ArchivedLogs:Batmobiles

Batmobiles
Nananananananana...
Dramatis Personae Micah, Melinda
In Absentia	22 May 2013 Humanfriends take over the Batman franchise. With moving vans. (Takes place prior to van-side of the Thunderdome rescue.) (Part of the Thunderdome TP)
Location <NYC> No-name Truck Rental Shop
It is a ridiculously bright and cheerful morning. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it is blissfully /warm/ out--even this early in the morning. Micah is having trouble reconciling the tight ball of /uncomfortableness/ in his stomach with the cheeriness of it all. Two vans of the sort typically used to move furniture sit side by side in the rental shop’s parking lot, their keys currently in the hands of a Micah and a Mel. Micah has retrieved a pair of still-warm coffee cups from his own van, which is parked in a small holding lot. He juggles them neatly, climbing up into one of the moving vans and setting them into cup holders before opening the other side door for Mel. They have a little time to kill before completing the outfitting of the vans for the rescue that afternoon. “So…exactly how crazy is this? I’ve kinda lost track of any perspective of normal,” he offers weakly, obvious nervous tension in his voice. "Perspective? Yeah. I can't even tell what my perspective is right now. I feel like I'm getting ready to sit for an exam or a firing squad and... Damn." Melinda climbs into a seat, immediately unrolling the window to try and drive some of the heat out of the vehicle. "It's Wednesday, right? It feels like the first day of summer camp where I don't know anyone and I'm wearing a shirt that says 'Kick me.'" She shakes her head again and reaches for one of the coffee mugs, sniffing near the mouth hole then starting to drink down the warm, calming, caffeinated beverage. "Oh." She pauses after a moment. "What if we have to pee?" “Mmm…I’m just fit to fidget out of my own skin and ain’t nothin’ even /started/ yet,” Micah admits. He is, in fact, bouncing a little in his seat. He retrieves the other coffee cup, sipping from it in an attempt to force himself to sit still. Because /that/ is what caffeine is for, right? “Yeah, it’s Wednesday. Had to call offa clinic. Prob’ly Janine’s gonna have a whole /bundle/ of appointments scheduled up by the end of the day since I’m not there…” A wry little grin sneaks its way onto Micah’s face, which has been a bit tight and haggard this morning. “Funny, the stupid things that our brains will worry about.” He snorts at the needing to pee question. “I imagine we should make a point of doin’ that before we head out. Then…I… I don’t think the actual /doin’/ will take all that long. If it goes according to plan. Oh/gosh/, everythin’ needs to go according to plan an’ everybody needs to still be okay.” His expression falls, a shaky look focused on that coffee cup. "Okay, pee before leaving. Check." Melinda shakes her head then transfers her cup to the hand that's further away from Micah. Then, she reaches over and puts a hand on Micah's shoulder. "They're going to be okay. I'm being stupidly optimistic, but I can't handle thinking about Jim not okay... and still be able to do this. Jim's going to be okay. The kids, they're going to be okay. We're going to get there, we're going to grab them, and we're going to take them home." She's firm on this, even if her eyes are misting up a little. Out of habit, Micah leans slightly into Mel's touch. "I just... I'm worried. About usin' Hive on a large scale again. An' whether it's gonna work like they're thinkin'. An' if everyone we're sendin' /in/ is okay. An' if everyone already /there/ is okay." He thumps his head back into the headrest of the chair to stop himself, a little half-growly sound of frustration stuck in his throat. "Not that worryin' is gonna do a damn thing." He trades the frustrated sound for a heavy sigh, chewing on his lower lip for a second. "We've got a few cases of bottled water back at the Lofts. A mess of mats and mattresses and blankets from the last round of refugees, for the floors. I got...bunches of bags of jerky for the twins. I really can't think of what else to /do/." Because /doing/ things is the only way to stop from worrying oneself crazy. "We can cut sheets into compresses for wounds and wraps." Melinda offers as she inhales and exhales purposefully, perhaps a little louder than she would normally. "But that would require us to go to good will, find sheets, bleach them to mostly sterile, and then cut them. And... I'm not sure we have enough time to do laundry." She keeps her hand near Micah, should he need it and finds some solace in her java. "There's really nothing. We show up, we get people out. That's all we can do." Micah shakes his head, the auburn mess of his hair bobbing along with the motion. "I think they're gonna have some folks as can teleport, from Jax's school, to take the ones who need immediate care to the clinic. We're followin' along with the ones as can wait on the drive. They'll get better tendin' from the professionals, anyhow." He also seeks some comfort from his coffee. Then hazel eyes move to study Mel's face. "Mel-honey? Thank you. Just for bein' you. An' bein' here." "You're welcome, Micah. Everyone else is going to be experienced at this rescuing thing and really good at being tough in the face of danger, so I figure that you and I, we should stick together. We'll get a feel for what's going on, and we'll help out in our own way, and then we'll take them all to better places, right?" Melinda gives a little smile as her hand squeezes Micah's shoulder and pulls away a little. "I think I'm okay with not being able to wrap my head around it, you know. If I really understood, I'd be exploding in every different direction." A grin /forces/ its way onto Micah’s face. “Yeah. New to this whole superhero gig, y’know? An’ I think our superpowers…might be the ability to drive an’ havin’ acceptable lines of /credit/.” He chuckles, but the sound is low on mirth. “Worst comic book powers /ever/.” His free hand rakes through his hair. “Ugh. I know. I feel like I could just go rock in a corner as it /is/. But then I think…what everyone else is goin’ through. An’ that don’t even seem fair to feel.” "Come on, your feelings are valid. We're just adults, so we have to stuff those feelings down, function, and then deal with the aftermath later, with booze." Melinda draws in a deep breath and chuckles a little. "Vague financial security and a drivers license, eh? I feel like Batman, already. At least he had his utility belt, and gadgets. Perhaps we should invest in gadgets, and take up scaling walls." Micah actually /giggles/ outright at Mel’s summary. “Oh/gosh/, yes, can we? Everythin’ gets settled, we are havin’ an epic booze session.” He smirks at this last recommendation. “Mel…I have so many gadgets. I /may/ have made some things that could help scale walls.” He offers a fist to bump…certainly more playful than serious. There is enough serious going around. “Mel. We get to be Batman.” "I called out sick for the rest of the week, family emergency. They are going to hate me, but not more than they /would/ hate me if I showed up with a hangover and a migraine from the humungous drinking party you and I are going to have. There will be a pub crawl and everything. Take us right out of the bidding of being financially useful." Melinda smiles and leans back against the headrest herself, sucking at her coffee now like she wishes it was spiked with alcohol. "Definitely. Both of us. Batman." “Hrm ugh… I’m holdin’ off to see what the rest of the day looks like. May end up with all my appointments from this week shoved onto /next/ week. Janine’s gonna skin me for havin’ to make so many phone calls. Fun seein’ what creative curses she comes up with, though,” Micah muses, still maintaining his little smirk. “S’all gonna depend how much help I can still be after today, really.” "Yeah, creative cursing, can be, in and of itself, its own reward." Melinda snickers and closes her eyes for a moment. "What kind of booze do you drink, Micah? We may need to pick a bottle or two up and someone's apartment to crash in." She finishes off her coffee and only then slides the paper cup back into the cup holder. "Though, honestly, I think you and Jax and the kids are probably going to be joined at the hip for a while. Which is good." “Hm, yeah. She still manages to surprise me. An’ I’ve been listenin’ to her epic pottymouth for /years/ now. Well, not always listenin’, but she types as bad or worse than she talks.” Oh, thank goodness for idle chatter and its ability to restore a smile! “Yeah, Jax wants to disappear for the weekend. Take an actual not-here vacation. Gives a few days for everythin’ to stabilise hereabouts first. Reads like a good plan to me.” Micah’s cup is empty, too. It meets Mel’s in the neighbouring cup holder. "Are you going with him?" Melinda asks, curiously. Micah nods in reply, adding, “Yeah. Well, he asked me to before all this. I’ll tag along provided he’n the kids don’t find themselves wantin’ more time alone, y’know?” "Well, good. I think you should probably go anyway. Jax... you know him. He won't deal with anything he needs to while he's fussing over the twins, and perhaps Spencer will need to be looked after. Or maybe the twins won't want to be fussed over, and Jax'll need to be reminded that it's okay to focus on himself." Melinda glances out the window over at her moving van and exhales. "So, when was the last time you drove something this large?" “Mmm. Gonna be hard to pull Spence offa the twins, too.” Micah drums his fingers against the steering wheel. “Forget /reminded/. I’m not sure he ever knows it’s okay to focus on himself,” he corrects with a shake of his head. He looks back into the back of the van with Mel’s question. “I’m-a go with…never? Did any movin’ as needed to happen back home with a fleet of pick-ups an’ lotsa rope.” "WOO. I'm Batman, you're Robin. I've driven one of these twice before. Once for moving myself, and once to help out with things for the shelter. Learn from me, Young one, and I will show you the ways of maneuvering that will stop crime in its TRACKS." And Mel may be losing it a little bit, but that's okay. The venture they are on requires a little bit of insanity. “Well, I guess you /are/ taller, too,” Micah gives in to Mel’s declaration. “Reduced to sidekick status. I don’t even get the cool toys.” There is more headshaking, sad and slow. “Except. Now I gotta figure out a prosthesis that works for /acrobatics/. Could be fun.” It…is sort of hard to tell if Micah is still joking or not. "Awww, don't say it like that. You're totally Batman. I'll be Batwoman, Kate Kane. I'll kick ass and get the girl... or guy, or ... whatever." Melinda begins to slip out of her seat and subsequently out of the car. "We should probably head over. I don't want to make /them/ nervous by not being on time... or not being early. Whatever will help them not to fret, you know?" Micah giggles, play-bapping Mel in the shoulder. “You can totally be whatever Batman or woman you want. An’ get whatever girls or guys.” He sighs, looking down at his hands on the wheel. “Yeah, we should go. Still gotta throw the mattresses an’ all in the vans. Just kinda…was puttin’ off startin’ the engine. ‘Cause that’s gonna make it feel /real/.” He shivers a bit in his seat, but then flashes Mel a smile as he waves her toward the other van. “Well, Batperson. Off to your own Batmobile!” "Okay, Batperson. You do the same. I'll see you there. Same BatTime. Same BatChannel." And with that, Melinda closes the door and climbs into her van, turning on the engine and pulling away.