid over her eyes, she glanced around, following the directions on the GPS. Eventually she made it there, and, after finding a parking spot (which was nearly impossible), she headed up the steps.

She'd never seen a monument like this before; granted, there weren't many that were still completely intact in Spira, but none of them were this... big. A man on his throne, huh? She wondered exactly what he'd done to deserve a statue like this in his honor. Well, she'd make sure to find out once she got back to the City. But for now, it was time to find that disk.

No worries.

[queenofblacktears]

Ophelia was currently up near that statue, hand pressed into the side of the chair as she peered around the back, looking for some trace of this 'disc' they needed to find. She knew, in general terms, what she was looking for...even if she had no real experience with anything fancier than her phone, technology-wise.

Luckily the place was mostly empty...at least until she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see a...blonde, braided woman approaching? Hmm. She'd seen the way the humans here dressed, in general. It was possible this girl was a local, but Ophelia wouldn't have bet money on it. Not with her luck.

She turned to face her, without moving away from the statue, and remained in her 'normal' guise for now. "Sorry, the monuments closed. For...cleaning," yeah, that might work, right? Probably not.

[klutziness]

Rikku had spotted the dark-haired woman before she'd been noticed and, even though she wasn't a great actress, managed to adopt a wide-eyed, pouting expression. She knew she might find someone else there, and would've preferred to wait until night fell, but she'd known there was no time. This was a test of speed, and Yevon be damned if she fell behind.

"No way!" she almost whined. "I've been looking all around for this place, y'know?" She sighed deeply, and cast a glance up at the statue. She placed one hand on her hip, her fingers dangling just above her pouch of tricks. Just in case.

"I just wanna take a little look before I have to leave again, 'kay?" This probably would have been working better if she was dealing with a man, but oh well. Some things just weren't changeable.

[queenofblacktears]

Hmm. Okay, so this was going to be more difficult than she had thought. She took a step away from the statue, crossing her arms under the skull on the chest of her tank top and shaking her head.

"No, sorry. You're going to have to leave right now. Before the...cleaning crew people get here." She hoped she sounded official-like. At least she'd looked up enough about this society so far to know what a cleaning crew was, that was a plus.

"You can come back in a couple hours when they're done." She offered. Maybe that was enough bait.

[klutziness]

Alright, it was pretty obvious that she wasn't going to get this other woman out of her, and so she just sighed heavily, and ambled towards the base of the statue. "Just a look," she repeated, pushing her yellow shades off her nose with the hand that wasn't close to her pouch.

"He's pretty big, yeah?" She laid one hand on the cool stone, running her yellow-polished fingers over it inconspicuously. Not looking for a groove or notch or anything, nope. "Wonder what he did to deserve this."

[finally in here jeez] edited because i can't comprehend posts today fml

[pacifisted.livejournal.com]

It was true that he was probably one of those who would take the longest to arrive. Then again, good preparation was everything--and in his opinion, the small covered truck loaded up both with weaponry and the new custom-sized suit qualified as some decent prep, considering the people he'd seen giving themselves and their powers away on the orders post. Most of them probably didn't understand what they were doing... or, considering Jason had as well, perhaps they were just confident in their own strength.

Either way, he'd chosen not to give the competition any legs up on knowing who he was or what he could do, wishing to leave as many of them in the dark as possible; if he had even a single moment of surprise on them, it might turn the tide in his favor.

Being a little later than the others couldn't hurt that much, either. Let them find it and squabble over how to decide to bring it back and claim a prize for three people--the longer they fought against themselves without doing any good, the easier it would be to overtake them in battle, should they not feel like just handing it over. Of course, he didn't doubt they wouldn't. Nobody with that kind of temptation hanging in front of them could give up the chance to claim the thing they wanted most.

He hadn't been able to, either.

...Everything came down to choices, lately.

Trowa wondered if Quatre would forgive him for making this one as he pressed the gas pedal to the floor of the vehicle and sped on toward the Memorial.