2013.05.15 - Longshot Plays the Odds and Loses

The day.. sunny and bright after an overcast day in the City the day before. The tourists are coming out to spend their dollars more and more, and therefore are clogging the streets and sidewalks. In this particular section of town, on this particular day, however, it's even moreso than usual.

It's in all the papers. There are some roads that are shut down, police barricaded even, for such an occasion. Even if newspapers weren't consulted today, it's all over the local radio, and small news stations in a bid to warn people from the area.

Fast and Furious X is being filmed, complete with car chases in a good portion of Lower Metropolis. Needless to say, everyone is abuzz with the potentials of seeing the stars there.. if not a couple of car chases, or rather, stunts, or an honest to goodness shootout!! Well, okay.. stunts there too, BUT!! BUT!!

How can one miss such an opportunity?

Heh.. there are some present that wouldn't miss it for the world...

Longshot couldn't miss that chance, that's for sure. He was already once a stuntman for a movie that never got finished after the director was arrested for violating safety measures, and to see it all again! Why that's better than being a superhero any day.

So here was Longshot, wide-eyed and star struck by the mere chance to see one of his favorite movie franchises shoot stunts! Right here in what was now his home town! He avoid the congestion and droves of people on his way to where the shoot was by using his grappling hook and some tricks his girlfriend had taught him about getting around the city in a hurry. He had to get there before they got started! Just had to! Long distance to Millie: Nightcrawler is good. How is?

With the cars used for the stunts to be flatbedded in, there they are, in their pristine condition on the back of a car-transport. Cameras are set up, and the techs are lining up shoots, marking with chalk in the street as well as sides of buildings.

There is a large group of people milling about, settled in a 'corner' of the cordoned off area. Men, women, children of all ages are prepped as extras for the shoot. Most of them are pulled off the streets of the city with the promise of $80 and potentially a credit at the end.. with all the other extras. In small print.

Off to the side is a man with a clipboard, and before him.. a small line. Seems that they may still be taking extras? To say that Longshot didn't want to be part of that would be say that a spine-fur cat hated playing with it's food. Wait what's a spine-fur cat? Ah well probably one of those things he can never remember that he'll have to figure out a bit later. He looks at the small line and gets nervous! What if there aren't enough spots left before him... what should he do, what should he do!?

He knows! Show off how great of an extra he could be, "Hey Mister Clipboard guy!"

He backflips away from the line and then jumps forward flipping three times in air to land perfectly at the front of the line, "They call me Longshot, I apparently have 1000 fans on the Facebook fan page someone made for me. And you really should put me in your movie!"

The backflips, the somersaults in the air.. all that gains the Clipboard Guy's attention, and his pen lowers for the moment as he stares. Yup.. stares.

There are some young women in the line that shift, all smiles at the acrobatics, and they begin to wave their hands, "You can go in front of me!"

"No! Come stand in front of me!"

"No me-- you bitch!" and one turns about to smack one of the other girls raising their voices to the handsome Longshot.

"Girls, girls!!" is called out by the man who is trying to keep some semblance of order. "We're working on a time limit here.." Beat. "Hey, you.. yeah.. you.. C'mere."

And here, the man looks down at the spots available. "You good with coming out of the diner, stopping at the front, and grabbing..." and here, the man waves a pen in the air, looking over the potential 'victims'. When the girls realize what is is the man is looking for, they come out of the woodwork again.. and try to push their rivals to the side.

"Me!"

"No, me!"

"Me! Me! Me! You an ugly bitch.. he doesn't want you!"

The fight that erupts again brings a true, honest to God facepalm.

Longshot looked at the fighting girls and looks at the guy with the clipboard for a moment, "You know, I'm embarrassed to say this but... this happens to me alot more than I'd really care to admit. I mean seriously... a lot. And the said thing is, is I sort have a secret girlfriend so it's all for nothing."

"Ladies please," he says a bit louder, "You are all very beautiful and lovely and I would happy to rescue any and all of you from whatever dangers may occur. But today the man with the clipboard says it can only be one of you. Alas, that makes my heart sink. But I live in the city and I'm supposedly a bonified super-hero, so I'm sure I'll be able to save all of you in turn."

Girlfriend? Girlfriend? He has a secret girlfriend?

"Who da bitch? I'll fuck her--"

"--up," comes in echo from another girl.

Still, Longshot's admission, and then support of Clipboard Guy is truly appreciated, and the man nods, giving a death stare to the girls in line that opened their mouths. "Yeah, there's somethin' about you that makes me believe you probably would do okay out there.." with fans. He pauses a moment, stares at the younger man, and shakes his head before he announces, "Crystal Slattery. Extra #109. Where are you?!"

The fact she wasn't there in the crunch apparently lets the blonde know that it was the right hunch played. She looks around at her 'co-extras' and walks forward with something of a limp. "What's wrong with you?" the Clipboard guy asks, his eyes narrowing.

"Shoes. I sprained my ankle in my heels," Crystal breathes as she looks to Longshot. "I get to walk with him?"

Pure.. blinding envy exudes from the other girls, but Crystal doesn't seem to notice, her smile bright. "I might even let you hold my hand.. as long as he," and she gestures towards the man with the clipboard, "says you can.."

"You've sprained your leg? No, no, no, you shouldn't walk on it then!" Longshot said and scoped Crystal up in his arms, the way he held her made it sort of even more obvious that he only had four fingers each, "I'll carry you on set, that way your ankle can rest up for the shoot! We all win!"

The clipboard guy looks to the girl, then to Longshot, offering, "Longshot, you are extra #113. Remember your number." He takes a step back and watches the scoop, and exhales in a sigh, scratching at the back of his neck, "You're going to be coming out of the diner, and push the girl out of the way of a car. Think you can-- holy hell.. what is wrong with you?"

Four. Fingers?

Now, for scooping up the girl, Longshot does get something of a taste of the future. A car does, indeed, come swerving, rolling over several times towards the pair, Longshot and Crystal... and she is safe.. being able to walk off of the set, even though she's got that limp.

Crystal squeals a moment, and a second of panic washes over her before she relaxes once again, her surprise moving to a pleased smile. "You get to save me, then! What was that you were saying about being a hero?"

Longshot looked at the clipboard guy with a naive look, he didn't really think it was about his fingers, "Oh I'm sorry, just being gallant! It's one of my character flaws to be honest. Besides she's hurt so I should help her. But yes, #113, I've done this before."

Longshot stared out into space for a second as he got that read from the future, odd... why does she... nevermind.

He looked at the woman and said as he carried her to the set, "Oh yes, I'm a real hero and anything, fought a bunch of bad guys in central park once. It was on the Internet apparently. I don't go on the internet that much."

"Thank you," Crystal breathes, her expression back to one of proper gratitude, if not a little coy. "You can put me down now," she observes, and points towards the little diner. "I think that's ours." Opening the door, she holds it for Longshot, "We're supposed to leave, and then the car stunt happens.."

She is able to walk away because you saved her, bro...

Upon the roof, a long shot away, but never too far, sits a man.. with a gun. And a smile. And patiently waits.

Now, after a couple more minutes, it becomes a game of 'hurry up and wait'. Hurry, hurry to the mark, now wait for coordination with other spots on the road, on other blocks.

When action is yelled, the milling begins, and conversations of couples walking on the sidewalk are laughed, businessmen hurry along the way, small children are dragged away from cart vendors. It all looks very much like a typical day in the city, only on celluloid. Or rather, now, in digital format.

And in true Fast and Furious, a top of the line sports car, driven by a stunt driver that will very much be Vin Diesel by the time the editing boys gets it, comes racing around the corner just at the time when the extra-minders call for the couple to depart the diner...

It's only a split second later that a small explosion goes off and the car flips onto its side and rolls.. and rolls.. and rolls towards the wall right next to the diner. (Are extras supposed to be put in the line of fire? Take it up with the studio lawyers!)

Longshot's eyes widen as he didn't expect to be this close to the action, even his little psychic premonition was... Right! Save the girl! A scar next to Longshot's left eye begins to glow brightly until white light is filling his entire eye socket. He flips backwards and lands behind the woman, Crystal and pulls her away from the oncoming car using his own body as a shield,

"Don't worry Miss Crystal! I've got you. Curl into a ball!"

He lets her go and stands up to literally use his own body as a shield to the incoming car, but his eye continues to glow as luck is surely with his noble intentions.

And here.. through the looking scope can be seen...

The blast sends the car rolling, as de rigeur for stunts, and over and over it goes.

When action is called, Crystal begins her acting, and the limp disappears (to the best of her ability). The door opens, and as the sports car begins it's seemingly uncontrolled spin towards them, she is pulled away quickly, faster than she'd actually expected. A squeal sounds again, and as Crystal ends up in a safe spot, there.. her extra companion moves to make sure the car doesn't get either of them.

At that very moment, Longshot's luck does kick in, and in a way, it might be described as good luck. After a fashion.

Crystal reaches out with a knife now, the blade striking out to cut at Longshot's hamstring, a venom on the blade that is rated as a 'quick action', created specifically for someone with a rapid healing ability... research has been done.

With timing, with any luck, Longshot will go down just before the car sails overhead, ready to smash into the wall behind him.. them.. followed up with men with fire extinguishers!

Longshot's eyes go wide as the pain in his hamstring kicks in and he looks over at Crystal for a moment before he falls backwards, the car flying over his head. The shock to his system causes something to be remembered as he looks at Crystal, he hallucinates a metal helm on her head and her blonde hair turns silver.. "Spiral?" he asks weekly as he hits the ground.

He is starting to pass out entirely as he mutters..."don't wanna.. go back... stay with... Fe.l..icia..."

His body slumps entirely and the glow from his eye fades into nothing. He is unconscious.