[IN PROGRESS] end in a day

[unlostsoul]

Characters: Tommy/Dash (reckless_rebel), Teddy/Throne (child_proteus), Billy/Want (unlostsoul)
Date/Time: Sept. 19, late afternoon, well after this thread
Location: The Wilderness
Rating: PG
Summary: Throne and Want have the pinball under control. But sometimes a last minute rescue takes a little speed.

Comments

[child_proteus]

"Dub. Don't you need to be concentrating in order to make that crazy fantastic light show of yours to work properly?"

Throne asks this from a short distance away, further down the track. He calls over his shoulder, back towards Want, as he gives his neck a slow deliberate roll, feeling the plates that for some reason cover the tops of his arms slide roughly against one another like overgrown scales. He glances back for a moment and flashes a smirk before turning again towards the end of the track. Throne's eyes follow the deep groove cut into the ground to back towards a large hole cut into one of the brightly painted walls; it's black and menacing like the mouth of a cave -- artificial and perfectly circular -- its depths grumbling with the metallic grind of gears and machinery.

"You know, I could actually get on board with that idea, though survey says nepotism would rear its ugly head. I say we put Argent's name straight on the shortlist since he's already so prone to doing that anyway." He thinks about this for a moment

[unlostsoul]

"I'm concentrating," Want mutters, but it's mostly to himself because Throne is rushing forward. Giant though he is, on human terms, he's still dwarfed by the size of the ball, and watching Throne throw himself against is hard to watch even if they are on their... somethingth time of doing this. Want has officially lost count.

Luckily, not watching actually helps, so Want snaps his eyes closed just before the ball slams into Throne's chest, so while he can hear the impact -- Throne's grunt and a not-good-sounding crunch -- he can't see it. And then a moment later he can't hear much of everything because the plugged ear feeling is rushing in and expanding, like he has cotton balls in his ears and they keep getting bigger

[child_proteus]

The first lesson Throne ever learned after he first discovered that his body could heal itself was simple: just because it heals itself, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. And even though Throne -- sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose -- has put his body through the paces, he hasn't quite gotten used to what it feels like when it mends itself, which -- in his opinion -- is sometimes almost as worse as the pain itself. Which is why, as the two of them watch the the big metal ball slowly make its heavy way back down the track, Throne winches and gives a low guttural "ugh" as he feels something about his ribcage readjust itself with a slow twist of bone and muscle that almost tickles. Almost.

He's about to say something in Argent's defense, completely prepared to head Want off at the pass, but before he can even open his mouth, Want is cursing and scrambling -- first up and then back down again. Two, Throne thinks and quickly flips through his mind, trying to remember what seemed to work the last bonus round. By now, each

[unlostsoul]

The first ball comes spitting out of the chute and heads straight down the track for Throne. Want's feet hit the ground and almost the same time as the two impact, a loud metallic clack! as metal hits metal and bounces. The second ball hurtles out of the chute, and the rumbling it makes as it grinds against the walls of the track nearly causes Want to lose his newly re-acquired balance.

"What bouncing ball?" Want is in the middle of shouting, when the second ball bounces up and hits the third, sending it off in a wide looping arc. "Oh," says Want, and he hurries after it.

He's almost got himself positioned in it's path when he remembers that he's not Throne and that this course of action so won't work out well in the end. His eyes snap shut, and he bites down on the inside of his cheek as he tries to focus as quickly as possible. This makes things easier in a way: the sense of urgency, the knowledge that if he doesn't make it work now then things could go really wrong. It helps to block out other considerations, back-of-the-mind

[reckless_rebel]

Dash leans against the metal side of the elevator as it hums it's way down to the Wilderness. He taps his foot in time to a beat he hears only in his head, thoughts half on his meeting with Drake--what had that been about anyway?--and half on Ran, with just a little left over for, hey, he's about to meet Moneypenny and Bond. This should be interesting. With added danger and excitement to boot. His heart is already picking up the adrenaline, and a daredevil grin is creeping up the corners of his mouth without him really registering it.

The elevator bings gently, letting him out in the flashing neon plastic land of pinball and he picks up an easy trot, a loping gait that seems almost more natural than walking as he heads for the source of chaos and activity that is the playfield Want and Throne are currently tearing up. Or being torn up on, depending on your perspective

[unlostsoul]

Want can't tell what's going on ahead of him. As he follows along at a dogged but not particularly effective sprint, the only thing he can see in front of his is a great, reflective dome of metal. He can hardly make out what Throne is saying, either; his blood is pounding too hard in his ears. But he makes out "kid" and "track" and really, that's all he needs to know.

He speeds up for a second, straining his leg muscles to their endurance, and then lets them give out, so he goes sliding against the smooth floor of the track -- definitely getting some sort of friction burn up the side of his leg, this time. He sticks his hands out in the vague direction of the ball, shutting his eyes as his attention focuses down to a single point. Except, in his anxiety and rush, the thought that predominates in his mind is not I want to move this thing over there but I want this gone.When the spell takes and Want opens his eyes, he's not entirely surprised to see the ball is not there in front of him, but before he manages to do a real sweep of the

[child_proteus]

When something pale and blurred cuts across Throne's vision, he's not entirely sure whether or not all of the lights and noise and flashing things have finally decided to give him a seizure. He half expects for the room to start spinning, for his hearing to suddenly hollow out while his legs give way underneath him, but in the end, none of this happens. So he blinks and follows the vapor trail that seems to linger on the backs of his eyelids, only half-realizing the boy who was here has suddenly winked into existence over there. His first assumption is that Want's done it somehow -- another neat trick to add to his arsenal -- but there is no blue light in the direction he's look and something -- he can't tell what just yet -- seems off. Because even though Throne's brain tells him he's looking at Want, his gut's telling him no you moron, Want's over thereThrone stumbles forward, his head still turned slightly off to one direction, and he connects solidly against the hard wooden floor before literally sliding into Want's side. "

[reckless_rebel]

There's a moment there where it's like he's looking at his own reflection, stunned green eyes meeting shocked brown. Some part of his mind comments Hey Drake wasn't kidding. Most of the rest of his brain is flailing and going What the FUCK man? And it's not just the sensation of I've seen you or That's my face or even I KNOW you. It's all of them combined and then some. It trips Dash up a moment, and then he goes and looks at Jolly Green