Rocket 88

[Teagan]

Buildings flashed by the windows, the headlights of the car reflecting off of the metallic surfaces. Teagan sat still, barely able to contain her excitement. She couldn't though; not yet. It was still too early and the plan could very well fall through if she didn't keep up the facade.

But it was so hard! The day had been utterly boring, and the past week of hunting thus so. Nothing exciting had happened for the ENTIRE month. Since she had made the decision to forget college and truly give up any shot at a normal life, fate had decided to give her a smooth transition. Meaning: nothing happened. Lack of ghosts, demons, or anything. Well...minus Yuki's monthly attempt to start cooking.

Like...tonight, for instance. Yuki had pulled out all of the ingredients to start cooking her meal an hour earlier. Teagan smirked. The girl thought she had some chance of actually making something edible and expected Aiden and Teagan to eat it. Fat chance of that happening. Coincidentally, a tip had come in ten minutes into Yuki's chef session.

"Hey guys!" Teagan shouted from the stairway to the rest of the faction. Yuki grumpily peered out from the kitchen and Aiden appeared from wherever he had been.. "Casey texted and said he wants us to check out some suspicious activity in town. We should go see what's up."

Contact from Casey? Not quite. But they didn't have to know that, Teagan mused, tugging absentmindedly on the strap of the backpack next to her. She had everything worked out. A large banner to the left indicated they were nearly there. "Turn up ahead, Aiden...left here...and park!" Teagan bounced out of the car a moment before it stopped moving. She took no notice of the chilly night air, eyes solely focused on one thing and one thing alone.

The fairgrounds. With the games, and lights, and cotton candy, and rides, and pizza, and a dozen acres of awesomeness. "We're here!"

[Aiden]

Had Aiden ever said that he hated Casey? He hated Casey. The guy was a creeper, and a stalker, and it'd been ages since they'd heard from him, and now in the middle of everything that was going on in Portland--recovering from time travel, shape shifters, demons, and numerous other things as well as conducting research as to what was happening in town and around the state, the guy just HAD to give them another job that was probably not important, when all the other things were imperative to the lives of people. He grumbled when Teagan called for them, and grumbled more when he found out it was Casey. Apparently, directions were only good enough for Teagan, so Aiden was stuck getting them from her as he drove.

They didn't even know what they were up against! This was so annoying, he thought as the drove down the road. From the windows, they could see the local amusement park coming closer and closer, and when Teagan told him to turn in and park, a part of Aiden was excited: come on, it was an amusement park. Would they get any work done? Another part of him knew that if it was for a hunt, that meant people were being hurt, and they couldn't screw around. Dammit.

Getting out of the car, Aiden grinned at the girls, cocking a brow at Teagan. "Nice hair cut," he said, and then glanced over the gates of the park. "Alright, if Casey sent us here, it means that it's something important, so we can't be distracted...oh my god. That's Benjie the Wolf. Dude, I've loved his character ever since I was a kid. Hold that thought," he said, walking in the direction of the obviously fake character, and costume of a wolf. Little three year olds were gathered around him, and Aiden, of all people, wanted an autograph.

[Yuki]

Why was it that every time it was her turn to cook, something had to happen?! Yuki let out an extremely frustrated sigh, then threw down the rag she was holding. "Shimatta," she hissed, and reluctantly grabbed her purse as she headed out the door. And that Casey, whom they had never even met--he had indirectly brought her here to Portland, and they continued to take his orders blindly. True, he was always right about there being a case, but he had quite possibly the most inconvenient timing in the history of mankind. When she met him (if she ever did), he was going to pay for having interrupted her cooking.

And so, bitterly, Yuki sat in the passenger seat of the car, too miffed to even criticize Aiden's driving or Teagan's so-called directions. Why had Casey contacted her, of all people? She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration when she saw their destination. Seriously? An amusement park? What "amusemet" could be drawn from such a place? Letting out another annoyed sigh, she got out of the car and grudgingly made her way to the entrance. What were they even after? It could be anything, and they didn't even know what to look for.

"Teagan. didn't Casey leave any specifics?" she said irritably, as she stood before the buildings and rides that stretched out in front of her. The girl was uncharacteristically happy. The child was normally in a relatively good mood, but this--she was like a little kid. They weren't here to goof off, they were here on a mission. Lives were at stake, and even though Yuki desired to be practically anywhere but where they were now, they had a job to perform. She looked to her faction leader as he began to relay further instruction. At least Aiden's attitude was much more suitable than Te--

Before she could finish her thought, Aiden went bounding excitedly in the direction of a man in a wolf costume. "This can't be happening," Yuki muttered under her breath in disbelief.

Marching over to him, and for once not caring that there were in fact little kids around, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

[Teagan]

Teagan let out a snicker as Aiden trailed off in his thoughts when he saw the character. Oh wow. She never would've pegged him as one who watched that show. But, she also wasn't going to stop him. After all, that's what the night was about: having fun.

It was just that only Teagan knew that at the moment, Aiden was catching on, and Yuki looked like someone had dropped ice down the back of her shirt. Killjoy, but did Teagan expect any less? No. The night was still young; she'd warm up eventually. The children surrounding the wolf stared oddly at Yuki as she grabbed Aiden's collar and dragged him back.

"No need to shout, Kiki," Teagan grinned, coming up with a new nickname for her. Hm, not the best...but it was better than Yuyu. "You'll scare the kids. Woah-wait, my phone is buzzing."

Teagan reached into her pocket and flipped open her cell phone. It hadn't really buzzed...but if she didn't do something soon, Aiden and Yuki were going to demand more information about the supposed 'hunt' and completely miss the purpose of the night. She pretended to scroll through her messages (as if she had any from anyone other than Portland).

"Huh," she frowned. "It's from Casey again. Looks like the situation resolved itself...or whatever that means. He doesn't need us anymore." Teagan looked at the tickets in her other hand, musingly. She lifted her gaze to Aiden, "But he already paid for the tickets and everything! It would be a shame to let it all go to waste..." She trailed off, hoping Aiden would get the hint.

[Aiden]

Aiden couldn’t help but give Casey some cool points for saving them once again from Yuki. He’d seen the small meals that she fixed for herself throughout the weeks, just snacks here or there or lunch. Most. Disgusting. Thing. Ever. He could sense her annoyance as she slid into the car, and he turned around to ‘ensure that something was in the car,’ but in reality he was really sharing the triumphant moment with Teagan, flashing a grin.

“Yuki, if you’re going to be so miffed about not being able to cook, you can pick where we eat on the way home, alright? Just…stop seething.” Aiden looked back to the road as they pulled away from the tavern. Once they arrived at the park, he could almost see the dark cloud that was hovering over Yuki’s head. “Seriously, cheer up emo kid. Have you never been to an amusement park before?” He threw a glance of his shoulder, and pointed his thumb at Yuki. “What’s her issue?” he asked Teagan quietly.

Benjie the Wolf. Ever since he was a child, this had been one of his cartoon heroes, and now there he was…well, okay, Aiden knew the difference between a costume and a real character, but come on, how many times would he get the chance to get the autograph of Benjie?! He was getting closer and closer, and just as he was about to reach his target, he felt fingers hook onto the collar of his shirt, and felt his weight fall backwards.

“I’m going over to Benjie to get his autograph,” he shot back, trying to wriggle out of her grip. Before he knew it, he was back by Teagan, and she was mentioning something about her phone. Finally standing upright again, he listened to her say that the mission was called off. No. Freakin’. Way. His mind went to the same place as Teagan’s, but then again…it suddenly made sense.

“Get in line,” he commanded Yuki, pointing to the gate. He let her walked forward, then Teagan, and then himself. He got close behind her, and then moved by her ear. “If you wanted to come, all you had to do was ask,” he whispered, a grin on his face.

Once they were inside, he looked around the park, trying to determine which ride to go on first. “Alright, do you guys want to go on Skyscraper of Screams first, or Wet and Wild Rivers, or ZombieBlasters, or…?”

[Yuki]

Dragging Aiden away from the faux wolf creature (and ignoring his protests), Yuki gave Teagan an icy glare upon hearing Teagan's nickname for her. Then, the girl informed them that Casey had the nerve to call off the mission. Yuki stood, blinking in revulsion. She couldn't believe this. Casey was seriously going to be in for it when she met him. Yuki would make sure he thought twice before taking such careless actions in the future. She could have been at the tavern, cooking a delicious meal, but no. Instead, she was stuck wasting away her life at a useless amusement park. She was about to protest their stay and claim that now that the mission was cancelled, that they didn't need to remain on the premises, but her two faction members had reverted to being a decade younger than their current age, and before she was aware of what was going on, she found herself standing in line to the entrance to the park. Aiden had commanded her to, and she found herself unwillingly obeying, her mind still in somewhat of a mission mode. By the time she realized what was going it, it was too late. She turned back around to face the two other hunters, but they were conscpicuously blocking her from leaving.

After several attempts at trying to get out of line, Yuki found it impossible to accomplish her task without calling too much attention. The last thing she wanted was a crowd surrounding her. Stamping her foot on the ground, she shot a glare at Aiden and Teagan and conceded to standing in line as quietly as she possibly could, but made sure that everyone around her knew she was unhappy. No good could come of this. All this time...it could have been used for research, for finding a hunt, for training, anything, something productive! This was not the time to be dawdling at an amusement park. She walked into the park with her arms crossed, a sour look upon her face, and an overall enraged countenance, and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Waste. of. time.

[Teagan]

"If you wanted to come, all you had to do was ask."

A wry smile briefly flashed Teagan's already beaming face. She mentally gave props to Aiden, not having expected him to just agree to going. In all of the scenarios she had played and replayed in her head, Yuki had rolled her eyes and Aiden had just stared with this "hunters-don't-play, serious-business, grow-up-kiddo" look. Watching the excitement roll off of him, Teagan made a note not to make quick judgments regarding the personality of hunters anymore.

She returned the comment with a slight shrug. "I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about." In contrary to her verbal denial, Teagan threw him a conspirator's grin. Yuki didn't need another reason to fume. Finding out Teagan had set up the entire night? Yeah, not the best idea.

Of which, while she expected the Japanese girl to be mad, Teagan was amused at how blatantly obvious she was about it. As they stood in line, Teagan noted how one of the children of the family before her had a sour complexion that bore a comical resemblance to Yuki's expression. Teagan nudged Aiden and nodded to the child, snickering. "Identical twins."

Their tickets verified, the group entered the park, and Teagan's eyes darted around. There was so much to take in-how long had it been since she had visited the fair? The bright colors danced in her vision, signs advertising rides demanded her attention.

"Let's ride them all," Teagan replied, unable to pick a ride off the top of her head. She tugged one her hair. This would be the most awesome night ever.

[Aiden]

This was going to be a day well spent. It was what they needed, really, after either hunting or preparing for going on a hunt all the time. Now they were just going to chill, relax and have a day of fun...well, he and Teagan would, Yuki not so much. She stood seething in front of him, sending the occasional death glare their way, and sulking in her own cloud of...angerresentmentirritationdespair and whatever else.

"Course you don't, where did I get that idea?" he responded with a grin, and commenced to fall into the same playful mood as Teagan. At the moment, he didn't really care if they were surrounded by anything supernatural...well, okay, he did, but only if they were actually attacking people. As long as no one was harmed, then he was fine. They needed a break, desperately, because after all, all work and no play made Aiden the "bipolar jerk."

"You know, Teagan, that doesn't really help," he said with a chuckle. He glanced around again, and noticed how the crowd of people that filled the park steered clear from Yuki in a bubble at least five feet in radius, the vibes emanating from the girl were terrifying the small children that passed. Aiden nudged Teagan's shoulder, nodding in her direction. "You don't see that very often. Here, I'll solve this," he said. "Alright, you know what Yuki? Let's go train, then."

[Yuki]

Training? Yuki opened one eye in suprise and turned to face Aiden. Was this his idea of a joke? Opening both of her eyes now, she observed Aiden for any hint of sarcasm, but he appeared serious. He had seemed so eager to be at this place only a couple seconds ago. Would he really change his mind that quickly? Such a decision truly was bipolar...

But no matter, training was training. Perhaps Aiden had come to his senses. An era late, but better than never. If they were going to train, Yuki wasn't about to argue. She would much rather train than go on rides--anywhere but to be here in the so-called "amusement" park.

"Fine," she replied cooly. "I'm glad to see you finally realized what a completely unnecessary excursion this is."

[Teagan]

Teagan covered her mouth with her hands, trying to contain laughter as the masses did their best to avoid Yuki. "No, you really don't," she agreed, watching two young children scurry past, trying to avoid eye contact.

Yuki was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Teagan could almost visualize the raincloud above the girl's head, dampening her spirits. Really, what was so bad about an amusement park? At least Aiden understoo-

Wait-training? What happened to the 'what-ride-first' attitude? Not cool! She had spent hours setting this whole gig up! Teagan shot a look of alarm to Aiden. "Training? Right here? Right now? Really?" What on earth was he thinking?

[Aiden]

It was funny that Yuki totally bought it, and even funnier that Teagan was just as lost. He had figured that at least Teagan would have caught on, but it wasn’t a problem if she didn’t. The smile on his face was smug, and he nodded at Teagan. “Yep, right here, right now. And no, Yuki, this wasn’t unnecessary at all.” He beckoned them to follow—the upside of them never having come there.

“You know, Yuki. You’re right. We need to work on our aim, it’s been shoddy lately and frankly, it’s unacceptable.” That wasn’t true, but hey, whatever kept her walking. “Here, the exit is through here,” he said, pushing Yuki through a doorway before she could see the title above the doorway. ZombieBlasters. He grinned at Teagan, and then followed after Yuki.

“Here is how it works. The more zombies you shoot, the more points you get. And I’ll buy funnel cake for the winner, and if I win, you’re buying,” he said, the grin not wearing off his face. Behind them, an automated, robotic zombie placed a mechanical hand on Yuki’s shoulder. “Don’t even argue this isn’t training, because its aim and accuracy in a high paced setting,” he added.

[Yuki]

As she followed Aiden, Yuki walked with an air of pride, glad that her two teammates had finally come to their senses. Listening to Aiden's words, she nodded in agreement about their need for training. Of course she had been right. However, she did resist the urge to shoot him a glare when he stated their aim was "shoddy." For his sake, she better not have been included in that grouping. Standing as a dedicated hunter ever since her introduction to the lifestyle, she most certainly did not have shoddy aim. It needed upkeep, but it was as perfect as it could be for a person with her experience and knowledge. If Aiden believed anyone lacked skill, it would be them, not her, but Yuki let it slide for the sake of training. If she said anything now, it was possible he would change his mind and decide to go on rides instead in retribution for her comment. And if he did...that fool is the one in possession of the damn car keys. She let out an upwards puff of air that lifted her bangs, and therefore forced herself to stay quiet.

Aiden was rather hasty about getting to training though. Their faction leader was odd indeed. At first, he seemed so determined to go on rides, to have "fun." Now he was set on training, much to Teagan's disappointment. Not that Yuki was protesting. But she did find his mood swing irritating. It made his thought process spastic and arbitrary. After pushing her through a doorway, Yuki blinked a couple times for her eyes to adjust to the new light. Once they did, she found that she could not stop blinking. What the--?!

Yuki swung around. her eyes ignited with anger. "If this is your idea of a joke--" she hissed, but then Aiden cut her off, explaining the rules of the so-called "training." Zombies?! This...this scenario was nothing more than child's play! A foolish recreation of what was really out there, an unnecessary distraction for those idiots who considered successfully shooting cardboard, plastic and light-weight metal a feat. This was most certainly not what she had in mind for training! Suddenly, she felt something cold grab her shoulder. Turning around violently, she swung her fist and heard the clang as the object hit the ground. She looked down and saw that it was a robotic arm, and then looked up to see that it belonged to one of the aforementioned cardboard-plastic-metal beings.

She turned back around to face Aiden. 'Fine,' she thought to herself. Fine. Two could play at that game. The beings weren't real zombies, but since the concept of aiming and shooting was the same, as Aiden had implied, Yuki felt assured of her victory in the battle. "So be it," she said icily, agreeing to the match. She would dominate this competition and make them wish they had never set foot in the amusement park.

[Teagan]

As Aiden explained the rules of the training session, Teagan sighed with relief. Good, he hadn't completely jumped off of the deep end. And he had discovered a way to force Yuki to participate without threatening to bolt. Kudos Aiden, she mentally thought, climbing into the car. Of course, each car only seated two people, so Teagan allowed the others to share a car and sat solo.

This would be a piece of cake.

Teagan normally sucked when it came to firing guns. Aiden made her practice nearly everyday until they both grew tired of her 'three feet to the left' issue. And the amount of wasted bullets. The added work did nothing for her aim; seemingly nothing could cure her of the alteration in direction. But that was just real life. In gaming, Teagan could handle a gun like a pro. Currently she held the top score in all of the arcades in Seattle. The closest anyone had come to beating it fell short by over a hundred thousand points.

So a zombie ride? Child's play compared to her mad skills. The plastic guns weighed lightly in both of her hands. Putting her game face on, she raised them as the ride started moving forward. It was time to slay some zombies.

[Aiden]

Little did Yuki know that Aiden was currently the highest record holder in the park for this ride, by a hefty score. A quick trigger finger and great accuracy was the key, not to mention being a hunter helped slightly. He generally beat his score each time he came, but this wasn't the time to beat his score; it was time to own the girls and show them why he was the faction leader. The line moved relatively quickly--Teagan had picked an optimum time to come, and the closer they got to the carts, the more cocky Aiden became. Telling them how he was going to wipe their faces in his victory. Own them. They'd never stand a chance. Yuki, of course, disagreed, though robotic zombies proved to be a great distraction.

Finally, they got to the carts. They had rock-paper-scissor'd who was riding with Yuki, and unfortunately, Aiden lost. Nevertheless, Yuki would just see his score as he owned her. He slid into the far seat, sitting down and drawing the fake gun, disregarding the cord that attached it to the ride. They stopped in front of a screen that demonstrated the use of the gun, laser sound effects coming each time the trigger was squeezed. Then the cart moved again, Teagan sitting only inches behind them, separated only by a barrier of plastic looking metal.

Then the game began. Aiden immediately shot to his right, left, straight, all multiple times, earning multipliers and hitting each target multiple times. The sound effects began to blur together, and eventually glitch out as he racked up the points. On the console between him and Yuki, his score showed up. As the cart moved through the transitional hallway, Aiden glanced down...what?! Yuki was doing just about as good as he was! That was okay, she didn't know about the target directly above them in the next room that was worth an immense amount of points. An evil grin crept on his face at the thought. Nice try.

Another room, more points, and no finger exhaustion yet. He glanced at the console. WHAT?! How was she keeping up? Fine, it was time to play dirty. Readying his finger, he shot at all the targets multiple times, all the way until the cart moved out and into the last and final room, basically a free for all, targets everywhere. He fired faster than he ever had, not daring to look away at the console. It took great concentration, and he was content when they exited. Sighing in victory, he looked at his points, his last record exactly. Yuki had no skill, she should see that--

What. The. Hell.

There was no way.

She couldn't have.

She didn't know the secrets.

He was pro on this ride.

He was supposed to own her.

They had...he glared at her. "How the hell did you tie with me?!" he hissed, pushing her shoulder as they exited the ride. Fuming and holding his glare, he looked at Teagan as she too got off. "Can you believe this?! We--" His eyes caught the flashing behind her. New Record. His glare became a death stare, surely one equivalent to Medusa. "I know that this thing is malfunctioning," he growled at Teagan.

[Teagan]

"Is it now?" Teagan asked innocently, scratching her head as she stared at the flashing screen. "It must be, I suppose. Certainly Aiden Wood would never be jealous or competitive in a stupid training exercise." Sarcasm dripped from her lips like syrup on a stack of warm pancakes. "You don't think I rigged it, do you?" She gave the image of mock offense. "I can't rig a place I've never been to before!"

Actually, that last statement held no truth at all, but Aiden and Yuki didn't need to be privy to that information. Anything could be done-for a price, of course, but finding the right price was Teagan’s specialty. If people didn't accept cash or credit, blackmail always sold them.

Any deceit she left behind her on the ride and the score that turned Aiden's face into a tomato was as honest as could be. Despite her defect, training had finally produced results in Teagan, honing her hand-eye coordination to a point where the moment she aimed she hit the target. Straight on, too.

"Dang Aiden, you were right-training all day and night does pay off," she walked past him, apologetically patting him on the back a few times. "You must be so proud that you made me spend all of those hours at the shooting range. Heck, I thought you made me do it as a payback for pranks, but who would've guessed you actually had a secret motive? Nice job, coach."

The prize for breaking the all time record was three tickets to the magic show, Teagan discovered as she exited the ride. One of the employees shoved them at her before she made it through the turn stall, muttering a word of congratulations. Minimum wage did nothing for the moral, she thought as she fanned the tickets out in front of her.

"You guys want to check this out?" Teagan asked the rest of the faction, clearly excited. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, causing her to jump slightly. "The next show's in an hour. We can hit up some more rides before the next show!"