In which Shelby brings an unexpected guest.

[shelbycobra]

It had been a while since Shelby had visited the Nexus, and in that time, many things had changed. She had made the decision to stay at Team Penske despite getting a very good offer from Chip Ganassi Racing, unable to walk away from the teammates and crew members that she considered family after they had supported her through the majority of her career. She had reunited with her strategist Shane Worthington, and the two of them had made a pact that they were going to make her giving up her dream job worth it. Unfortunately the 2022 season had not yielded the success that they wanted.

While Shelby had won a race, her other teammates had won more. And though she was leading the championship standings by virtue of consistently finishing in the Top 5, that still felt disappointing when she'd had years where she had won three or four events and dominated. There were only four races left in the season and she felt like she hadn't reached her full potential. She was also adjusting to changes off-track with rumors about where she might be driving in 2023 and having to balance a personal life. After almost a decade of friendship and over a year of circling each other, she and her ex-strategist Peter Fowler had finally entered into a romantic relationship. While Shelby loved Peter deeply, the transition hadn't been easy and she wasn't used to having to think about her home life during the racing season. She also had no idea that he had bought an engagement ring in Toronto.

Add all that up and she wasn't surprised the Nexus thought she needed a getaway once they had finished the Indianapolis race and things had relatively settled back to normal. What did surprise her was that Peter had gone through the door with her. That had never happened before, but one second they'd been headed for the garage to try and distract themselves by working on her Cobra, and now here they were. Peter was the most down to earth person she knew, so Shelby's first reaction was to turn around and see exactly how perplexed he was. He was just staring at her like he thought she was going to say something, and so she just grabbed him by the waist to get his 6'2" self out of the way.

"Okay, how does anybody else feel about surprises?" she quipped, wondering who was around right now and what they were going to say when she introduced them to her boyfriend.

Comments

[telekinesis_kills]

Danny smirks a little, and replies, "Depends on the kind of surprise, really. Though I always seem to be startling people one way or another."

[shelbycobra]

"Startling would be an understatement," Peter commented, his pronounced Irish accent rolling over the words as he had been born and raised in Ireland before moving to Indiana as a teenager.

"I don't know how you got here either," Shelby replied as if to affirm that this was a surprise to both of them. She had simply planned to work on her car and let him help as a way of giving them both something less stressful to do. But she knew that once the Nexus plucked her she wasn't getting out until the place was ready to let her go. She sighed and glanced at Danny. "I don't think we've met before. Shelby Manning, this is my boyfriend, Peter Fowler."

[telekinesis_kills]

"Danny Chase," he introduces himself, holding out a hand to shake. "I've recently fallen into the Nexus for the first time myself."

[shelbycobra]

Shelby shakes Danny's hand with the firm grip of someone who's spent a long time working with power tools. "Good, we can all be confused together," she says cheerfully. "No way to know for sure, but I think I ended up back here to get away from all of my job stress. It's been a long few weeks. But that doesn't explain him."

"I'm fairly sure I share the stress," Peter comments. Working on his own race team, he goes through the same rigorous schedule and challenges Shelby does, not to mention that his driver (another of her oldest friends) had gotten into a wreck just a few days before their last race. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Danny. Can I ask how you got here?"

DC Comics is a weird collection of universes and Danny has dealt with a lot of crap XD

[telekinesis_kills]

"It's a nice thought, at least. That the multiverse cares enough to give us a break sometimes."

Danny looks toward Peter now when he replies, "I was cleaning up after a mad scientist and tripped through a doorway into the Nexus. And yet, it's not the weirdest thing I've gotten into on the job." He smiles, but sounds perfectly serious as he says, "Dealing with refugees from a cartoon world still holds the top spot."

and Shelby is created from a movie no one watched

[shelbycobra]

"You can't be serious," Peter replies, but he can tell from the look on Danny's face that he absolutely is serious. His eyes flick back to Shelby, who nods slightly to confirm to him that the Nexus was a place where seemingly anything was possible. He sighs and undoes another button on his collar, guessing that he's about to be in for more than handing her tools or helping her complete an oil change.

Shelby is much better at taking the situation in stride. "That sounds like a lot," she says sympathetically. "I'm afraid we don't have much knowledge of the fantastic. I'm a driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, and Peter is a strategist for my teammate's car." A pause, having to remind herself for the billionth time that regular people do not know her sport's vernacular. "He calls the shots," she adds, almost sheepishly.

[telekinesis_kills]

He shrugs. "Oh, I'm serious. And it was... an experience. Reality is apparently... not quite as solid around 'toons. It bends to situational humor. I'm not looking forward to a repeat, if it happens."

Danny actually does look impressed when Shelby explains what she and Peter normally deal with. It may not be as fantastical as what his own job throws at him, but...

"That sounds like you need nerves of steel, what with all the machinery moving around at high speeds. Hell of a lot of 'job stress' for the both of you."

[shelbycobra]

"It has its challenges, yeah." Shelby chuckled. But if she was honest, she didn't feel them. Not in the way that Peter did. Racing 32 other cars in speeds that could surpass 200 MPH was certainly stressful and required her to be constantly aware and make moves in seconds if not less. But maybe because she had grown up in the sport and had been driving in some form since college, she saw it as a positive challenge. She had the muscle memory to know what to do and trusted her fellow drivers explicitly so she was rarely worried about anything too catastrophic.

Peter, on the other hand, was the leader of his entire team. Every decision fell on his shoulders and he had to constantly be aware of facts, figures and what other teams were doing or might do. His job was the racing equivalent of being an air traffic controller and that to her was more stressful than being in the car where she was just one piece of the puzzle. She admired that he had the quick thinking skills and calm temperament to do the job. Even now he had taken the last few moments to take a breath and start processing his situation.

"It probably sounds weird, but I'm at my calmest when I'm in the car, because that's where I just do what I know how to do with people I've spent years racing with," she says. "Peter has to stay on top of everything and he's incredible at keeping his cool no matter what happens. My strategist is a little more intense." And here her boyfriend chuckled, because Shane was more than a little intense, but that worked for him and it worked for Shelby. It had gotten them three Indianapolis 500 victories and a handful of championships.

"So how does your job work?" he asked. "It seems like you have a caseload that doesn't come around every day."

[racerkorerk]

[Thought I would leave both of my car nuts for her.]

Ollie was under the hood of a decked out 80's Firebird with a older guy that has red hair down past his waist. Ollie's stunt bike parked there too but they were talking engines and how to amp up his Formula 1 car. Rekker wasn't a racecar driver, more a speed demon on the road with a love for fast cars and no fear of death.

Ollie looked up and barely stifled the laugh when he saw the man, taller than Rekker, looking like he didn't know what the hell was going on. "It depends on the surprise and who is springing it."

Ollie had dated a troublemaker of a prankster for a long time, and he was one himself. Rekker looked up too, pushing all that red hair out of the way. "As long as it doesn't involve damned glitter."

That got a laugh free of Ollie who was still getting used to how grouchy the red head could be.

[shelbycobra]

"I don't think there's any chance of that," Shelby replied with a laugh. Shifting her grip to Peter's hand to reassure him that what was happening, while strange, was okay and that she would find some way to explain the Nexus to him. Even if she didn't know exactly how, since she had learned very little about how it worked in the few times that she had visited before.

"I had been planning to work on my Cobra," she quipped, the Indy 500 winner's ring sparkling on her other hand. "But I probably shouldn't touch your car. Please tell me things are quiet around here today? While I try to introduce my boyfriend here to our little side venture."

sorry for the late reply, RL got crazy.

[rage_rekker]

Rekker was wiping his hands off and smiled at the laugh. She had no idea the mess that happened sometimes but it wasn't the worst of the pranks usually.

"AC or Shelby?" Ollie asked at the mention of a Cobra. There were a few models and he was naturally curious.

Rekker shrugged about her and the car. "I don't mind." He had been showing Ollie how to do engine upgrades. "As calm as it can be with thirty rockstars on tour break around somewhere."

Surely there was intense chaos somewhere, probably a bar, but this part of the Nexus was calm for the moment.

[pizzaninja]

Michelangelo was doing his own bit of exploring when the couple came through their gateway. It appeared their entry was as seemingly random as his was. From the vidscreen in the plaza to the various pamphlets, Mikey's first impression was that this place was freaking amazing. His brothers would probably never believe him when he got back to tell them. Unless they suddenly showed up here too of course.

"Hey pretty lady!" The ninja turtle said from where he was perched on a ledge above them where they came out. His blue eyes twinkled from behind the orange mask. "I love surprises!"

My inner TMNT fan thanks you

[shelbycobra]

"Well, that makes one of us!" Shelby comments. She's not at all phased by a talking turtle, considering the things she's seen in the Nexus before. But she does know she hasn't seen him before, so she offers out a hand in greeting. He may or may not notice the sparkling Indy 500 winner's ring on said hand; she wears it everywhere. "Shelby Manning. Nice to meet you."

Awwww <3

[pizzaninja]

Grinning, Mikey flipped off the ledge and landed lightly on his feet in front of the couple. Him and his brothers were below average height compared to humans, with Mike standing at about 5 feet and a couple inches. That didn't phase the social turtle any as he cheerfully slapped his palm into Shelby's hand and gave it a hearty shake.

"I'm Michelangelo. Nice to meetcha Shelby!" A glint caught his eye before he let her hand go. "Ooo nice shiny!" His eyes shifted to the man behind her who was at least a foot taller than he was. "Hey! 'Sup dude?" He greeted with a three fingered wave.

"So...this your first time here? Pretty sweet huh?"

[shelbycobra]

"I've been here before, he hasn't." Shelby chuckles. "It's neat, but it can also be a lot to take in. It seems like literally anything can happen here." Which she saw as both a good and potentially bad thing.

"Not to mention I was in the garage five minutes ago," Peter comments wryly. "So what exactly do you do here?"

"I don't think there's a lot of structure. I tend to walk around and run into people." Shelby laughed. For someone whose life was all structure it was a bit daunting to be in a place where she didn't know what to do, where to be or who was looking for her. "So, Michelangelo, where are you from originally?"

[pizzaninja]

Mikey's grin just got bigger. "First time here for me. This place is so awesome! I can't wait to explore." He looked at the fellow who asked the question but Shelby answered before he could. "I had just been chilling in the plaza. They have pamphlets to read about this place and a big screen with a dude talking about the Nexus on it. Cool costume too."

He chuckled at the question. "New York in the good ol' U S of A. Where are you guys from?" He winked and gestured in a good natured finger gun at the pair. "Kudo's to you guys for not screaming and running when I said hi by the way. It seems like I'll be able to just check this place out like regular folks! It's the coolest place ever!" He sighed, though the expression was both wistful and happy. "Too bad my bro's aren't here."

[tieflingtarot]

"I love surprises," Molly mused from his spot perched on a retaining wall, tail flicking idly against the brick in a way that just made rings piercing the spade jingle faintly. "So long as I'm not likely to get stabbed in the process. That makes surprises a bit less fun, I've found."

[shelbycobra]

"I could understand that." Shelby chuckles. "I'm not used to them. My whole day is normally very structured. Although today was supposed to be a day off before this happened. Where are you from before this?"

[mr_enterprise]

"Depends on the surprise." Retirement here is suiting James T Kirk quite well, and it's been a pleasure to simply sit out in the sunshine and read a book. The novel in his hands today is Jane Austen's Persuasion, its pages dog-eared and yellowed by age, and he carefully nestles a silk bookmark in between the pages to mark his spot as he looks up at Shelby. "On the whole I've found them enjoyable, but there's always the occasional dark spot in the bunch."

[shelbycobra]

"I may have to reserve judgment on this one." Shelby chuckles with a small look at her traveling companion. While she loves Peter immensely, she hadn't ever intended to bring him to the Nexus and have to explain all this to him. "Usually if I'm dealing with a surprise," she adds as if to explain, "I'm either being pranked or about to go into a wall at speed. Neither of which are generally good things."

She does offer a hand though. "I'm Shelby, and this is my boyfriend Peter. I hope we're not interrupting too much."

[mr_enterprise]

Into a wall? The way she makes it sound like a regular thing has him intrigued, eyebrows raised curiously. A thrill-seeker of some kind, maybe? Despite his age, there was a time when the old captain tried his hand at a few exciting sports like orbital skydiving himself. Those days are behind him, of course, but his interest remains.

"Jim Kirk," he answers, grasping her hand and giving it a firm shake, then offering his to Peter in turn. "It's no trouble. I have nothing but time on my hands these days."

[shelbycobra]

Shelby's handshake comes with the extra grip of someone who has gotten her hands dirty quite a bit over her career. She spends hours gripping a steering wheel and she's also known for working with power tools a lot. Peter doesn't have the same firmness, but he's equally polite. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he says with a pronounced Irish accent that indicates he was born and raised in Dublin.

"What is it that you used to do, if I can ask?" Shelby inquires, her curiosity piqued.

[mr_enterprise]

The old captain's grip is sturdy despite his age, though it's been a very long time since he's had to do much in the way of manual labor. "Pleased to meet you both," he replies, equally as polite.

"Starship captain," he answers, quiet pride in his voice. "I led a crew on interstellar exploration under Starfleet Command. Taught a little at the Academy, too."

[shelbycobra]

"Wow, that must have been amazing." Having her degree in engineering, Shelby can only guess at how much technology must be involved in that kind of work and geek out about it in the process. This is a woman who has to be told to keep her hands off her own race car so a starship is equally cool to her. "I'm sure you saw a lot of fantastic things and got to do some, as well."

She knows what she does isn't going to change the world overall, but she strives to change her world for the better. Whether it's volunteering with IndyCar charities or giving advice and help to some of the younger drivers. She takes her job with a very high degree of personal responsibility.

[mr_enterprise]

"It was my first, best destiny," he answers, the corners of his mouth turned up in the sort of smile one gives when there's a secret in-joke at play. "Helped write the books on a good deal of first contact protocols, and last I'd heard, my mission logs were still popular reading at Starfleet HQ. I won't lie and say I don't miss it, but gallivanting around the galaxy is for the young, and I quite like having some peace and quiet with my husband in our twilight years."

"And what about yourself?" he asks, smoothly redirecting the questions back to her with the ease of someone who's handled diplomatic functions for decades. "What's your calling in life?"