Driver: SF plus RWBY. Yeah. I don't know what I'm thinking.
Title: Nothing yet.
Summary: In which Tanner's coma REALLY goes off the deep end. Dust? Grimm? Huntsmen? He just wants to catch Jericho damn it. But there's also a terrorist plot in the background - why can't he just shift into every goddamn car in the city?!
Marin General Hospital, Marin County, California
"How's he looking doc?" Asked one African American man with a low afro, blue jeans, a dark blue Henley, and an olive-green shirt as a jacket. A Police badge hanging from his belt.
A sigh, then a reply of a man in medical scrubs. "Not good, Detective Jones. What we're seeing is a complete regression of all the progress we had achieved over the last few days. He is no longer responding to stimuli, we've had to put him back in the ventilator, and it seems like he is just... Immersed inside of his own head - I really did not want to give these news, but I believe he is now in a persistent vegetative state"
The Detective in the room sighed and looked down to the hospital bed both him and the doctor were looming over, in which laid a Caucasian man in a hospital gown. Completely out cold, in a coma.
"And there's no hope he'll wake up? On the long term?"
"To be honest with you, it would be preferable if he woke up in the short term. The longer he spends out cold, the less chances he has for a successful recovery, and that of course, is based around the possibility he wakes up... If ever" The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry to be so negative, but this is as much as we can do right now. The only thing I could suggest is that you keep your daily visits, and your talks to him. The news on the television seemed to elicit a reaction out of him, so keep him updated about Charles Jericho's break-out, and your daily life. Maybe that will make us regain our progress"
"Well, I guess I can try" He took a seat at Tanner's bedside. "Mind leaving us alone for a while, doc?"
The Doctor nodded. "You have an hour and a half. Good luck Detective"
With that, it was just a comatose man, and a moody detective left in the room.
"Dammit Tanner. I don't know what to say" Jones reached for Tanner's inert arm. "You've been in so many car crashes, you've been shot at, and all it took was just one T-bone to knock you down a peg... But I know you're fighting, John. You always have, I know this isn't gonna keep you down. Jericho's bullet sure didn't, and you've been in worse crashes. So I'm confident"
He took a moment to look at the TV, a news bulletin involving the kidnapping of an industrial chemist was first and center.
"I wonder if Jericho's got something to do with that, what you think, Tanner?" Silence was his only answer. "Right. Probably. It's a bit too bold for your average joe, to do that in the middle of Downtown? He's got balls"
The report then switched back to Jericho's escape, which was still fresh in the public's mind. Having known most of what was on the TV, Jones took the bold move of grabbing the remote and changing the channel. After zapping through several channels, he eventually settled on a cartoon of sorts.
"Hey, I know this show. My kids watch it a lot. I thought it was only online or whatever, but I guess it got syndication now. It's about a team of four girls who go to an academy to slay monsters on a fantasy world. Fun for the whole family if I've ever seen it. Guess I'll watch it with you to get my mind off things. I'm getting tired of turning around trash cans looking for Jericho"
Little did Jones know, that action would change a man's coma dream dramatically.
Forest Hill, San Francisco, Comafornia
A yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with black R/T stripes and 440 six-pack shaker hood tore through the empty streets of San Francisco. A thick fog covering up visibility heavily.
"C'mon John! Hold it together!" He said to himself as he held a powerslide. "This can't be happening!"
"Oh" A maniacal voice said through the radio. "But it is, Tanner. THIS IS HAPPENING!"
As if on cue, bolts of lightning hit the earth, and a fleet of a mixture of prison vans and Dodge Ram SRT-10s started appearing with just one goal: Wrecking Tanner's car.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Exclaimed Tanner, recovering from a hit in the rear of his car. "I'm too exposed, I need to head deeper into the city, let the streets work for me. Alleys and street grids will cover me"
Tanner narrowly avoided a prison van from ramming him head-on, but then he was spun out by an SRT-10, which then proceeded to grind him against a wall. "C'mon Jericho! You lousy maniac! Do your worst!" Tanner said as he recovered from the loss of control, regaining traction after a few seconds of involuntary burnouts, blinding some of his pursuers who then collided with each other head on or t-boning each other in a spectacle of automotive gore. "You can come at me with every prison van and Dodge Ram in existence, and I'll still come back for more!"
"You don't get it, do you, Tanner? You're done! It's over, realize it!" The radio crackled to life again after a moment of static. "This was over the moment you got t-boned by that 18-wheeler, just give up already!"
"You think I'm giving up Jericho? I've been chasing you all over the globe, survived countless crashes, getting shot at by lots of people - including you - and you think I'm ever going to give up? Screw you!" He continued making use of his tires to blind anyone as he then picked up speed and continued his dash to Downtown San Fran. "I'm gonna break out from this bad dream, and then I'm gonna be hot on your tail again, then I'll make sure you are where you deserve, jail! Just you wait until all the traffic returns to the city, then I'm going to use every goddamn car in San Francisco find you!"
Jericho just laughed maniacally. Tanned had enough and turned off the stereo on his car and soldiered on. Avoiding as many impacts as he could but Jericho still had the numbers advantage. By the time he neared Downtown, however, his Challenger had one foot in the grave.
"C'mon ol' girl" He pleaded the old muscle car as the trunk lid fell off. "I'll get you fixed up, but just get us somewhere safe, come on!"
As he went past a car dealership, he then performed a powerslide in such a way that two prison vans collided with each other as he snuck between them and then he continued to haul ass out of there. It was going perfectly. Only a few blocks away from the finish line, and it would all be over, he would wake up.
Or, at least, that was the plan. Until the rear tires of his car went 'Pop'. Sending him on an uncontrollable spin that then proceeded to grind him to a halt in a T-intersection, with his passenger side grinding between the sidewalk and the wall. Then his engine cut off.
"NO! NO NO NO NO! C'MON! NOT THIS CLOSE!" He pleaded as he turned the key and tried to start the engine again. The crank rotating under the power of the starter but the combustion not starting properly yet. "START OL' GIRL, DO IT!"
Then, as if it due to a miracle, the 440 cubic inch HEMI V8 started again. "YES" He kicked the transmission into first gear, mashed the accelerator, and let go of the clutch.
The rubber-less wheels spun, barely moving the car.
He turned his head left.
He saw the headlamps of a pick-up truck, and Jericho with a feral grin as everything went dark.
...
...
...
"Tanner!" A voice called out to him, he felt himself being shaken. "Tanner! Come back buddy!"
He opened his eyes. He was back inside of his Challenger, Jones in the passenger seat, looking at him with worry. "Tanner. Thank God. For a moment I thought..."
He stretched in his seat, briefly closing his eyes again as his joints cracked. "I'm fine, Jones. Just a bad dream"
"Sure, looked like it. Hey - don't fall asleep on stakeouts anymore, you're gonna give me a heart attack"
"No promises, Jones" He finished stretching, and opened his eyes again. Finally taking in his surroundings... And he didn't recognize this alley, nor the street... Let alone the buildings in the distance. "What the hell?"
"Tanner, everything okay?"
"No, it isn't. Where are we?"
"Alleyway between Vytal and Automne. Industrial"
A puzzled look marred Tanner's face. "I... I don't know those streets" He continued to look around. "I don't know this city"
"Man, you seriously need to be checked in. Whatever that dream did to you it seriously shook you up, I'm gonna call this off" Jones tried to reach for the police radio and Tanner stopped him. "Hey, what gives?"
"This is too freaking weird. Don't do anything. Just stay here, I'll find out what's going on"
"What do you mean: Stay here? You're not gonna leave me on foot while you do whatever it is you're gonna do, right? What about the stakeout?"
"Argh. Jones, the car isn't going anywhere, my body isn't going anywhere. I'll just Shift out and see what's what"
"Do what?"
"Forget it, just keep watch. Don't mind me going silent"
"Man, this is some freaky hoo-doo shit"
With that, Tanner took a deep breath and in a matter of instants he was out of his body. Looking at his Challenger from above. Then he started to navigate the streets with his mind.
I need to find out where am I, and street view isn't going to cut it. He tried zooming out, to access further shift levels, but he couldn't. What? Back to scratch? I need to test the rest of my abilities. I need my boost and ram.
With that, he started scouring the block for cars. After surprisingly finding no-one driving, he went further east. Then he finally found someone in a vehicle, namely a red Dodge Neon sitting on a parking lot with a passenger. Perfect.
He shifted into the vehicle. When he looked at the passenger seat, there was a muscular blonde man looking ahead, who then glanced at him. "Okay Ruby. I hope you're ready for your driving lesson"
He then adjusted the rear-view mirror, allowing him to see who he had just shifted into... A silver-eyed teenager.
Oh, this is just great. Well, time to give the old man a run for his money. His hand moved into the gear selector. "Sorry dad, I need to try something"
"Ruby, I -" 'Ruby' then slotted the car into reverse, wrapped her arm around the passenger seat, and sped out of the parking lot, doing an FWD burnout as the vehicle was slotted back into drive and lurched forward. "RUBY, STOP!"
"Not now old man, focus on holding on to your lunch" Tanner then found a decent straightway and then willed the engine to work overtime to give more power, the car now sitting at 118 miles per hour. "Okay, boost works - dad, did I ever tell you how much I want to test how strong this car is?"
"RUBY, NO!"
"Yeah yeah. Keep your seatbelt on, we're going for a hard knock"
"THAT'S IT, BRAKE! THE PEDAL IS ON THE LEFT!"
"The one I need is on the right, hold on" Tanner started to charge up the ram and aimed straight for what appeared to be a patrol car on the oncoming lane.
However, the car started fishtailing. He looked to the center console and realized that the blond man had yanked the handbrake. Tanner counter steered to reel the car in. "Hey! Hands off the controls! You don't see me messing with the gear stick when you drive, huh?"
"RUBY YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US BOTH"
"Why are you so negative? You've got your seatbelt on, and the airbags will protect us!" He swatted his hand away with surprising strength for a teenager. But then realized the police car turned their lights on in response to their reckless driving. "Oh damn. Now I got to get you both out of this"
"Ruby, what are you TALKING ABOUT?!"
"Here's a deal, pops. You don't interfere, and I'll shake the cops, got it?"
"RUBY ROSE, YOU'RE GROUNDED!"
"You can ground me later, after the flashing lights are gone from our mirrors"
With that, 'Ruby' yanked the handbrake herself and drifted into an alleyway. Pursuers hot on their tail. But a few more stylish turns managed to drop the heat. Ramming a tanker to block out one of the exits was also a stroke of genius. And a bit of boost later, they were in the clear.
The blonde dad was hyperventilating. "Oh my Oum... Where did you even learn to drive like this?"
"Heh, Detective John Tanner's Crash Course!"
"Did that guy even teach you what a red light means? Or the difference between the sidewalk and the road?!"
"Tch tch. Parents. I'm out. Don't worry about the tickets, someone will take care of that... Probably"
With that, Tanner Shifted out of the Neon, and started making calculations. Well, that tells me nothing. I need another passenger. Someone less... Hysterical. A bustling city center was nearby, with lots of traffic to Shift into. Perfect. All I need is to find a taxi.
Finding an occupied taxi took next to no time. Finding one that had someone intelligent though... That was another matter.
Eventually, he managed to pick a hyperactive man just gulping coffee near the city walls. "To the Beacon Bullhead Port, and step on it please!"
"Oh, you've got it" Finally someone who spoke Tanner's language. Now to see whether he could be useful as Tanner set up the destination on the GPS. "Hey. Mind telling me something nice about this place? I just moved in"
"Exciting! From where?"
"Uh, San Francisco" He answered truthfully.
"Vacuo! Interesting" Well, I've got no idea where that is. "Well, primarily: Welcome to the City and Kingdom of Vale. It's always great to have foreigners like you come here. You feed our culture and make us stronger! No matter what the nationalists might want to say"
"Yeah, tell me about it"
On the drive, the man just kept talking, and talking, and talking. But Tanner got the gist of it. He wasn't in Kansas anymore. Remnant, a planet assailed by creatures of darkness, protected by people with superpowers just like him, powered by magic crystals that are NOT magic, and where there were apparently some kind of animal people that were being treated as bad as Jones would be during the 1950s. He was currently in Vale, some kind of weird mix between France and America from what he could discern. Which despite being a Kingdom, a king did not actually rule it, it was ruled by a council... So, Australia sans the accents, then.
Eventually he dropped the man off at the 'Bullhead' port as he requested, where he saw some of the weirdest aircraft ever conceived to man... At least the cars were the same. Also, he saw his car zoom by, following another car.
"Huh, time to get back to Jones" He mused, and did just that.
With a zap, he was back in his own body, chasing down a modern Ford Mustang Convertible. "So, Jones? What's cooking?"
"Oh, so you're back among the living again. You were spaced out for so long I thought you had brain damage"
"Jones, we've been through this before. I can will my soul out of my body and take over other people's bodies"
"Is that weird semblance? When did you even get your Aura unlocked?"
"Don't question it. Now, what've got on this guy?"
"He's in deep with Roman Torchwick. You know that low-life thief who thinks he's so stylish while he robs people?"
"So, we need to bring him into custody, got it. Watch this, Jones. That guy is about to be wanted by every car in the city"
"I'm all ears, Tanner"
"No, Jones. Be all eyes"
With that, Tanner started using Shift in the best way he knew how: Using every car in the city as a battering ram until the suspect's car stopped running. He shifted into several heavy-duty cars, including Chevy C10s, Camion Hyramaxes, Caisson buses, Dodge Ram 3500s - the lot of those cars rammed into the suspect's Mustang from all fronts until it could no longer drive, the wheels falling off. As soon as that happened, their backup arrived and they surrounded the suspect swiftly, and efficiently. Ordering them to surrender promptly.
"Dispatch, this is 40-Adam-30" Jones called it in as Tanner looked pleased with himself, a smug smirk on his face. "Suspect vehicle is disabled, marked cars are surrounding them, over"
Tanner lowered the volume of the police radio to talk to his partner. "So, believe me now, Jones?"
"Well, that's as much of proof as I'm gonna get" Jones looked at his partner in disbelief. "So, lemme get this straight: If you zap into a fine-looking lady-"
"I keep my hands on the wheel"
Jones laughed. "Sure, whatever you say"
"Okay, that's enough - let's get back to work"
With that, Tanner and Jones were back on the prowl, leaving the scene behind for the precinct to fill out the necessary paperwork after this chase.
On a warehouse in Eastern Vale, one Roman Torchwick was pacing along the manager's office. The place being his safehouse for the time being.
The ginger master thief was twirling his cane as he paced along, fidgety - nervous. "I'm robbing this kingdom blind, yet I can't do shit with the loot"
A lady of small stature who looked like the human version of a specific type of ice cream mixture did the slitting throat motion.
"I know Neo, I know" He waved her off. "However, allow me to counter that with this: How the hell do we go about killing her? You've seen what she can do. It's not as easy as killing her in her sleep or sneak behind her when she's distracted. And don't even get me started on whoever's behind her either" He paused as he saw Neo doing an assortment of gestures. "Neo, we can't just deal with that whenever it happens. We need to have a plan, work an angle. And given how useless Ozpin has been in stopping us, turning states is out of the question"
At that moment, a presence made itself known to Roman. "Maybe there's a way I can help"
In response, Roman and Neo pointed their weapons towards the intruder, it being a tall, middle-aged, balding man with a growing full beard. "Who the hell are you?" Asked the ginger criminal.
"Me? I'm nobody special" The man leaned back against a bookshelf and crossed his arms. "Except I'm the man who can get you out of this mess"
Roman scoffed. "As if you could get Cinder off my tail"
"I can give her more pressing matters to worry about. Leaving you" He pointed at Roman. "And you" He pointed at Neo. "With enough wiggle room to make a run for Vacuo, or stay here without consequences"
"How in the hell are you planning to do that?"
"Leaving enough crumbs for the most overpowered cop in the city to come after Cinder, while also getting him both off yours, and my tails. We all win here" The man rolled up his right sleeve, eyeing a watch. "Well, looks like it's time for me to go. Think about it - won't you? I have other things to do. If you ever decide, just say 'Jericho' and we can discuss terms"
After that, the man went from being a hulking human to a dog faunus in a flash of light. Leaving Neo and Roman stunned for a moment.
A writing exercise gone off the deep end, this is. I have no drive (See what I did there?) to continue this. As much as I love cars and Driver, I don't feel like I'd do the source material justice trying to shoehorn Tanner, Jones, and Jericho (Especially him) into Remnant. Especially given how conflicting the focuses of Driver and RWBY are.