15548/Death Valley Vacation Part 1

Death Valley Vacation Part 1
Date of Scene:	04 August 2023
Location:	Death Valley, California
Synopsis:	Harley and Jinx head to the desert for a vacation but it seems Jinx remains a trouble magnet. They are randomly attacked by two cars bearing machine guns and rocket launchers. Harley's beloved jaguar does not make it out alive - but Gerti the turkey is fine.
Cast of Characters:	Jinx, Harley Quinn

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Jinx has posed:
"Reloaded!," Jinx called out over the loud sounds of the muscle car engine. The shotgun is one handed cocked and tossed over to the driver of this fine monster of a vehicle - Harley Quinn. Of course, they are driving backwards right now because the big semi-trailer with spikes on the front is barreling down on them. "Faster Harls! - I'm recharging..." By which Jinx means she has her shoes off and is dangling out the side of the vehicle using the door as armor and letting her feet dance across the barren soil of Death Valley.

You're probably wondering how we got here.

Two days ago - "Yeah. Right off the highway here." A big sign comes in to view - Welcome to Death Valley National Park. Jinx throws up her arms in triumph. "Yes! Finally some peace and quiet. We can chill in the desert and smoke ayahuasca!"

That was Jinx's idea of a vacation. What really happened though was Harley suggested Jinx needed some time to 'decompress' after her very sordid ordeal in an alternate reality of her own making. Jinx merely heard 'vacation' and inserted 'Ayahuasca' and somehow that equated to 'Death Valley'. Now here they were.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"That's it!" Panic! This ain't lookin' good! Danger, racing for their lives. And Harley is loving every second of it. The shotgun is caught deftly with one hand and she smoothly slides out of the driver's seat to half-hang out the window. "Next time I will have Ivy lend us Frank so you can rest your feet in his earth or somethin'!"

*BAM*

Two days ago - "This gonna be fuuuuuun!" Pigtailed Harley is telling Jinx with a big-wide grin on her lips, "We gonna smoke some joints, see the spirits. Do the dances.." she nods emphatically. "You just gotta tell me what Ayahuasca is.." Jinx most likely already had but Harley may have been distracted at the time..

She turns the wheel sharply as they take the exit saying 'Death Valley'.

Jinx has posed:
[ https://youtu.be/4AqjqOqNrjw ]

The great outdoors expands before them. An endless stretch of road that disappears in to a haze off in the distance. The bright blue skies above have a few scattered white clouds leaving the world brightly lit.

Below the brightness of the sky is the arid desert landscape of Death Valley. Dirts in rich yellows and oranges depending on their mineral deposits. Here small shrubs cling to life. Across the hilly terrain reveals a lifeless desert of yellow sands.

It's a kind of freedom to be out here where there's absolutely nothing and no body around to tell you what you can and can't do, who you should or should not be. Jinx feels the tension in her body instantly dissipate.

"Yeessss.... FREEEEEDOOOM," Jinx shoulds as she stands up in the seat and throws out her arms. "Drive my pretty driiiiive!" The wind in her face, she can almost feel the Earth beneath their tires from here. It's hot but not oppressively so at this time of year. Ahead there's a curious outcropping of rocks that might provide some creeping shade before midday arrives.

"Thar she blows Cap'n Harlies!" Jinx points toward their destination where the smoking of Ayahuasca shall take place. "A fine oasis amidst a desert of sands."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Scorching sun doesn't seem to daunt the rather PALE clownette that much, that bright wide smile on her expression telling how happy she is to be out here, riding it out with her buddy Jinx. "Say, if a tree falls in the desert can anyone hear it?" Harley asks suddenly as they drive down towards the valley, wheels hot on the asphalt, tumbling weeds announcing the desert-like area they are entering.

"I brought my beach towel so we can get properly tanned too." Not much luck with Harley most likely though. She turns the music volume up to the maximum and joins in with the singing until they finally spot that outcropping.

Wheels turn with a screech and she steps on it towards the rocky road leading to their destination. "Good eye, first mate!" she sticks her head out to peer at it.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx climbs out over the door instead of opening it. A thump on the trunk to open it up, she takes out a cooler filled with beer; and a sun shade; and chairs; and a picnic basket; and a blanket... oh yeah, Jinx is prepared for this vacation.

"You have no idea how long I've been thinking of coming out here. England has nothing like this unless you count Scotland which we absolutely do not because it's all rainy and gloomy. Not bright and shiny like this."

She starts setting up base camp. Off in the distance they can see the haze trails of three other cars heading their way. "Wow - I guess Death Valley is popular today." She waggles a hand, "I'm feeling generous. I'll share the beer but not the Ayahuasca."

She flops down on to the day chair beneath the shade of the rocks and sunshade and fishes out a beer from the cooler - tossing the first over to Harley, then the second is for herself. "Cheers Harls. Vacation."

Harley Quinn has posed:
A vacation wouldn't be a vacation withoug accessorizing and Harley is all ready for that, a pair of large round sunglasses settled on her face. A little shawl over her hair to cover some of it from the heat. Jacket comes off to show a rather revealing white top. "Fuck that, I am not sharin' the beeah.." she announces.

She's protective of her booze.

Blankets and beach towels are set and then Harley wiggle-wiggles down onto a seat to relax before catching the beer and opening it like she was a wrestler or somethin' (She can thank that super strength!). Then gargles it down, "Cheeerrs.." gargle gargle.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx watches the slowly approaching haze with curiosity. She rises up and goes to the glove compartment, dangling half over the door to get at it. From there she takes out the binoculars. She makes it back to the shade and then takes a long gander at their potential guests.

The three cars look tricked out with front spikes, wheel spoke spikes, extra armor plating... "Guns?" she says spying them not sure if they're just props or what. "Hey wow - I think they've made replicas of cars from Mad Max..."

She hands the binoculars over to Harley so she can take a look too. The beer is drunk and Jinx pays them no mind. "So what do you say. Ayahuasca time? - or.. nah, let's wait til we've sorted out these wayfarers first."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Heh?" Harley is still processing the beer by gargling all over it. A pause as she looks at Jinx and then back at the cloud of sand raising in the wake of the cars prowling about. "I mean, it's a bit of a flex, but I dig it.." she says about those cars. She looks over the binoculars. "Shame, they missin' the crucified guy in front of one of the cars." yes, she saw the movies!

"They seem ta be comin' ouuh way, well, let me fix somethin'..." she gets up to her feet with a bit of a spring to her step, energized by the beer and approaches the trunk. Digging through she finally brings out what seems to be damn grenade launcher.

"I knew I had packed this beauty ovah heah..." she grins, so proud of herself.

"Just in case we went through time to an apocalyptic future wheah we need to kill ta survive." a beat. "So, normal day Detroit..."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx spits out the beer when she sees what Harley packed. "A grenade launcher? What the hell Harls - when are we going to need a grenade launcher?"

It's just then that the bullets start to hit the rocks and sand all around them - and splatter over one side of the car. Jinx feels her heart drop and then begin to race. She tosses away the beer and her sandles.

With an arm twirl that would make a Shaolin monk proud her magical energies, a radiant pink, erupt from the ground and create shields. Sparks dance off of the shields as the bullets strike them. "They're NOT PROPS! SHOOT BACK!" Great - they go to the middle of the desert and someone wants them dead. Whose nemesis is it this time...

Harley Quinn has posed:
A brow quirks up as if Jinx had just sprouted another head, "What do you mean -when- am I gonna need a grenade launcher..?" she just sighs dramatically. "It's should be standard package for every two girls that go on a trip alone to the desert, Jinx!" she looks over her shoulder as the cloud is getting bigger, "Never know what sorta crazies you will find out theah..."

Which is right when that first bullet flies. "Holy cowabunga!" she dives to the side, clutching at her precious launcher.

"Oh .., NOW you want me to shoot back!" Affronted that Jinx first dared to question her judgement on bringing a grenade launcher to this shindig.

A couple of pops are heard and then two grenades are flying over, shot by Harley's launcher towards the cars.

Jinx has posed:
The cars take evasive action and peel around as the grenades rain down from above. Explosions kick up the sand and obscure them.

Jinx squints, "Do you think we got 'em?" She listens harder and hears engines revving,.. "Nope." So she jumps in to the drivers seat and knocks the sun blind down to grab the keys. Why does everyone in America keep them there? Because it looks cool.

"Don't worry Gerti, we're going to be okay." B'gaaark - the turkey in the backseat seems unimpressed with all the gunfire so far. The engine fails to turn over and Jinx tries the key again. "Come on - if you get us out of here I'll buy you whale skin hubcaps." But no matter how many times she tries it won't start.

Jinx hops back out of the car and grabs Gerti underneath her arms. "How many grenades do you have?" -- certainly, the bad guys have one as they fire their RPG straight at Harley's dead-in-the-sand car.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Not yet we ain't..." Harley reloading the grenade launcher with a few more 'nades, "Those little bitches are tryin' to be evasive. But I will teach 'em evasive.." she goes over to the car and pops open the trunk to start sorting through MORE firepower.

Even if easily distracted by Gerti, "Oh hey, you brought Gerti!" she tells Jinx. And what does she mean? Isn't Gerti hers? "How did you convince Jinx to let you come?!" just another b'gaaark out of the turkey. A turkey never reveals it's secrets apparently.

It's distraction that makes her lose precious second because next she knows there's someone pointing a RPG to them. "Oh crappola!" she only has time to jump to the side with her little go-bag before the missile hits the car!

Jinx has posed:
Jinx looks confused. "I thought you brought Gerti..." She looks at the turkey. Damn ugly thing. So oblivious to everything going on around it. "Did you bring yourself? You're not getting any of the Ayahuasca."

Jinx is about to put the turkey down when she hears the exclamation points from Harley and her arm twirls out through the air. It's not enough to save the car, but she puts a force field around the three of them as they are knocked out in to the sand.

The wind is knocked out of Jinx and she's half buried in the sand. Gerti is wandering around as if nothing happened. With a groan Jinx listens to the whoops of victory from their attackers and blurrily watched their cars race off in to the distance.

"Motherfuckers...," she crawls out of the sand and starts to spit up some of what made it in to her mouth. "They blew up my Ayahuasca!" Harley's ride is a flaming wreck of what was once a car.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley still flies a few meters over, tumbling over the sand. "Little bastards .., wait until..." she sits up and spits some sand out her mouth. "Urgh, gross, got sand all ovah my...--" pause. Look at the car. Baby blue eyes go wide.

"MY JAAGGUAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!" her booming voice heard across the desert sand when she notes the destruction wrought upon the greatest ride of all rides. Trembly hand extends towards the burning wreck and she sobs, lower lip trembling.

"Oh, how could they destroy it ..." sniff sniff. "My pride and joy..." sniff.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx stands up. The sun is beating down on them. The distance shimmers with heat. They have a turkey and they have no car and no Ayahuasca. A sight not seen since she quit the Five flashes before Harley as pink energy ripples behind her eyes. "These tossers are gunna pay."

The tyre treads run off in to the distance and far away now the dust cloud left in the wake of the fleeing cars can still be seen. Jinx offers a hand to Harley to help her up. "Come on Harls. We ain't done yet. Let's go bag us some tosspots and show 'em who they've messed with."

Gerti pipes up, "B'gaarK!"

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley wipes some snot on the back of her hand, the sniffles almost turned into crying but when Jinx comes over she reaches out to grab her arm (with her clean hand) and gets up to her feet. "I had this car since forevah! And now..., now ..." lower lip trembly again.

Eyes trail the cloud of cars leaving and the sadness turns to anger. She reaches to pick up her sunshades from the ground and wipes some of the sand off, "Yea, time to go full Mad Max on their asses..." whatever that means. But whatever it is she makes it sound nasty!

"No one messes with the Bounty Babes." and guest star Gerti.

Jinx has posed:
So many Ayahuasca isn't entirely legal. Any may be there was a lot of speeding in that Jag to get here. But Harley and Jinx are trying to walk the straighter and narrower. Harley, a role model, Jinx trying not to relapse. It seems that even their harmless vacation to the desert is but another test in their criminal sobriety.

A large man with a scraggly beard and skiing goggles is burned from the sun due to his lack of a proper top. Leather straps just don't cut it buddy. His big knife dugs in to their hubcap score card, scratching in one more kill.

Slowly, the participants in the Death Valley Death Arena have gathered. One team will walk away victorious. The rest? ...just road kill for the vultures.

[ https://youtu.be/QrgmXK63bUg - All The Same - MisterWives ]