Summary:
June 6th, 2014: A car show, an impossible dog, and the Human Torch runs across a very dog-friendly thief.
Long Island
The Long Island Motor Parkway is an old race track which has seen somewhat better days, and is now the subject of an attempt to preserve and restore it to its former glory.
Characters
NPCs
- Impy, the Impossible Dog! (or is he?)
Mood Music:
Theme from The Pink Panther
T'is a lovely warm day in June, just aching to become summer, a great day to get out of the dank misery of your penthouse apartment and head for the Long Island Motor Parkway Car Show.
Because you promised. Now get out of bed.
"SHUT UP HERBIE!" Johnny Storm throws fire at the speaker on the wall. It doesn't burn; his room has been fireproofed by Reed Richards, at least most of it has. So, half an hour later, he's eaten his breakfast, and is dressed in his official 'race driver' jumpsuit with the advertising and the big Storm Front Racing logo on the back, and he's on the phone.
"OK, Richie, just have the car there, I don't care if … no, seriously the dog can … FINE. I'll take care of it."
Another hour passes before Johnny runs up the stairs to the Fantasticar garage, and pokes the code for his segment into the system, and jumps in, and he's off, tearing through the sky with unsubtle disregard for old Spiderman webs, flying supers, news copters, and especially pigeons. He lands five minutes later at the Long Island Motor Parkway, and sets the security on the Fantasticar-part, and he's off again, running to meet the trailer-truck that's just pulling in.
"What the…" Richie, one of Johnny's pro drivers, has a small horse in the cab of the truck with him. It's hard to tell what kind of dog it is, and worse, it's covered in some sort of purple and green pattern that looks like it was painted on using house paint.
"What is wrong with that animal? And tell me it's not getting that stuff all over my truck?"
"Nah, it's Easter egg dye, my niece went nuts. Take him off my hands while I get the car out to the show."
"Fine. What's his name?"
"Impy."
Johnny Storm freezes in place. He looks at the dog. "You had better NOT be."
He takes the leash and the dog jumps down and half-pulls him into the car show tent. Which is precisely not the direction he wants to go.
*
It's in the car show tent that fate leads paths to cross as some distance away from Mr. Storm and his horse of a dog there's a loud FWOOMPF! of displaced air. Out of nowhere appears the figure of a young man, appearing just beside a rather garishly decorated motor vehicle that seems to depict speed in every line and contour of its engineered form.
There's a subtle rustle in the crowd as this rapid addition of a new member causes people to shift, to sidle aside. Some even give him a weird look. Did that guy just? Was he? Maybe he was? Luckily the human mind has a strong capacity to rationalize its existence and to explain away the marvelous and the real. At least when it's not too wild and out there like a man's whole body bursting into flames.
Grayson drifts a hand over the body of that car, his expression broadening to a thing of pure avarice as he casually walks its length. One of the attendants, clipboard in hand, looks up and tells the disheveled young man. "No touching."
Gray looks at the guy, "Hmm?"
"No touching."
"Oh. Ok."
It's in that instant that he holds up his hands and asks, "So when does this car go on out?"
But before the guy can answer, blue eyes shift over towards the silhouette of Johnny and his doggy charge walking through the crowd. His eyes lift, "Aw. Pups." Distraction engaged.
*
As he's being pulled into the tent, and tightening down the leash, "NO! IMPY, HEEL! HEEL!" having no particular effect, Johnny's spotted by the person he wanted to avoid: Dolores Anne LeFescque, assistant/wife of Gregory LeFescque the IVth, the man who organized this show; she's been after him for weeks to make a huge donation on behalf of the Four Freedoms Foundation, and doesn't quite GET it when he says that Four Freedoms isn't really about helping the rich folks play with their toys. Maybe Sue can convince her, if she and Reed ever get back from their side-trip to the Microverse or whatever it is this time. His sister seems to be deliberately getting vacation time.
Impy, of course, does that NOSE thing that dogs like to do: he immediately tries to sniff Mrs LeFescque, which … remarkably, Johnny doesn't try very hard at all to prevent.
"Sorry, I'm just dog-sitting for a while, he's going to be …" And, she huffs off, adjusting her dress and her wig… WIG? Johnny tries really hard not to laugh like a hyena. "Good boy."
Two thumps with a tail that has to rival a T-Rex tail and Johnny is moving involuntarily through the crowd again, as Impy smells the food cart. No, he's not heading for something cheap like corn-dogs or funnel cake. This is the foie gras and canape' vendor because these people are far too good for corn dogs.
(Note, the miniature buffalo tongue and pork jowl sausages enrobed in a blue maize polenta and deep-fried, served on rosewood skewers? Not corn dogs.)
He ends up being dragged past the disheveled guy, but the expression of near-panic shows he hasn't quite spotted anyone in particular.
*
Right as the giganto pup walks by, the path is intercepted by that guy in his Chuck Taylor sneakers and the Albert Einstein t-shirt. And what is the one thing that stops total progress across the room when someone is trying to walk around with a huge overly-friendly and inquisitive dog. It's when someone kneels down near them and greets them, "Now who is this big guy?"
Gray grins happily as he extends a hand, waits to see if the pup accepts him and then gives him a big pet if allowed. With smiling eyes, Grayson asks without looking, "His name is Impy? MP?" And then Gray looks up, actually looking at Johnny Storm for the first time and his eyes widen a bit.
"Oh, Mr. Storm. I've never met a… person of differently… capable… popularity…" He stumbles verbally, trying to over-think the whole politically correct thing. "Am I being rude?"
*
OOH! A human I haven't met before! I shall lick him on the face! A LOT! slurpsplatter You don't need to be a Dog Whisperer to know what's going through the canine mind at that moment.
Johnny barely has time to say "Impy, heel!" before the dog lurches forward, and then, there's the moment of contact. Well, it's not like he wasn't wearing his name - it's right there on his chest, under the smaller Storm Front Racing logo.
"Uh, no, not really. Call me Johnny, Mr. Storm is my father." He would offer a hand to shake but there's this DOG suddenly trying to lurch forward and jump up on the guy whose flavor must apparently be good enough to climb.
*
And Gray is just one of those people that totally doesn't mind dogs being dogs. He gives Impy a big scritch behind the ears as well as some pets, then stands up and tries to do his best to keep the dog from knocking him over. "Well it's good to meet you, I've been a fan and all that." Though, to be fair, Grayson never did pay for any of the FF merchandise he procured in various manners.
"Are you going to be racing today?" He continues to try and chit chat even though every few seconds there is a giganto dog wanting to stick his face into the middle of the discussion. "I have to admit when I decided to check this out I didn't look at the program much."
*
"No, we're just showing the Formula Four and Oh cr… ud, I left the Fantasticar out. Well, I guess we'll be showing that too. Next race is the Brickyard in two weeks at Indy, my team will be there. I'm not qualified to drive it this year. But next year for sure."
Johnny uses the opportunity to get the feeling back into the hands that had been holding on the leashes. His phone makes a noise, vroomANDTHEY'REOFF and he frees one hand to pull the phone from an inner pocket.
"Sorry, gotta answer this, one sec."
"Richie, where … OK, yeah, wait for Anna and the crew to get there, before you open. Should be… any minute now. Then come get this impossible dog, he's been dragging me all over the place."
He looks up at Grayson. "Hey, if you'll stick around for a few minutes to keep the beast distracted until his 'uncle' gets here, I'll be glad to sign a program for you or something."
*
"Suuure." Grayson ruffles Impy's big noggin and smiles, He lifts his gaze back to Johhny's and then tilts a look to the side. "How about I take him for a walk and then meet you back here in fifteen?" And as he says this his attention wanders back towards the car that held his attention moments ago. A look of inspiration touches his features and then he adds, "He could just be all wound up because he's got a lot of energy and wants a good run."
With that being said, Gray offers to accept the leash from Mr. Storm and to take 'control' of the large animal. He kneels down and smiles right into the dog's eyes then bos his head as he says, "That's what you want isn't it you big lug, you want to go walkies?"
*
Common sense says that Johnny doesn't hand off the dog belonging to the niece of his Formula driver to some guy he's just met, but common sense and Johnny Storm are only nodding acquaintances.
"Sure, but make sure to meet me back here in fifteen."
He hands over the leash, says, "Impy, mind your manners," and heads for the concourse area, not even remembering that he didn't get the name of this strange guy. Yeah. Spidey would put a spidey-tracer on the collar, but Johnny hasn't yet remembered to ask Reed for a Torch-tracer. Not that he has any idea how it would work.
"Hey, Richie, I got a guy to watch the beast for a few minutes, he's taking him for walkies. What?" The expression Johnny's getting would set fire to magnesium. Johnny's hair actually starts to smoke before catching. "What? You think the guy wasn't on the level? Dude, he practically spoke dog."
As he walks away with the pup from Johnny Storm, Grayson leans over to talk to the large canine. "C'mon Impy, walkies. We're gonna run around, and say hi to peoples and maybe, just maybe if you're lucky we'll get some hot dogs. Alright, alrigh?"
And as that young slackerly fellow heads towards the other end of the tent where some of the display cars reside, he waves towards Johnny. "Fifteen minutes!" He pets the dog and asks his furry compadre, "Impy, do you like Bugati? Yes you do. Yes you do. I know you do."
*
The dog's expression remains just as innocent as always, until Grayson waves and glances at the Bugati, at which point an odd expression of mischief appears to cross its canine visage. A narrowing of the eyes, a tilt to the slightly floppy ears, a glint of unnatural intelligence. Or maybe it's just gas from too much corn in the diet.
Johnny and Richie are very quick to put the Formula Four beastie on its best for display, and Richie is slightly mollified seeing the guy who has the dog, wave and call out, so he decides to trust. Anna and the rest of the crew arrive - all in the same Storm Front jumpsuits or the mechanic's version - and they take over, while Johnny goes to get his slice of the Fantasticar and brings it to a hastily prepared display podium where people can look but not touch. It's almost fifteen minutes when he's done.
*
When Johnny gets back to the tent it's pretty apparent that something went down. There are security people rushing around, there's the distant sound of sirens, and the display area is a bit of a shambles. There are skidmarks on the ground and on the raised dais where a particular vehicle was resting. Some of the velvet ropes and some multi-colored pylons are knocked over. Also apparently the Bugati sign and logo had gotten knocked over somehow and the glass shattered.
Nearby some men are speaking on their walkie-talkies, the click-hiss of their comms slipping in between their words.
"Cops have him sighted. They're in pursuit."
*
"What happened?" Johnny asks the security guys. There's no sign of the young guy and it would be really, well, annoying to find out that Johnny let a random car-thief drive off with the girl's dog. Or whatever it was.
*
The security guard looks at Johnny Storm and seems about ready to feed him the party line, when the man makes note of who this is asking and his position in the car show. "Auto theft. Someone did a grab and go, got the new Bugati S." And as the fellow says this his walkie talkie squawks again. The muffled voice on the other end mentions something about a pullover happening. Then the man holding the comm blinks, "What, lost him, whee'd he go?"
And in that very same instant out of nowhere there's a WHOOMPF of displaced air that might cause Johnny's hair to rustle a bit. Then right there standing in front of one of the other displays is Grayson and a staggeringly happy Impy that bounds around terribly excited.
"Good boy, Impy. Good boy!"
*
And apparently they didn't see the guy, since they had no description. Also, the dog and the slacker were NOT there when he came in. Johnny's eyes narrow, as he looks at the dog. Yes. The dog. The purple and green dog that's acting like a sugar-crazed four year old and smells like new-car smell.
"Ah. There you are, Impy," Johnny says, "and your little human too."
He has a semi-suspicious expression but holds his hand out for the leash.
"He do his business all right?" he says, looking Greyson in the eyes.
*
Lifting his eyes upwards as Grayson rewinds the last fifteen minutes in his head, he "hmm"s somewhat and then gives a nod as he looks back to Johnny.
"At some point he did, I'm almost sure." As he says this he gives the FFer a solemn nod, "He's a great pup, you got a real treasure there."
As he talks to Johnny, some of the security people seem to be giving the trio an eyeballing. Gray responds by looking to the side, then smiling back. "I should probably mosey along. My name's Grayson by the way, was nice meeting you Mr… I mean Johnny."
*
"You too, Grayson," Johnny says, just as the dog decides it's now time for the barking, and Johnny has to do a quick leash-muzzle trick.
"No bark, Impy. Or you won't get to eat any more mailmen," he says, shaking his finger in the dog's nose. He reaches out to give a fist-bump to the kind stranger who helped with the monster dog.
*
*Dap* Gray makes the required motion and smiles back. "See you around the city." And with that he turns and heads towards the back of the tent exit, ducking through it smoothly and once out of line of sight, WHOOMPF
*
And Johnny's getting odd looks because he's talking to the dog. He leads him out to where Richie waits, and the dog doesn't say a word, he's just all, tail, nose, happy to be a dog, scratch, and so forth. But Johnny has his number. Impy, yeah. Right.
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