Under Pressure

Disclaimer: Okay-ness. Waiting for my McDonald's to arrive. I don't own McDonald's. I don't own IGPX, either.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to CASE iN POiNT. She's got me up and going again. Kind of. Sorta. Actually, she just told me that I should update. Thank you, Case!

Chapter Four: Get the Party Started (Archer Remix)

"Dude, Raven, check it out," Mitch said, passing a crimson envelope across the chairs to his forward.

"That's dudette, to you, Mitchell," Raven retorted before a cough racked her body. "What the heck did they spray this with?"

"Who's they?" Bryce muttered, not glancing up from the magazine he was reading.

"White Snow," Raven scrunched up her nose. "It's some kind of party or... something,"

"When is it?"

"Tonight,"

A red flag went up in Bryce's head. He looked up at his team mates. "Aren't we doing something tonight?" he frowned.

"Um..." Mitch said, stretching so his chair reclined. "Yeah... but we're going to accidentally forget about it for the time being, right Ray?"

"Right," she chuckled. "Besides, Cunningham is going to be there."

"Ooo, I love Cunningham," Mitch mocked in a falsetto voice, only to get a solid WACK from Raven.

"But... we race Velshtein in four days. Hayden will murder us if he finds that you went and skipped practice. And, personally, I feel like living," said Bryce, tossing his magazine onto the side table. "You could just ask him if you can go. He might say yes... but even if he doesn't, he'll know where you went."

"Are you nuts? It's more fun this way!" Mitch exclaimed.

"Come with us, Bry," Raven said seductively, giving the Russian a sexy look.

"I... yeah, but only because I don't trust you two to come home completely sober, even if you are underage."

"Score!" Mitch shouted, pumping a fist into the air. The chair tipped backwards at the sudden movement, causing him to fall out head-first and run right into the wall. A quiet curse could be barely be heard over Raven's laughter.

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

The three Delta racers stood in front of the White Snow dorm. Flashing strobe lights could be visible and deep bass could be felt through the ground. In the dark, the color of the clothing that the trio wore was offset by the different lights. Apparently, the party had already started. The invitation had told them to dress casually. Bryce sighed deeply and jammed his hands into baggy blue jean pockets. His t-shirt read IGPX across the front, but, in the flashing lights, one couldn't come right out and say what color it was. His last name, Roland, was seemingly slapped across his shoulder blades. Below it, Delta, in its Greek letter form, stood out in red ink. The actually color of the shirt was dark, but the specific tone was yet to be identified.

Raven stood to the right of him in tight khakis and the same t-shirt that Bryce had, only with Archer across the back instead of Roland. Her head unconsciously moved to the beat of the faint music. Dark brown hair, recently straightened, cascaded over her shoulders as her bangs did a sweep across her forehead.

The last Delta, though, seemed to have gone a little too casual. Of course, he wore the same shirt as his team mates, with Watson across the back. His cargo pants, though, were a different story. It looked as though something had attacked them, and Bryce took the time to point that out. Holes and rips appeared in various intervals on the pants, especially the knees.

"That's not cool," Raven told him.

Mitch replied with a nasty glare.

Bryce rolled his eyes. "Let's get in there before I get attacked by screaming fangirls,"

"But you don't have any fangirls," Raven noted.

"Not yet, I don't, but when we finally get in there, which will be in a million years, I might,"

"Let's go," Mitch groaned, taking the first step.

When they got to the door, a man appeared, asking for the invitation. Raven, a little creped out, handed it to him. He opened the door.

"It's not to bad in here, actually," Raven said, stepping inside.

"Heh, Ray, there's another door," said Bryce, taking the opportunity to open the second set of doors.

The force of the music itself almost knocked them over. Bryce and Raven could barely hear Mitch's "Whoa-ho!" over the music.

A mass of dancing bodies filled the center of the room. Tables were scattered where bodies were not. "There's no way all of these people could be IGPX pilots," Bryce mumbled to himself.

"You're right," said a voice to his left.

Bryce turned his head. River Marque. "You heard me?" he shouted.

"Sure," the blonde said.

"Who are they all?"

"Famous people, close friends of White Snow, Pilots, more famous people..."

"Oh," Bryce said, attempting to find his friends as a mixed version of 'Baby Got Back' started. Ugh. He hated this song. A little ways away, he saw Takashi, Liz, and Amy sitting at a table next to a table that contained member of Velshtein. At another table sat a member of Edge Raid surrounded by drinks. In this lighting, it was hard to identify anybody.

"Can I sit with you guys?" he asked, approaching the Satomi table. He saw Takashi nod and motion to the seat next to him.

"So you're Roland, huh?" he heard a rough, female voice ask.

"Yeah..." Bryce said, shaking the hand of Liz. "My team abandoned me for, um... this," he looked around the room.

"Sorry, man," she replied, grinning. "We don't even know why we come to these things,"

Bryce looked over at Takashi, offering a hand. "Bryce Roland,"

"Delta midfielder, I know," Takashi droned. "You guys have been all over the news for the past couple weeks. But, I must admit, you guys aren't too bad." He gave Bryce a small smile and took the hand offered.

"Thanks,"

"So, where are they? You team mates, I mean,"

Bryce squinted. That was a good question. Looking around, he spotted a circle of cheering people. Between them, he caught glimpses of Mitch and his ripped pants. "Well," he started, "it looks like Mitch, our defender, is over there," he nodded toward the circle. He saw Raven dancing with some guy in the mass of bodies. "Raven, our forward, is... in there,"

He heard Takashi laugh, then stop. "Here comes trouble,"

Bryce's eyes flicked up to see a man with a diamond on his cheek. He couldn't remember the name, but he felt his stomach tighten. A member of White Snow.

"Delta," the man sneered. "Glad you could make it."

"No problem," Bryce replied quietly, trying not to make eye contact.

"Zanak," Takashi growled, "great party,"

"Glad you think so," Judy Highsmith crowed, coming up behind Zanak, obviously drunk. "You must by that Bryce..." she slurred.

"Go dance, Judy," Zanak told her.

Grinning widely, she was happy to oblige.

"How did you guys get all this alcohol?" Bryce asked over the music. "You're underage!"

"You'd be surprised," Zanak flashed a grin.

"I'm sure,"

Reducing his grin to a minute smile, he walked away. This time, with a sweeping glance, Bryce took in his surroundings, but this time something was wrong.

Hayden Erikson stood at the double door entrance. Rachel stood on his right.

Bryce cursed, causing Takashi to look at him.

"What?"

"We... weren't supposed to come," Bryce told him. "We... they snuck out. I followed them only to make sure they got home alright."

Then Hayden made eye contact with the Russian, giving him a poisonous look. Bryce closed his eyes. They were in for it now.