In The Blood: Chapter 4: Improbable Cause

[Rykon Zero]

Hello, I am Rykon Zero. I present to you a sequel of epic proportions, one that will dwarf even Yet Another Race Story. I call this one "In The Blood," and I hope you enjoy it.

Three years have passed, since David Johnson and the Black Suns toppled and utterly annihilated the Solar Flares. The Black Suns replaced the Solar Flares on the global stage, and intentionally or not, introduced a new era of motorsport, a golden age of racing. For whatever reason, the cars have not advanced in model or power. Maybe in November. Or when I can scrape enough money together to buy a PS3.

Anyway, David Johnson has now had a child, and to take care of him, David has more or less retired from the Black Sun's leader role, but he remains the ace, being asked to race every once in a while. That's his income. And yes, the child's named Daniel.

But that doesn't matter, not now at least. Please welcome the new protagonist.

======

Chapter 1: Badly Timed Sequel​

*BEEP BEEP BEEP GODDAMN IT BEEP*

I opened my eyes to darkness. I'm a senior in high school, so I have to wake up at 5:30 to get to school on time. I am not a morning person, and I hate the universe for making me do this. I got up, got dressed with what ever clothes I found on the floor, and opened my door. Ow. The light. It burns. Anyway, cringing the whole way, I staggered over to the bathroom. A glance in the mirror tells me all I need to know. I'm an average looking guy. I'm pretty tall, but I am not well muscled, and my hair is for whatever reason, constantly messy. No, I don't know why. Probably due to lack of comb.

After using the restroom, I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, moron. How's your ingrown pubic hair?"

-"'Morning. It's about as good as your receding hair line, you old git."

"I see you still have a mouth on you, even when you're tired."

-"And I see you still have a beer gut, even though you quit twenty years ago."

The man stood up and faced me with a serious expression. I was right about 5'11, he was right about 6'4. We stared at each other, until the man finally started laughing, and gave me a playful swat upside the head.

"Hahaha! That was a good one!"

-"Thanks, Dad."

This man is my father. He's pretty tall, and he's pretty intimidating looking, but he's very nice, though a bit crass, and I wouldn't have anyone other than him to lead me through life. He has work at a bank that's been fairing well through the recession, so yeah.

"That reminds me, I forgot to ask you last night, how did your license test go?"

-"Went great. Passed the B-License with flying colors."

"Good, good. You're now qualified to drive anywhere in America. Enjoy it!"

-"Thanks Dad. Maybe when I get a car, we can go out for a drive some time?"

"Sure thing. I'll scrape together some vacation time, and we can go on a roadtrip."

-"Yeah! That'd be great!"

"Alright kids, the food is ready!"

-"Sweet!"

And that, if you haven't guessed, was my mom. She's very good looking, a true catch for my father. I don't really know how he managed to rope in a person like my mom, and I don't really want to know.

After I ate, I took a shower, got ready to go, and left for my bus stop. I live in New York, and I go to a very good high school. I say very good, because the number of assaults is the lowest in the state. I never have liked the bus trip, but it's necessary, at least until I get a car.

"Yo, 'Drew."

-"Yo, Kate. Don't call me Drew. I'll molest you."

"Hah! You don't have the balls. 'Drew."

-"Oh really?"

"Oh crap, AAAAAAHH!"

-"My name is Andrew, goddamn it!"

This person I am currently molesting is in fact not a random stranger, but a close friend of mine. Kate's been my friend since I was in kindergarten. She is very, very good looking, but I honestly have no desire to go out with her. Mainly because she changes boyfriends faster than I change my underwear. Ah, well, could be worse. We're close enough that I get to grope her on a consistent basis and- I sound like a pervert, don't I? Well, we've been good friends for years, and we hardly fight, and back when we were younger, we were inseparable. How things change, eh?

"Ahahaha- Oh, hey, bus!"

-"Well, I'll be damned. Let's go."

The bus pulled up, and I walked in the door. There were many empty seats, we were some of the first people to get picked up.

"So, I heard you got your B-license."

-"Yep, yes I did. Don't you have yours?"

"Uh, no. Driving isn't really my thing..."

-"How much damage?"

"$20,000."

-"Not very good at the whole not crashing thing, are you?"

"...No, not really."

"Yo, What's up?"

A troublesome person has arrived. Another friend of mine, Jack. He's a traditional ricer boy.

"So, 'Drew-"

-"I'm going to strangle you now."

"*gurgle*"

-"Now then, what?"

"Okay, AN-drew. Still trying to be a doctor?"

-"Yes, yes I am."

"You sissy. Racing is so much more fun."

-"I also need to take care of my family."

My family, while not poor, is not the best off. I like biology and medical stuff, so I thought being a doctor would be nice. Plus, my mom kept telling me this story about my uncle, how he went missing over 20 years ago. That really hit me where it matters for some reason, and I wanted to help the people who can be found in any way possible.

"Well, you sissy, if you get any time next weekend, I've got some dudes doing late night autocrosses. You should come watch."

-"If I get any time, maybe."

"Okay, I'll see you."

Oh, whatever. I won't go.

"Wow, the bus ride went really fast."

-"Huh. Maybe it's plot device?"

"Probably."

-"Ladies first."

Classes were very uneventful. Science was fun, but that's about it. School ended, and I said goodbye to my other friends, and boarded the bus with Jack and Kate. On the bus ride home, the radio was turned on to some weird radio station.

-"Welcome back to Race Radio! In the latest news, David Johnson, fastest man in the world, does it again! He won the Formula GT in a LeMans LMP car, a feat once thought impossible! He claims the inspiration for the event was his father, L. Tra-"

I stopped listening. I don't like racing. So many people die, for a childish adrenaline rush. All that money could be used for better things, but then again, same with most sports. It's probably because I've had racing shoved down my throat by Jack. I got off the bus with Kate.

-"So, I heard you broke up with your boyfriend. Only a week, this time?"

"Oh, uh, yeah..."

Kate seemed a little off today. She seemed distracted.

-"Here's where we part. See you later."

"Oh, see you!"

I started to walk back, but a quick glance showed that Kate was still watching me. When she noticed I saw her, she hurriedly went on her way. I walked the rest of the way back home. It was cloudy, but the temperature was nice. I got back home, and noticed that Dad's car was home. That's strange, did he come home early for some reason? I walked in the door.

-"Hello, anyone here?"

"Hey there, Andrew. How are you?"

-"I'm fine, but why are you home?"

"I have a present I wanted to give you. Come here."

I followed him to the back yard, where there was a tarp on a shape that looked vaguely like a car.

-"Oh, no. Dad, you didn't!"

"Don't worry, it's on me."

He walked up to the cover, and pulled it off in a flash.

Please disregard lack of backyard. There aren't any.

-"Woah..."

I've always liked convertibles. And this, this rocked.

"Here you go! It's your first car! Now you don't have to use Mom's or my car anymore!"

I walked around to the back.

-"Mazda... Miata? Cool, but..."

"But what?"

-"Dad, total chick car."

"Damn it! I knew you'd say that! You just have no respect for cars. The Miata is very manly, and it's even got it's own race series!"

I made a little face. I really don't like racing.

"Well, I also had it modified a little. It makes way more power, and it's been cleaned out completely. I think if you drive it around, you'll like it."

-"Dad, I already love it. But don't expect me to do any racing any time soon."

"Alright, have it your way. Anyway, you should invite Kate for a drive."

-"I might."

I got in the car. The top was down, and this car was cool. Interior's a but cramped, but it's really nice regardless. It's a manual, but I know how to drive one. I really can't wait for a drive.

"So, you like it?"

-"Yeah, Mom! But you didn't have to get me a sports car, I'd have been fine without one!"

"Your first car needs to be memorable. I still remember my first car. A black Datsun 510 my brother gave me."

-"Wasn't that thing hard to drive?"

"Absolutely. My brother was a prolific racer, and I got his tuned machine after he upgraded and found a wife. I really wish I could have had more time to talk to him about it."

-"What happened to it?"

"I accidentally crashed it. I guess I didn't have my brother's skill, did I?"

"Heh, no, no you didn't. You're probably the only Fuhrmann to not have any racing skill at all. Daniel was a great racer."

======

"What are you reading?"

"I found my father's old diary. Turns out, he really hated being on top. There was no competition. I guess I made up by being awesome."

"What does his diary say?"

"Normal stuff, how happy he was, what victories he accomplished. Things like that."

"That's all?"

"No, there's more, actually. He had a sister, and I'm going to guess she's still in New York."

"Did you want to meet her?"

"I think it'd be cool. I always wondered what my father was like, and I'm too afraid of my mom to ask her."

"You sissy."

"WAAAAAAHH-AAAAAH!!!"

"Daniel's awake. Here, I'll help you."

"Thank you!"

======

End of chapter one. So, it starts. Setting things up. I'm going to take a wild guess (I actually haven't written out a plan for the story yet, like I said I would) and say things won't really pick up for a good two or three chapters. I hope you still tune in.

 

[nk4e]

( you should use anime pictures for the characters as like small avatars, lol that may be too much work. A single cropped picture instead of colored font) This is good so far ^^

 

[Nero9]

Nice start. 👍 But the coloured lines are confusing.

 

[Rykon Zero]

How ae they confusing? I can change a few people around, if you'd like.

 

[DK]

I agree with Nero9, the dialogue is confusing, but never mind, it's a great story so far. It's great to see you return to race stories.

 

[Rykon Zero]

Eh. I'll try to work on it for the next chapter.

EDIT: Durr, I know the problem. It's supposed to be a little confusing, but I'll go ahead and do some revisioning to give a more formal intro to these people. Yes, you are only supposed to know Andrew's last name at the end.

EDIT2: Actually, those random line breaks are thanks to the setting I have on Notepad. I missed quite a few, I hope the changes are less confusing.

 

[DK]

I think I understand the text colours, but I don't want to spoil it for everyone else. Also, you could have parked the MX-5 (Miata) on grass at a track to simulate a back garden.

 

[Rykon Zero]

I didn't think about that, despite the amount of improvising I do otherwise. Huh.

Chapter 2: With Less Fail, This Time​

I woke up yet again, as I have done for roughly 18 years. I'm Andrew Fuhrmann, and I'm a few months away from graduating. After school, I'm planning on going to college to learn to be a doctor. Just yesterday, my dad and mom bought me a little Mazda Miata. It's my first car, and it's been tuned by my dad a little, but he said it's my duty to clean the oil out. It's now a Saturday thanks to the conveniences of plot device, and it's sunny, also thanks to the conveniences of plot device. My dad went ahead and bought me a few jugs of oil, so now, I'm going to replace the oil.

-"Hey dad, where'd you put the oil?"

"Oh, I left it in the garage. Here, I'll help you with that."

-"I thought you said I had to do it myself?"

"Someone needs to be there in case you fall unconscious."

-"Tell you what, I think I'll eat first."

"Brilliant idea. If you eat Captain Crunch, it'll help protect you from the vapors."

That... Worried me. I poured a bowl of cereal and quickly ate it, while my dad started rooting around for rubber gloves and goggles. I finished the cereal, washed the dish, then my father handed me a set of objects that could have easily passed as hazmat gear.

-"Dad, what's this for? I'm not going to need it."

"It's a trick I learned from your uncle. Evidently, people forget to change their oil for years, and I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to this car."

-"What does that have anything to do with it?"

"Son, you're underestimating the power of the oil."

What ever. I fished the oil containers from the garage. Dad opted for this heavy duty GT oil stuff, apparently it's endorsed and produced by the GT Association. Well, I guess if there's one thing racers are good at, it's making things that stand up to serious abuse. I slipped on the goggles and gloves, and looking back at my father, he put on the full gear. Ha, he's a idiot sometimes. I stuck an oil pan beneath the car, and after jacking the car up, I slid under and screwed off the oil filt-

======

"I told you!"

I heard a faint voice call out. I think I felt my body being dragged, and after about a minute of nothing but fuzz, my mind finally cleared. Dad drug me from under the car. I evidently fell unconscious. Did the car fall on me or... I looked over to the car, and saw that it was still on it's rockers, but I saw plumes or gas waft from underneath the car. That wasn't normal.

-"Hey, what's wrong with my car?"

"Nothing. That's just the result of oil being locked in a car for fifteen years without being changed. There's nothing we can do about it but change it when we need to."

That is unbelievable. How can a car run with that in the engine? Actually, how does oil turn into that?

"No one knows, son. No one knows."

-"That was narration. You shouldn't have replied to that."

"Oh, sorry."

After the oil drained, and the fumes dissipated enough for us to get close, I grabbed the oil pan from under the car, handed it to my dad, and stuck a new oil filter on. The old one had nearly dissolved. I crawled out from under then car, and noticed that my gloves had mostly dissolved. That's not good. My dad came back, out of the hazmat suit, and helped me pour the oil back in the car. After we had everything back together, and Dad was able to point out what things he stuck on the car, I hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the car. The check oil light was off.

"Looks like the practice you got on my car helped you here."

-"You said you'd pay me for that, you know."

"Naw..."

-"Damn it dad!"

I proceeded to throw a few punches at my dad.

-"Ah, whatever."

"Didn't you say you were going to give Kate a ride?"

-"Why are you constantly going on about Kate?"

"Because she was your absolute best friend for years, and it's like you've gotten less close."

-"Don't worry Dad, we're still good friends."

"I also want some grandchildren too-"

I punched him in the stomach.

"Okay... I deserved that..."

-"Damn right. But I'll humor you this time, I'll go call her up."

I turned the car off and walked inside. I picked up my cellphone and called up Kate.

"Hello, this is Kate."

-"Hey, this is Andrew."

"Hey there, what's up?"

-"I got my first car, and I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a ride in it?"

"What?! Uh, sure. Just let me get ready."

-"I'll be over in fifteen minutes. Bring a jacket."

"Okay, see you."

I pressed "end." I went up stairs and put on my jacket. It was sunny, but it was also fairly cold out. Plus, the Miata's a convertible, so yeah. I let a bit of time pass, before I walked outside, and hopped in the Miata. I turned it on, and carefully set off for Kate's house. It was a short drive until I got there, and Kate was standing outside her front gate.

"That's your first car? A Miata? That's such a chick car."

-"That's what I thought, until I changed the oil."

"What?"

-"Err, long story. Hop in."

We set off, and it was a minute until Kate spoke up.

"So, you like this car, huh?"

-"Yeah, it's really cool. My Dad went so far as to add a bunch of parts to it to make it faster."

"How fast is it?"

-"Well..."

I slowed down at a stop light, and waited for the light to turn. I floored it, and I was able to get to the speed limit pretty fast. But not fast enough. Wait, why do I care about how fast my car is?

"Eh. My dad's Mustang is faster."

-"In a straight line, maybe, but not around corners. I've heard that's where this thing shines."

"Oh really? If you turn right up here, there's a mountain road. Let's see how fast this car is."

-"That's fine, but don't expect much out of me, I don't like racing."

"Yeah, I've heard."

I turned left, and drove on the road. It was pretty nice. It had a great view of the area.

"You can probably start driving fast now, the police don't cruise this area much."

-"Uh, okay."

I slowed down, and turned into the corner.

"Why am I wearing a helmet and- Actually, why aren't you here?"

-"Shh! Plot hole!"

But it's not that I really wanted to have her not point out plot holes, but more that I thought I heard a voice. I could have sworn I heard a voice from inside my head. It said something like 'faster'...

"You okay?"

I did the same thing for the next corner, but...

'Wrong, wrong, all wrong. You need to go faster!'

"A-are you okay, Andrew?"

Ahh, my head... It was a whisper before, but now, it's a scream. Fine. I'll do what you want-

Gah! Wh-what?! I stopped resisting this voice in my head, and I could have sworn gigabytes of data were poured into my mind. I know what I did wrong in those last two corners, I went too slow, if I entered the corner from the outside, touched the inside, then flowed back to the outside, I could conserve more speed and energy-

Like that, but it also sets me up wrong for the next corner, so the next one should be a compromise, then I could deal with the lower corner exit speed with more time saved on the next corner, like I'm comboing the corner, but luckily I'll be okay if the rear end of the car fishtails because then I'll be able to recover from it easily by pointing the wheels in the other direction and holding the slide by making sure the thrott-

"ANDREW!"

-"What?! What happened?"

"That's what I should ask! You suddenly started to scowl, then you went really fast in those corners! Slow the hell down!"

Err, wow. I'd never have pinned Kate as being feminine in the past, she's a bit of a tomboy. But wow, she really looked like a girl here.

-"I'm very sorry about that, I don't know what happened. Here, let's go get some ice-cream."

"O-okay."

We drove to a ice cream shop located near the end of the road, on the way back to town. The whole time, I didn't hear the voice again, until I was pulling into the parking lot, when the voice whispered one last time:

'You'll remember this. Good. I'll talk to you later.'

God damn. If I've got schizophrenia, that would utterly suck. I don't think you can have schizophrenia if you want to be a doctor. We walked into the store, and after we both got our ice cream, we sat down.

-"I'm really sorry about all that, I wasn't expecting I'd do anything like that."

"Don't worry, it's okay now... Anyway, there's something I wanted to say."

-"What's that?"

"I'm going to stay away from boyfriends for a while."

-"Huh? That's not like you. Why?"

"I'm tired of it all. I'll just stay away from all that trouble for now."

-"I'm glad to see you're growing up a bit more."

"Said the boy who had only one girlfriend."

-"You scared her off."

"Oh, yeah..."

We kept talking for a good hour after we finished the ice cream. It's been a long time since we just talked like this, I miss those good old days. we packed up, and I drove Kate home. She seemed pretty happy now, I'm glad. The Miata held up pretty good to the little episode earlier. It's a good, solid car. I don't think I could have asked for anything more in my first car. I pulled into my driveway, and parked the car. There was another car here, a very strange one. It looked like a silver Porsche. We must have visitors. I opened the door and called inside.

-"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

"Hey, Andrew, come here! There's someone you should meet!"

I took my jacket off, then walked into the living room. My mom and dad were sitting on our sofa, across from a young man. He was older than me, but not by much, he couldn't have been more than ten years older than me, probably less. He had dark hair, vaguely Asian characteristics, but the most evident was his left leg, or the lack thereof. it was amputated from the knee down, and in it's place was a strange looking prosthetic, made of a black material, I'd guess that carbon fiber stuff. He stood up, and instantly, I knew this man had serious presence. He practically oozed authority, even though he was smiling.

"Hello, you must be Andrew."

He stuck out his hand. I shook it. This man is scary. I felt like he could order an entire nation to kill itself, and they'd gladly do it.

"I'm David, nice to meet you."

He was a little more than two inches taller than me, but he seemed like he towered over me. Wow.

"I'm sorry, I do that to people some times. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fuhrmann. I've stayed here far too long, but I'll be in town for a while if you want to talk more later."

"Oh, no problem! Come any time!"

"Thank you-"

*RING-A-LING-A-DING-DONG*

"Oh, sorry about that. I'll be off."

David waved back at us as he stepped out and answered his phone.

"Hey, Andrea. I'm in New York now, just finished some business, what's up?"

I closed the door. I stepped back into the living room, and I heard the Porsche drive away, it was loud.

"Wow, that boy is just like him..."

"Yeah, but with more manners. His wife's a lucky woman."

-"Uh, who was that?"

"That was David, he's your cousin."

-"On whose side?"

"My side, that was Daniel's, your uncle's, son. He came by to let us know that Daniel had passed more than twenty years ago, when he disappeared..."

My mom started to tear up, and Dad wiped her tears away.

"I'm so glad to see that Daniel raised such a fine man..."

-"Fine? I get the feeling that most dictators don't have that kind of presence! What does he put in his corn flakes, I want some!"

*sniff* "Well, I'll get working on dinner, I'd hate to leave you boys hungry."

"Hey, don't push yourself, you don't have to."

"It's alright, it'll keep my mind off things..."

My mom left the room, then my dad spoke up.

"So, how'd your date with Kate go?"

-"It wasn't a date, but it went fine. I was able to scare Kate a bit though."

"Kate? I thought it took an Eldritch abomination and a pound of custard to scare her. How'd you do it?"

-"I drove, uh, very fast."

"Jesus, how fast did you drive?"

-"Not very, actually, but enough to scare her."

"I thought you didn't like racing."

-"I don't."

Dinner took another hour, with Dad and I passing the time by playing video games. After dinner, we played one more round of Street fighter, and I headed off to bed, because I hate being tired in the morning. As I drifted off to sleep, I began to wonder where I heard the name David before... Eh, probably wasn't important.

======

'You're back. Nice to see you so soon.'

It's you. Who are you? Do I have schizophrenia?

'I am quite sure they will say so, but I won't tell you to kill anyone. Yet.'

Yet?! What do you mean by that?!

'It was a joke. Anyway, I'm here to tell you a few things.'

What is it?

'I am a part of your psyche. The Fuhrmann was born to race. I am going to tell you that right now, no matter how much you don't want to believe it.'

But I hate racing...

'That's why I was born. You hate the very essence of your soul, you're denying the basis of your mind, and trying to delete the intuitive knowledge that comes in your Fuhrmann genes. You'd have slowly gone mad, if I did not form as a voice in your head. If you are the part that hates racing and wants to help your family prosper, I am the part of your mind that finds racing more addictive than any drug, better than any adrenaline rush. The difference here, being your subconcsious love of racing would actually more than benefit you if left to roam free.'

Screw you, mind. Racing is pollution, and nothing good.

'Ah, but deep down, you don't give a damn. I'm here, will continue to be here, and I'll be yelling in your head and making lewd remarks about Kate until you finally give in and embrace the truth of your heart.'

But I want to be a doctor! Truly!

'Keep telling yourself that, I'm sure you'll start to believe it in a few years.'

Wait, what did you mean by letting my instincts roam free? How would that help me?

'That David man, from before. Remember him?'

Yeah, Hard not to.

'He's fully given in to his love of cars and racing. You should have noticed his presence. Hitler would have bowed down to him in awe. You could be like that too.'

Like that, huh? Seems like a good deal. I'll put some thought into it, I guess.

'I know. I'm your mind, after all.'

Damn mental paradoxes. I guess I'll be talking with you for a while, then?

'Count on it. For now, since you're a pussy and you can't be bothered to truly race, I'll act like a separate person as you. Call me... How about Tidus?'

Where did you pull that name from?

'lol iunno.'

I hate you.

======

Chapter 2. Long. Very long. I hope this one's a bit better than the last chapter.

 

[DK]

It is better than the 1st chapter. I find the split personality disorder very interesting.

 

[Rykon Zero]

I thought of using a split personality for David's quirk to begin with, but I changed it to him being a massive game breaker, so here, I've used the pilot idea. I'm sure you guys will hate how it ends. No more happy endings.

 

[Apok]

Oh my god...

the oil.

 

[Azure Flare]

I'm guessing every car's oil will be deadly.

 

[Rykon Zero]

Only the used cars. Kind of interesting, I pretty much never buy new cars for the story.

 

[Daniel]

Haha, so that's the connection between Andrew and David! I geddit now
And you forgot to mention the whole thing about a small city in Australia getting destroyed as a result of changing the oil. Didn't it happen last time with David?

 

[Anathema]

I don't think that's what happened... if I remember right.
This is kind of like how my story is progresssing - even though it's only a transmitter attached to the RX-7 and it isn't and actual vioice...
It's shaping up to be a great sequel.
Keep up the good work!

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Oh c'mon man, don't start something new, title a chapter "With Less Fail, This Time", then leave it to rot for nearly a month so far.

I really liked where this seemed to be headed.

 

[Rykon Zero]

Oh, fine. I'll post the next chapter today. It'll be a few hours, though.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Sounds good.

 

[Rykon Zero]

Chapter 3: Illogistics​

And for the third chapter in a row, we start on me waking up. I slept fine, but... I still remember that voice. We were talking last night. I think I totally count as crazy this time.

'Oh hush. You brought this upon yourself.'

So, yeah. I've got a voice in my head that says I must give in to the temptations of the vehicle, or he'll never leave me.

'And the lewd remarks. Remember the lewd remarks.'

Shut up.

I got out of bed, and looked out my window. My Miata was still sitting there, in the front, as if it were waiting for me.

'C'mon, you know you want to! Just get behind the wheel, and drive!'

Go. Away.

I walked out of my room, and following the normal morning repetoire, I continued on my way to the kitchen. My mom was making breakfast, while, inexplicably, my father was sitting on the floor, playing with some Hot Wheels.

-"Hey Dad, what's up?"

"I'm playing until breakfast is ready, then I have to go to work. I'll be taking these with me."

-"I do not think I am incorrect in pinning you as an exceedingly strange man."

"You always say that."

I turned to my mom, hoping I'd get a little more sense.

-"Hey mom, what's for breakfast?"

"Potatoes."

-"Err..."

"Why don't you call up Kate, see if she wants to come over for some food?"

-"Uh, okay I guess."

I walked out of the room, slightly less intelligent than I entered.

'You can't keep that up for long, you'll be out of smart in no time.'

You're part of me. Shut up.

'Software can't control how powerful the hardware is.'

Hate.

I walked back into my room and found my cellphone. I dialed five on the speed dial, and connected to Kate's phone.

"Hello?"

-"Hey, Kate. My mom wanted to know if you wanted to come over for breakfast?"

"What? Uh, sure. I'll be over there soon."

-"Want me to pick you up?"

"NO. Uh, I mean, no thanks. I'll be fine. I'll be over in a few minutes."

'OOH YOU GOT REJECTEEEEEED~'

Dear god, shut up!

'Only when you race.'

When Hell freezes over.

I sat in my room, and read my physics book over, until I heard a knocking sound on the door. I ran over to the door, and opened it, to reveal Kate, in some particularly bashing clothes.

'Woooow, she's hot. Now, why haven't you-'

If I strangle myself, do you feel it?

-"Morning Kate. Come in."

"Thank you."

We sat down and ate food, as opposed to not food, and while washing the dishes, Kate walked up.

"Any plans for today?"

-"Uh, no actually. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking, we could go-"

Suddenly, a loud rapping came from the door.

"Yo, Andrew, you have to help me! Open up!"

Jack, damn it.

I opened the door, and a heavy breathing Jack stumbled in. He was holding a piece of paper for whatever reason.

-"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Bad stuff man, I got in a bet with the wrong people, I'm scheduled for a race in a few hours, but I only saw the opponents a little while ago, they totally outclass my Civic, man, you got to help!"

-"What are you talking about, and why should I care?"

"Alright, I owe these guys a bunch of money, and if I don't pay them back by getting at least third in this race, they're taking my car, and they're going to beat the crap out of me!"

-"How am I supposed to help?"

"Sorry man, but I heard you had a Miata, and I thought that would stand a better chance at winning than my Civic, so... I kind of entered your car in the race..."

-"Your lack of brains disturbs me."

I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes.

"So, can I borrow it? That'd be sweet, I'll buy all your lunches for the rest of the year-"

-"Shut up a bit."

Tidus was calling from my head again.

'So, what are you going to do?'

Should I let him use my car?

'You and I both know how good a driver he is. That is, he isn't. He'd probably crash the Miata.'

But for once, he's relying on me to get him out of trouble. He's not the best kid around, but if there's one thing he does, it's that he doesn't drag people into his messes, and when he does, he pays them back with interest.

'So, the car must go, but Jack must not. You know where this is going.'

I really don't want to race, but I guess I'll have to. Is there any other way?

'If I can't think of one, and you can't think of one, do you think there's another choice?'

-"Damn it! Fine."

"Dude, you're gonna give me the Miata? Sweet, tha-"

-"I'm driving."

"What? I thought you hated racing?"

-"I like having a car."

"You're cold, but damn, I'm thankful."

He walked up and shook my hand.

-"When's the race?"

"Uh, an hour."

-"Wow, think you could have given me a bigger time gap?"

"It's also in New York City."

-"I hate you. Let's go, we have to hurry."

"But what about-"

-"Don't worry, Kate. We'll talk about it when we get back, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

-"Yeah. Root for me."

Jack and I ran out the door and into the Miata. We drove off toward New York, again, with Kate watching us as we left. I feel bad for her now...

'Alright, now then. Your first problem is going to be, you have literally no racing experience at all.'

But you're here-

'I only know what you know. And you don't know very much. I've got a fairly good grip on how to race, thanks to simple logical theory, and a bit of practice from when you learned to drive. I don't know anything beyond conservation of energy and how to aim a car through a turn. You've got instinctive knowledge from your genes, but god knows how much hold it's taken on you.'

So I'm swinging on a prayer.

'In the strictest of definitions. Lucky for you though, you only need third place.'

-"We only need third place, right?"

"Yeah, at minimum, they'll remove my debts."

-"Then that's fine."

It took us 45 minutes to reach where Jack said the track was. For whatever reason, New York City blocks off one of the busiest places on Sunday to hold races. Utterly stupid, and why I hate racing.

'No you.'

That made no sense.

'Your mom makes no sense.'

I followed the signs that show where competitors go, and after driving right next to a barrier, Jack showed his face to a person dressed in orange, and they let us through, and directed us to a line of cars on the road. There were five other cars in front of me.

"That one in front of you is a Vectra, a car from Britain. If this thing has stock power, this will be hard."

-"The engine looked really tuned to me, I'm thinking it's making a lot more."

"So, about 150 horses? Or closer to 200?"

-"Uh, between."

"There's the start, gun it... Now!"

Jack gave me no prior mention that there was going to be a running start. I hit the throttle, and drove away.

Though, admittedly, I really should have been tipped off by the giant green stop light. I kept flooring it, and shifting gears, until Jack spoke up.

"Start slowing down now!"

I slammed on the brakes. I felt the wheels lock up briefly, but I let off just enough to keep them from doing so.

I managed to make it around the two corners, but I was blocked off by the...

'Vectra.'

The Vectra on the straightaway. I was technically faster, but I couldn't get by him, he kept blocking me.

Then there were the corners that came up. I knew I was supposed to be faster in these parts, but I didn't know I'd be that unbelievably fast. I was just biding my time behind the Vectra, waiting for an opportunity to pass, and I got it when the Vectra left a huge opening on the inside of a corner, and I flew past him.

"Good! Good, now, your next enemies are a Toyota Celica GT-Four, a Celica with all wheel drive, and an... Alfa Romeo 156."

-"Are they fast?"

"A damn sight faster than the Vectra."

-"Oh boy."

Indeed, they were. Much faster. I pushed with all my might, but I still couldn't get passed them. If I were racing for myself, I wouldn't have a problem. But I wasn't racing for myself. I was racing for a friend of mine, who is counting on me to get at least third, or he's going to get a beating harder than anything known on the planet. I need to do this.

'Damn it! Where's an opening? Where are they?'

"Hey, just so you know, there are only two laps, and we're coming down to the last of the second."

Oh crap.
'Oh crap.'

I'm getting desperate. I'm driving more hazardously, all for the sake of getting past these two cars. I have to pass them. Not for me, but for the love of god, at least for my friend. Please.

'I'm not one for theatrics, but I'm going to have to pray too, if only this, then please...'

[Your determination is noted.]

The hell was that?

'I don't know, I-'

[I will give you the knowledge and skill to do the bare minimum. I will not be so kind later.]

I felt my hands and legs become more relaxed. I had a feeling that raised goosebumps, then I felt as though racing was as natural as breathing. My movements became smoother and more precise, yet faster and more direct. There weren't many corners left, I had to make sure I ended this now. I saw a corner coming up, then noticed in a flash, there was an opening. The two cars were too busy fighting to notice I was behind them. With what can only be described as a burst of power, as the Celica and the Alfa entered the corner ever so slightly too wide, I dove straight in, and with both cars to my right, I passed them.

"Did you just pass two cars three-wide in a corner?! Holy cow!"

Moments after I did this, the feeling of power rushed away, leaving a whisper of the new voice in my head.

[You saw it. Good work.]

'God?'

[No, he cheats at poker, and owes me like fifteen bucks.]

This meant I was in third, so as long as I hold the position, I'll be fine. I managed to drive really close to the second place car, and by some miracle, by the time I was on the home stretch, I was slightly faster. Maybe I'd be able to catch second? I kept my foot down as much as possible, shifted as fast as I could, and by the time I crossed the line, we were absolutely neck and neck.

"We did it! Yeah!! Woohoo!"

Jack started celebrating very loudly, as all the cars began to drive off the track. Jack directed us over to a small tent, where five other drivers were standing. We walked up, and the scores were given. Turns out, I got exactly the same time as the other driver, but since I was last in the grid, I got set with third. That's absolutely fine. I got a small bronze medal, and a certificate. Jack and I got back in the car, and we drove home. It was still before noon, and I dropped Jack off at his house.

"Hey, Andrew. Great driving back there. Thank you."

-"No problem. Just don't do that ever again."

"Tell you what, keep the medal, I just need the certificate."

-"Uh, thanks."

He threw the medal back in my car. I waved goodbye, then drove away.

'Good work. I didn't think you'd be able to do it.'

Neither did I. Thought I'd lose. Who was that voice?

'I don't know. But he saved your ass here. Be thankful.'

I am, just a little edgy.

'I'm guessing it's not because of the voice, is it?'

No, I'm worried, because, I... Enjoyed that race. Too much. I don't think I've liked anything that much. I guess you were right, racing is in my blood.

'Does that mean you'll start racing?'

Not a chance.

*ring* *ring*

-"Hello?"

"Hey, are you guys done with your race?"

-"Oh, yeah, we are."

"Did you win?"

-"Nah, but I got third."

"Good job! You did it!"

-"Earlier, what did you want to talk about?"

"...Uh, nothing actually. Mind if I stay over at your house for a while, though?"

-"Be my guest. I'll be home in ten minutes."

"Alright, see you!"

Kate's acting weird these days... I don't mind it though, she's cuter like this.

======

"How's recruiting going?"

"Not very well. I can't find any drivers with the flair. No one catches my eye."

"Well, here's a suggestion. There was a racer earlier, he didn't win, but he pulled off an amazing move."

"Didn't win? Then I have no interest."

"But he did an amazing move."

"Fine, what was it?"

"He overtook two people at the same time. Three wide, in a corner."

"Wait, and he didn't win?"

"Nope. Here's his address though, if you want to talk with him a bit."

"I'll consider it. Thank you."

"No problem, Mr. Rinehart."

 

[DK]

Who's the guy in the brackets? Anyway, great chapter. 👍 Titus is one funny guy part of someone's mind.

 

[Rykon Zero]

I will take this time to mention that his mind is now beginning to fracture.

 

[Anathema]

"I'll consider it. Thank you."

"No problem, Mr. Rinehart."

HE'S DEAD! What the 🤬 are you playing at?
Anyway, nonsensical rants aside, nice job on this story so far.
Keep it up, as I try to do the same with mine (massive error has resulted in me rewriting a whole chapter.)

 

[Rykon Zero]

You will first note that the text color is different, then you will remember the main character is Daniel Fuhrmann's nephew.

 

[Watchman]

Nice story so far, Rykon Zero. Can't wait to see this unfold. 👍

 

[Rykon Zero]

Thank you. I'd like a more regular release schedule, but school isn't very helpful for writers.

(That said, I'm slowly giving chapters of Yet Another Race Story to my teacher for an English grade. Sweet!)

 

[Apok]

-"Your lack of brains disturbs me."

Haha nerd joke

(That said, I'm slowly giving chapters of Yet Another Race Story to my teacher for an English grade. Sweet!)

...
I need to start writing more chapters...
NAO!

 

[Daniel]

Lol this is turning into the United States of Tara. I wonder what Tidus does for a living... If he were is own person, that is.

 

[Rykon Zero]

I do not get the first bit, but Tidus' job has only one option.

Professional bum.

 

[Daniel]

Ooh, Professional - what's his salary?
And the United States of Tara is a TV Show about a woman (Tara) with multiple personalities. I've never seen it tho

 

[Rykon Zero]

His salary is 18 kilos of unfiltered sawdust.