IC-Prologue-Time Will Crawl(Bill/Yeager/Rawlings/Harry)

[Mr. Handy]

Bill was able to make sense of the flashing images as he recalled what had happened in the last few seconds - were they the last few seconds of his life? He saw Brian's snarling face, the dark barrel of the gun, and the small, green, round object that fell from his hand, bouncing and rolling across the bathroom floor. The small, green, vaguely pineapple-shaped object. In retrospect, he was able to identify it as a hand grenade - a hand grenade missing its pin.

From seemingly nowhere, Bill could hear music:

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown,
engines on
Check ignition
and may God's love be with you.

He could hear a soft voice counting down from ten during the song. After "One" it said "Liftoff," and Bill could see at the farthest edge of his vision a white light. At first it was only a bright pinprick, but it started to widen as the music continued.

This is Ground Control
to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule
if you dare

Bill had a feeling of floating weightlessly. At the same time, he somehow knew that he could will himself to move.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Sorry, could be me being a bit dense here, but am I still in the bathroom?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Right now you don't know where you are. You feel like you're floating in darkness, except for that light in the distance.

[Philulhu]

Bill couldn't feel his limbs. It was like nothing existed except his consciousness. He floated for what seemed like an age, trying to remember who he was and where he was but thoughts just drifted away like smoke in the wind.

After a while, he started to take more notice of the light out of the corner of his eye. No matter which way he turned, it seemed like it was drawing him in, and he felt as if he was accelerating, slowly but perceptibly, towards the source. As he got closer, the light got brighter and brighter and even closing his eyelids ... he had eyelids, where did they come from... did little to diminish the luminosity.

Bill seemed to be moving faster and faster, a rushing, roaring noise enveloping him, filling his head, as he fell towards the piercing, all encompassing light...

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Don't worry if you were confused earlier. The situation is supposed to be confusing. ;)

As Bill moved toward the light, the strains of the song continued:

This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

The light expanded as Bill got closer, until it was so intense that it was blinding and he was forced to close his eyes.

For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much
she knows

As Bill heard that last verse, he thought of Mary: her face, the sound of her voice, her scent. Suddenly, the light level decreased to normal, and Bill opened his eyes with an involuntary gasp. He was lying on the bathroom floor, right in front of the door where he had fallen. As far as he could tell, he was unharmed, but something was wrong here and he was disoriented. It took him a second to realize that there was no sign of any damage that would result from a grenade exploding. Had one really gone off? He could still hear the music, coming from the bar area.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], you've lost 1 Sanity point. Roll Spot Hidden to see if you notice anything else about your surroundings.

[Philulhu]

Bill pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking around wildly. 'What the hell just happened?' he thought, 'Was that a grenade?!'

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2026859/]Spot Hidden Roll - Bill wakes up in the bathroom - so what else is new? (1d100=73)[/url] - Should have gone to Specsavers... :(

[Mr. Handy]

Bill couldn't see anything unusual about the bathroom, other than the fact that there was no evidence of a grenade having detonated in it. He couldn't account for what had happened or for his feeling of disorientation.

The music from the bar continued:
Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead,
there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?

[Philulhu]

Bill grabbed ahold of one of the washhandbasins and pulled himself to his feet. As he stood up, his head swam and he closed his eyes as the room spun about him. He had to grit his teeth to stop himself being sick.

He stood with head bowed over the sink, waiting for the moment to pass. Eyes still closed, he fumbled the taps open and splashed water on his face. After a minute he opened his eyes and turned around to examine the cubicles. He could still see the flash of green and hear the metallic click as it had bounced off the tiles but there was no sign of any damage. He pushed open the cubicle door but there was just a grubby toilet inside.

Bill let the cubicle door swing closed and turned back to the sink. He splashed more water on his face and dried himself on a paper towel. He looked around the room again, shook his head and pushed open the door to the bar.

[Mr. Handy]

This time the door offered no resistance. Bill pushed it open, turn left, and walked back into the main area of the bar as the song playing on the radio behind the bar concluded:

Can you...

Here am I floating
round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do.

The bar seemed different somehow to Bill, more like he remembered it. A cluster of young men and women with long hair sat in a booth in one corner. In another booth were two women eating dinner and holding hands. One of them was a lovely young redhead with a sad look in her eyes. The other was about forty years old, taller and with short black hair. A black man in his thirties stood behind the bar, polishing it with a dishrag. He looked uncannily like Lenny - his grandson, maybe? An aging biker with a gruesome scar where one of his eyes should be sat by himself. And in another corner booth, a handsome young man with long brown hair sat with another young man, about twenty years old. This second man was tall, with blond hair and a brown jacket, and he had an open backpack on the table. He looked oddly familiar.

"Maybe," said the older woman to the redhead. She peered at the man with long brown hair over the top of her sunglasses. "He sure is a looker."

The brown-haired man nodded and smiled at her and her friend, but he didn't appear to have heard what she said. He then turned his attention to the backpack. "Let's see Lucy," he said.

The blond man nodded and withdrew a small tinfoil packet from the backpack. He placed it on the table and unwrapped it to reveal several blotters.

"You're a man who knows what he wants," said the blond. "I like that."

"That's the real deal all right."

"And it can be yours at a very reasonable price. How much do you want?"

At that moment, two men in suits and ties barged in through the front door. "How about five to ten?" said the taller of the two, an imposing figure of a man in his mid-forties with receding black hair. He and the other man, a strong brown-haired man in his thirties with a mustache, whipped out leather wallets and flashed their badges. A uniformed policeman followed them inside and took up a post blocking the front door.

"Police!" said the mustachioed man.

His partner, the balding man, placed a firm hand on the blond guy's shoulder. "You," he said, poking a finger at his face, "are under arrest!"

"Don't you point your finger at me!" he growled. "I don't like that!"

Bill did a double take. The blond drug dealer's resemblance suddenly became clear. He looked like a much younger version of Brian Anderson!

[Philulhu]

Bill stared about the bar, unsure about what was going on. It looked like Lenny's did thirty years ago, but that was impossible, wasn't it?

He looked again at the blond man and the image of the grenade flashed through his mind. Whatever else was going on, he knew he had to say something. He pointed at Brian and said "Officer, that man has just tried to kill me."

[Mr. Handy]

"I love it when these things just drop in our laps, Lou," said the cop with the mustache.

The other cop grinned wide. "This day just keeps getting better and better, Charlie." he said.

The radio behind the bar started playing "Jailhouse Rock," sung by Elvis Presley:
The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.

Brian, if that's who he was, stared back at Bill in shock. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled. "I've never seen you before in my life!" Cogs seemed to turn inside his head. "You're the one that narced on me! This whole thing is a setup!" He looked back at the cops. "You'll never make this stick! I'll be out of jail so fast your heads will spin! Don't you know who my father is?"

"No, but I'll be sure to ask your mother the next time I'm doing her," said the tall cop.

The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.

"Why, you-" Brian took a swing at him, his fist on a collision course with the cop's nose. But he was ready for it and blocked the punch effortlessly. Then he seized him and pinned his arms behind his back, thwarting his feeble efforts to break free. Charlie took a swing at Brian, but his fist punched only air.

The music continued from the radio during the fight:
Let's rock, everybody let's rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

[Philulhu]

Despite everything, Bill wasn't the sort to let someone be beaten whilst he was being held. He stepped forward quickly, putting his hand on the policeman's arm. "Officer, you have this man under arrest. There's no need for any further problems, is there?"

[Mr. Handy]

The redheaded woman muttered something to her companion. "Just play it cool," she replied, nodding.

"That's entirely up to him, isn't it?" said the cop with the receding hairline. He held Brian tight, and the prisoner was unable to move. "Cuffs!"

"It's Sergeant, actually," said Charlie. "The guy just tried to kill you. I'd have thought you'd want to get in a few good licks yourself."

The uniformed cop at the door moved in and hancuffed Brian's hands behind his back while "Jailhouse Rock" kept playing on the radio. The young man glowered at all four of them, but was powerless to do anything.

"Brian Anderson, you're under arrest for attempted murder, possession and sale of illegal drugs, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and generally being a complete dick. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you by the court."

"That was one smooth collar, Lou," said Charlie.

"Yeah, it's just too bad he didn't keep resisting. Let's take him in. Grab the goods, Charlie."

"Right, boss." Charlie wrapped the blotters back up in the foil and put the packet in the backpack, zipped it up, and slung it on his back. "Come on, pal," he said to the young man who had been sitting with Brian, hauling him to his feet.

The other cop turned to Bill and extended his hand. "Lieutenant John Yeager," he said. "This is Sergeant Charlie Rawlings." He indicated his partner to Bill. "We'll need you to come back to headquarters with us to make a statement."

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], roll Listen to overhear what the redhead was muttering.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Made the listen roll - [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2034769/]What did you say, Red? (Listen roll) (1d100=9)[/url] What did [b]Bill[/b] hear? Incidentally, has [b]Bill [/b]caught sight of himself in the mirror yet? Does he still appear to be the same age?

[Mr. Handy]

Bill had been able to hear the redheaded girl fairly well from where he stood. She had said "See the revolution will not come to pass as long as we have narcs spread in our ranks like pepper flakes in pure salt." He also was able to see his reflection in the large mirror behind the bar. He looked the same age as he had been before, though his clothes appeared different somehow. He wore a tweed jacket with leather patches over his suit, and the clothes were of a rather old-fashioned cut.

[Philulhu]

"The revolution?" muttered Bill to himself, "What sort of 60's communist crap is that?"

As he made his way towards the door, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror behind the bar. He stopped and looked closer. "What the hell have I got on?" he said, looking down at the pullover and flared trousers he was wearing. Why would anyone take his clothes and leave him in this get-up? It didn't make sense.

Bill turned back to the two Policemen. "Lieutenant Yeager? I think you'd better add theft to the list of charges. Somehow, Brian here has stolen my suit and left me looking like a refugee from a 70's night."

[Mr. Handy]

"Think we can get a game of draw poker going in here?" the redhead asked her friend.

"Not as long as the fuzz is here," she answered.

"A what night?" said Yeager, confused.

"What the hell are you talking about, old man?" said Brian. "You're crazy! Or high..."

Rawlings made a fist and glared, and Brian stopped talking. "Boy, when it rains, it pours," he said. "By the time you get out of jail, you'll be an old man."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road and let these pinkos enjoy their drink-os," said Yeager. He nodded to Bill. "We'll sort this all out back at HQ. You can ride with us in the Mustang. Officer Stevens, give the scene a good going over and see if you can find this man's suit."

"Sure thing, sir," said the uniformed cop. He turned to Bill. "Can you please describe your suit, sir?"

[Philulhu]

"It's just a plain grey two-piece. I picked up from George at Walmart - you know that English designer they've got working for them?" replied Bill. "Good value at eighty dollars. It wasn't expensive but I'd like it back."

Not waiting for a reply, Bill headed out of the door after Lieutenant Yeager.

[Mr. Handy]

Lieutenant Yeager pulled Brian Anderson out through the front door, and Bill followed him outside. Sergeant Rawlings took the other young man by the arm and went out the door after them. A man in his mid-thirties wearing a suit and tie stood outside the bar's window. Like his own clothes and those of the police, it was of a cut that would have been more at home in 1970. He had apparently been watching events unfold.

"Walmart?" said Yeager. "Never heard of it, but it must be pretty hoity-toity. An English designer and everything, huh? Maybe eighty bucks isn't expensive for a rich guy like you, but I have to live on a cop's salary. I got mine at Fleet's for half that."

When Bill got outside, he could see that the street was lined with classic cars. Closest to the bar, there were a cobalt blue 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and finally an orange 1967 Ford Mustang parked right outside. This must have been the car that Yeager had been talking about, and he started walking toward it.

"You can ride up front with the Lou," said Rawlings. "I'll sit in the back with these guys."

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], roll Spot Hidden to see what else you notice.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Nah,can't see for looking! :( [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2037435/]Spot Hidden roll outside the bar. (1d100=87)[/url]

"Walmart's huge," replied Bill uncertainly, they've got places everywhere. There's one just down the block from here..." He looked down the street, a puzzled look on his face.

He waited until Sergeant Rawlings unlocked the car then climbed into the passenger seat. "Nice car, Sergeant," he said, "these are becoming real classics. Did you restore it yourself?"