Track 7:San Francisco-Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair

[Starspawn338]

"We do seem to live in interesting times. I say we rent the van. VW's are all the rage and we may fit in even better in San Francisco if we arrive in one." Lew says to the others.

[Mr. Handy]

"Agreed," says Liz. "It's also good to have our own ride, so that we're able to travel freely in the city without having to rely on others for transport."

[SunlessNick]

"And they're a place to sleep as well," Zara adds.

[jp1885]

Despite losing the chance to chat-up Debbie the stewardess, Tomy is rather pleased to be on terra firma once again. He claps his hands at the mention of hiring a minivan.

"Capital - road trip it is then! Well, a short jaunt at least, what?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Arrangements are made to hire the vehicle, which has seen better days, but hides it well under multiple layers of bright paint, slapped on the outside seemingly at random, creating a kaleidoscopic background for crudely drawn images of daisies and peace signs. The hulking van heads towards San Francisco at a leisurely pace, black smoke pouring out of the exhaust, bouncing with every bump in the road. The interior is lined with worn rugs, and beads hang from the ceiling, striking the heads of anyone not careful to duck while moving inside it. There's an AM radio, if anybody wants to listen.

Spoiler:

At some point, decide who is driving.

[dice]0[/dice][dice]1[/dice][dice]2[/dice][dice]3[/dice][dice]4[/dice][dice]1D20[dice]1D12[/dice][dice]5[/dice]

Not long after heading out on the main road to San Francisco, the way is blocked by a wooden barrier and a sign reading DETOUR, directing traffic to a small road, US Highway 28. The only other vehicle on the road, during what seems to be unusually light traffic, is a burgundy Rolls Royce, obviously only a couple of years old. It follows the detour, travelling at a modest speed just ahead of the van. After a while on this winding country byway, the Rolls pulls into a drive-in movie theater. (The marquee says they're showing a double feature of Frankenstein Created Woman and The Mummy's Shroud.) This is odd, because it's the middle of the morning, long before the place is supposed to open. Meanwhile, just up ahead, a couple of souped-up hot rods block the otherwise deserted road, engines roaring, apparently about to have an illegal road race.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm curious about whoever's in the Rolls Royce," says Liz. She's willing to drive, but she'll yield the wheel to Tony if he prefers. "Not exactly where you'd expect a toff to be, but then again some of us are toffs too, and we don't even have a fancy car. Shall we go take a look?"

[SunlessNick]

"It'll give those dragsters time to get out of the way," Zara says.

[jp1885]

All for women’s lib, Tony is happy to sit back while Liz drives.

“Indeed. We need not concern ourselves with hot-rodders, but anyone driving a Roller is always worth chatting to.”

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The van slowly pulls into the otherwise deserted drive-in, with Liz at the wheel. The Rolls is parked near the kiddie playground near the screen, its motor running. From the dust-covered CLOSED sign on the snack bar, hanging at a precarious angle from a single nail, it seems likely the place is closed for the winter.

The windows of the Rolls are tinted dark enough to make it difficult to see anything inside it, without getting quite close. This would probably require approaching on foot, or pulling the van right next to the Rolls, window to window.

Meanwhile, the roar of hot rod engines fills the air from just outside the drive-in, followed by a very loud crashing sound.

[SunlessNick]

Zara runs back to the road to see if anyone needs help.

[jp1885]

While still rather curious about the Roller, Tony is noble enough not to shy away from someone in peril. Therefore, at the sound of the crash, he follows Zara to the scene of the accident.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz drives the van to the scene of the crash, giving a lift to her friends so that they can get there faster.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The two hot rods are now a twisted mass of metal blocking the road, steam blasting out of the radiators and gasoline pouring out of the gas tanks. One of the two young men driving the things sits on the side of the road, conscious but bleeding; the other is not immediately visible. Off to the side is a hysterical young woman, screaming "Johnny!"

Meanwhile, the Rolls heads out of the drive-in, its wheels squealing as it pulls out at great speed. At first it heads towards San Francisco, but stops suddenly, blocked by the wreck. The car jerks back and forth as the unseen driver tries to head the other way on the narrow road. This draws at least some of the attention of the investigators, despite the equal distraction of the wreck. While the Rolls awkwardly turns around, a high heel shoe bursts through one of the back windows, followed by a high-pitched scream, which is suddenly cut off.

[Mr. Handy]

"She's being abducted!" calls Liz, bringing the van around to try to cut off the Rolls Royce before it can escape.

OOC,Dexterity roll (12) driving the van: [dice]0[/dice]

[jp1885]

While Tony should really prioritise this Johnny, he cannot resist a damsel in distress.

"Lew, Zara, can you see to the crash?"

Without waiting for an answer, he races to the Roller. If Liz's excellent driving stops the Rolls, he will swing his stick into the driver's window.

"Let the lady go!"

[SunlessNick]

Zara shouts to the woman, "Which car is he in?" She'll run to the indicated car and see what state this "Johnny" is in.

[Starspawn338]

Lew looks to the left and then to the right.

"Lew, Zara, can you see to the crash?"

"My god! Is there no end to the suffering in this world?" Lew mutters as he raises his hand in acknowledgment to Tony and runs with Zara to the wrecked hot rods.

"Hello, does anyone need any help? Yell if you can, we need to get everyone away from these vehicles."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Sobbing, the young woman points at the tangled wrecks, which might as well be one solid mass of metal, with a trembling hand.

"He's -- he's in there! Get him out!"

It can be seen that an unconscious fellow is inside this chaos of steel and glass, hanging from the driver's seat of one of the vehicles, upside down, blood dripping from his head.

The young man on the ground slowly forces himself to his feet, shakes his head, and mumbles "She's gonna blow."

________________________________________________________________________________

With extraordinary skill, Liz maneuvers the van directly in front of the Rolls, blocking its escape. The car comes to a sudden halt with squealing brakes. Tony rushes up to the driver's side and wields his weapon of choice.

Spoiler:

dex = 14 + 3 for Bartitsu = 17; -2 for the "armor" of the window glass[dice]0[/dice]

Damage

The expertly aimed cane shatters the window, sending shards of glass into the face of the driver, distracting him for the moment. The driver is a small, pale, red-haired man in his twenties, dressed in jeans and plain white T-shirt.

The back door opens and a somewhat older, taller, and heavier man, bald, wearing sunglasses and wearing a business suit emerges, dragging a young woman, incongruously dressed in a scarlet evening gown covered with sequins, her eyes covered with a blindfold. She hobbles after the man with one bare foot and one gold high heel shoe. The man holds an automatic pistol to her head.

"Everybody just take it easy and nobody gets hurt," he says, in a surprisingly soft and smooth voice. "Me and the lady are gonna take a walk out of here, so just stay where you are."

He begins pulling the woman away from the road, in the direction of the scrub land opposite the drive-in theater.

[jp1885]

Tony walks forward slowly, maintaining a non-threatening distance between him and the pair.

“Tell you what ol’ chum, I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. What gives, hm?”

[Mr. Handy]

Liz slips her mace into her hand and gets out of the van on the opposite side from the man so that he cannot see her. She plans a course to intercept him and sneak up behind him.

OOC,Dexterity roll (12) trying to sneak behind the kidnapper: [dice]0[/dice]