Is it bad that I'm able to pronounce that volcano?
Chapter 26: She's an Ice Queen
"
Morning, you two."
"Bah, what time is it?"
"It's 8:30. About an hour later than you usually get up."
"I feel like crap... Ah, well, it was worth it."
"
What was?"
"Well, we sort of got a little further than talking last night, and didn't fall asleep until about three."
"
Is that what that noise was?"
"Erm, something like that."
"
Why isn't Kyoko talking?"
"She is not a morning person, and I think she's a bit embarrassed about her conduct last night."
"
Does she like it..."
"I don't know what you're going to ask, and I really don't want to know. Simply put, we did a hell of a lot of experimenting that we probably should have waited in the relationship for."
"
Uh, is your relationship okay?"
"Better than ever. But we took quite a gamble when Kyoko brought out her... Never mind, actually. We need to race soon."
"
Uh, good."
"
Gentlemen and little girl, behold!"
Andrea burst into the room with several coffee cups looped on his fingers.
"Coffee, thank god. Here Kyoko."
I took a cup for myself, and handed Kyoko one. I took a sip, Kyoko downed the whole cup.
"So, when's the race?"
"
At ten. It'll take a good 20 minutes to drive out there, so I suggest we eat this breakfast I rather conveniently prepared to be done exactly when the two of you wake up."
"Perfect. Kyoko, you awake yet?"
"
Fnguuueh?"
"I'll take that as a no. Look, here, food."
"
Uuualeuh."
Kyoko took a plate of food and trudged over to a table.
"Good girl. Eat the food, good."
"
What car are you going to be using?"
"Yesterday, I realized I hate the 22B, so as a bit of added karmic retribution, I'll race with the Quattro. Do you know what Lisa will be using?"
"
Not an idea."
"Damn, that's going to make things difficult."
"
You can always buy a few parts for the Quattro or 22B. You still have that RSC you can sell."
"Yeah, well, I got a few plans for that. It involves my MR... Holy crap."
The events of yesterday rolled into my head again.
"How's that girl I brought?"
"
More... Coffee..."
I handed Kyoko another cup.
"
The doctor said she had a bit of bruising and cuts, plus a few nice big gashes. He just had to do a few stitches, but he sent her to the hospital just in case. I've hired a pair of body guards for her, don't worry."
"And my MR2?"
"
Uh..."
"
Well..."
"
You're not going to like this, but..."
"
The MR2 wasn't at the cafe. according to a few people there, a bunch of guys wearing black jackets loaded it on a truck."
Hmm...No.
I ate my food, washed the dish, then grabbed a huge meat cleaver. I started to walk out the door.
"
David! Stop!"
I was brought back to my senses. They took my MR2. But getting angry won't solve anything. I'll solve this like I solve everything. Sheer, unadulterated audacity. I'll win the race, then ask where my car is. I will get it back.
"Sorry about that, everyone. I was kind of out of it. You're awake, Kyoko. Good morning. Did you have a good night?"
Kyoko thought for a moment, then blushed bright red, as she presumably remembered tying me up.
"
Kind of out of it?! You were practically ready to destroy half the civilized world!"
"Like I said, out of it. We're done with food, let's go."
"
Alright, just got to grab a few things, and we'll be on our way."
And so, we left for Chamonix. Again. I got the same feeling I had back when I first raced Andrea. This was a nice feeling. We drove for a bit, until we saw the sign that marked our entry to Chamonix.
Black Suns VS Solar Flares
Shadow of Seattle VS Off-Road Queen
See the latest and greatest the GT Association has to offer! The new upstart from Seattle who lost only one race, David Johnson! The perennial rally queen, one of the captains of the Solar Flares, Lisa Jones!
"Already found out my nickname, eh?"
"
They tend to. Let's meet up with her."
We walked around until we found a woman with several young men around her. She looked kind of old, but she aged well, like my mother.
"Lisa? Off-Road Queen?"
"
That's me. Are you the little bastard who took my Lieutenants from me?"
"I wasn't the one who had them killed."
"
Wha- killed?!"
She had a very shocked expression on her face.
"
Kidding. I was of course the one who had them killed. What use is a bunch of weakling racers if they defect, huh?"
"Why is your racing team made up entirely of absolute monsters?"
"
Why are you so lame?"
"
OOOHH BUUUURN!"
The men all around her started laughing.
"I... I don't even feel insulted by that. That was so horrible, my mind isn't registering it as an insult."
"
Your mom was registered as an insult."
"Oh my god, shut up! We need to race."
"
Alright, just let me go get my car."
Lisa walked away. This was being treated as an official GT sanctioned race, so we had to follow the official rules. Hit the other car, five second penalty, hit a wall, five second penalty, challenger follows. I was the challenger, so I hopped into the Quattro, and waited for the Off-Road Queen to drive by in her ride. Like all races, this car was fitted with a wide band radio. it only took a minute, until the car Lisa was in, drove by, and stopped short of the line.
"Andrea, what kind of car is that?"
I was allowed to bring as many people in the car as I'd liked. I brought Andrea. He's a rally dude.
"
Peugeot 205 Turbo. It's like my little Renault."
"Then on the snow, I have nothing to worry about."
"
Yeah, you do. This Peugeot also has AWD, in addition to having a mid-engined turbo platform. This'll be a hard race for you."
"Really? I don't doubt it."
"
Hey, you little twit. You're driving my lieutenant's car against me? You audacious turd."
"I thought you'd like that. Audacity is my middle name."
The lights flashed red, and as I revved my engine, they switched to green.
Damn, she's a notch above the others. She's not that great on road, though, so I might have a chance.
Then, the snow section started. She slowed way down entering the snow, when all she really needed was to take a closer line. I almost crashed into her, but then her skills really showed up.
I nearly caught her several times on the tarmac, but here on the snow, I had to race with all I had just to keep up.
"
I see, you still haven't discovered the secret of snow..."
With that cryptic message, the race raged on.
But, right as my will was beginning to fade, the tarmac started again.
"I need to make my move here."
"
You don't need to, but I suppose I'll give you a little hint and a bit of training when you get ahead."
I couldn't find an opening. It was almost like she got a little more skill back when she raced on the snow. But then, I remembered a flaw in her racing line. The snow was coming up, so I adjusted my line to not intersect Lisa's, then made my move.
"Woah, what?"
It surprised her, so she backed off and let me take the lead.
"
You drive like Ayrton Senna, you know?"
"Really, how?"
"
You are so aggressive, you enter the opponent's racing line and force them to back off."
"Cool."
Lisa tried to fight back, but she couldn't, and I fairly cemented my lead.
"
Now that you're ahead, I'll go ahead and give you a few tricks to racing on snow."
"What's that?"
"
Here is the largest hint I can give you: Don't slide."
"What?"
Don't slide? What does that mean? Don't let the back end step out?
"Woah..."
I dropped the line I used back when I did the dirt racing, and tried to apply my normal racing line. What happened was, I entered the corners slower, but went through them quicker, and exited them faster.
"
You learned with just two words. I can't believe your ability for improvement."
I did the rest of the race using this technique. Focus on smoothness and steadiness, and apply a conventional racing line. The lead I gained began to grow, and by the time I finished, the lead grew to more than three seconds.
I pulled over to the side of the road, and got out. I have a plan I need to work out, and I need to get my car back.
"
You managed to beat me by a huge margin. Only Andrea there has done that before."
"Can it. I need to ask you something."
"
Oh? So direct. What is it?"
"Where is my MR2?"
"
What?"
"My blue, supercharged MR2. Where. Is. It."
"
I'm not telling you."
I pulled the gun out of my back pocket. It was technically illegal, but I don't really give a damn anymore.
"I said tell me goddamn it."
"
I have body guards, you know."
"I can pull a trigger faster than them."
There was an awkward silence, then Lisa finally spoke up.
"
It's in an abandoned factory. I was going to bring it with us, so you could watch me crush it, but I got the feeling I'd lose today. It's going to be crushed at a mill in five hours, here's the address."
She gave me a sheet of paper.
"
Your car has a connection to you. I don't think I could have bared to watch it get crushed. Go get it."
"Thank you."
I got in the Quattro with Andrea, and drove to the address. I found a large, seemingly abandoned mill sort of thing. It looked pretty run down, but I couldn't find the MR2. I looked around, then finally peeped into a small hole in the wall.
There she was! I broke open a small door, ran in, and hugged my MR2. Some idiot had left the lights on, but other than that, the car was okay. Andrea found a large door that opened up, and let me and the MR2 out. We drove all the way back to the house, and after a bunch of applause about my win and getting my car back, we sat down to talk.
"Alright. Now where?"
"
Italy."
"Why?"
"
Two captains live there, at the track your mom used to race. They're twins, one focuses on the actual racing, and the other deals with time attacks."
"Cool, but that'll take two chapters."
"
No, just have the time attack guy do a lap, then break it while racing."
"Alright, cool idea. I think we should go pretty soon."
"
We're all packed."
"Sweeeet!"
======
One day later
======
"This is where my mother lived?"
"
Yep, this very house."
"Cooool. This looks remarkably like that side road in Chamonix."
"
I wonder why... Anyway, the race with the twins is tomorrow. Their names are Hans and Franz."
"Uh..."
"
Yeah, I know."
======
End of chapter 26. And you guys thought the MR2 would actually get crushed. You sillies.
So, next chapter, David tackles Hans and Franz. Hell yeah.