A/N: So…I haven't actually published something on for over a year or two. Mostly 'cause of school reasons, and there was a rapid-fire torrent of new 'things' I started liking as the months passed, so I never really got around to forming stories for those fandoms. As of now, I'm not sure if I can still consistently write anymore. I only wrote this on a whim after some of my friends in school had their so-called Magnum Opus due in Writer's Craft. While I was writing Limits of the Crust, I actually wanted to do a Ridge Racer 7 and Need for Speed: ProStreet crossover where Ryan Cooper moves to Ridge State and competes UFRA championships, but at the time I wasn't very good at writing 'action' scenes, so it never really took off the ground. This is basically the remnants of that, and was intended as an epilogue to the main story after Cooper scores the RSGP final.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ridge Racer 7 nor Need for Speed: ProStreet.
"...this race day, it's a special event co-hosted by UFRA and two juggernauts of Ridge State's machine market, Kamata and Soldat! This epic duel has been taking place on the famed Seaside Route 765, the world's most famous intercity track ever! You've seen the manufacturers battle it out in multiple circuits, and it's almost time for…"
The emcee continued his enthusiastic introductions to race fans that had just arrived, accentuating the fans' emotions that came from roaring V12 engines and burnt rubber on the tarmac. Many spectators commented on the show cars, took pictures, and waited anxiously for the next set of races to begin. It was a good day for racing, with mild temperatures and a slightly arid humidity, meaning maximum grip for the tires and optimal heat levels for the engines. Beyond the emcee's booth, multiple cars were on display beneath tents, some of which had already undergone races. Drivers talk with fans, signed autographs, and discussed nitrous paths and drift angles with other prepping racers. The day was far from over, but there were only a handful of races left to run. And as such, UFRA had saved the best for last.
Reiko Nagase parked her Danver Bayonet in a reserved spot, and stepped out. She wore a simple silver dress, with the skirt reaching just above her knees. The weather was warm enough for summer wear, after all. In her hand was a black USB drive, and she started walking towards the crowd of race fans. She passed by them and eventually reached a tent in the distance. There were no fans around, and a single person sat in the driver's seat of the parked F/A Racing Kamata RC410, set up with Dig Dug aerodynamics. The man was typing quickly but calmly on a laptop, with a wire that lead out the window into the engine of the car. Reiko walked past the open hood, and tapped on the door, signaling the man's attention.
"Got the plug-ins. You wanted the SS Booster or the OverLimit Start?"
Ryan Cooper faced Reiko, and took the USB. "First of all, thanks for getting me that. And OverLimit. Hopefully, I won't be too far back during the race for me to need the SS Booster." He jacked the USB into the port, and opened the OL-S file. After a few minutes of uploading, Ryan saved the settings and closed the laptop. "There we go, ECU has been calibrated."
Ryan opened the door and got out of the car, disconnecting the laptop from the engine and placing it on a nearby table. He then took a swig from a water bottle and closed the hood of his RC410. "Any word on your opponents?" Reiko asked. "Nothing," said Ryan, "Soldat and Kamata have been real quiet about their joint work. It's been dubbed Project Singularity or something, but that doesn't exactly tell me anything."
Reiko sat down on a nearby chair. "So you got your plug-in. Anything else you need me to get before the race starts? You still have…" Reiko checked her watch. "…two hours. You've already trounced the Soldat vs. Kamata category 2 and 1 races anyways, and this will be the last one." Ryan averted his gaze from Reiko for a moment while he gave some thought on the situation. "Uh…Druaga engine mods, GeneralResource nitrous, Bosconian suspension and tires, and the plug-in. I think that's it." "Well, that's that then. I'm gonna go grab a bite, do you want something?" Reiko asked. Ryan frowned a bit. "Nah, I'm good. Maybe I'll just take a nap until it's race time." Reiko smiled. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Cooper. It's OK." And with that, she walked off.
Ryan got into his car again, and pushed the seat back all the way down. "Yeah, except that my reputation with both companies are practically on the line for this race…" Within minutes, Ryan dozed off into a dreamless sleep, the roaring engines but an afterthought.
"…report to the race line, I repeat, will Ryan Cooper report to…"
Ryan cracked open an eye, and glanced over to his car's dashboard. He then mentally slapped himself on the forehead. Idiot, he thought, there's no clock in this car anymore. You ripped out that stuff for weight loss, and now you're late because there's no alarm. Ryan got out of the car, removed the fencing behind his RC410, and started the car after getting back in. He then reversed into the service lane, pulled a J-turn, and sped through the pit stop at the relatively 'low' speed of 88 km/h. It wasn't until then he noticed a Post-It stuck on the interior of his windshield with Reiko's handwriting on it. He parked his car on the starting grid at third place, and as various flag girls and pit crews surrounded the three cars on the line, Ryan ripped off the note to read it closely.
Ryan, it said, you're facing the result of Project Singularity. They're two special machines developed in tandem between Kamata and Soldat. I've given you some specs on their performance, but as far as I can tell, this is going to be a tough fight. It's a quick 3-lap race since the cars are still prototypical, but don't underestimate them. I've actually talked to some company reps, and they're hinting that they expect a loss from you, of all people.
Ryan frowned, and tossed the note to the right. He had won the Ridge State Grand Prix finals with the largest margin in UFRA racing history with his RC410, and had other countless wins with his Soldat Meltfire. The manufacturers must have spent a lot of time on these so-called 'special machines'.
Something clicked within Ryan's mind, and he realized that he hadn't read the rest of the note yet. He picked up the crumpled note from the edges of the roll cage, and read the bottom half. As he went down the list, his eyes started getting wider and wider. Top speeds of 345 and 350 km/h, 0-100 in less than 3.5 seconds, 100-0 in less than 5.5 seconds, skidpad ratings, weight distribution percentages, and other numbers blazed past Ryan's experienced mind. These machines were purpose-built, and Reiko wasn't naïve in warning him.
Tossing the note away again, Ryan looked to his right, and saw Reiko in his F/A Racing pit stop. She waved at him and yelled, "good luck!" He waved back, but in his heart, he was now a tad nervous. A pit technician suddenly appeared at his right window, and said, "Cooper, tire pressure's been equalized and nitrous has been filled. You need us to check the engine?" Ryan shook his head wordlessly, and the technician walked back to the pit stop with the rest of the crew.
Although his crew was finished, the people working on the special machines had not, and Ryan managed to catch a few glimpses of the cars he would be racing. One appeared to be coloured a heavy dark steel gray, and had a slight carbon fibre texture. The finish almost seemed to be matte, except there was still a dull sheen on certain areas of the car. The suspension of the car was extremely low, and Ryan doubted that the car was still street-legal. The rear had a very odd conceptual styling that Ryan couldn't really describe, but he could tell there was still functionality within. Two large exhaust ports were directly exposed on the top of the car towards the rear, right above the rear-mounted engine. Two more smaller ports were located above each rear wheel. On the sideskirt was a white decal that said 13th Racing, and a large yellow 13 was embossed on the door near the hinge, with a red outline. Ryan couldn't see the front, but he could tell by the sides of the front bumper that the car was originally pseudo-F1 and the front wheels were actually supposed to be open to the air. Yellow 5-spoke rims accentuated a yellow devil logo right behind the windows, which apparently were actually one-way. Directly on the roof, right above the window, was a white decal, saying SOLDAT.
Ryan then cast his gaze at the other car, which was now obviously a product of Kamata. It was all white, and had a similar non-reflective finish as the Soldat vehicle. There was a weird extension of sorts that the rear wheels attached to, and the four front wheels were fully cowled. Judging from that, Ryan concluded that the car actually used the rear wheels for turning and the front ones for power. The brake callipers were also clearly visible on the rear wheels. The design of the car was like three long pillars stacked horizontally on a flat panel, with the driver sitting in the center. Like the Soldat vehicle, it was also very low-slung. There was only a small bump that rose from the middle section where the driver sat that served as the windows, and KAMATA read on one side of the windows. There were several vents on the rear fenders that served as exhaust, and right behind the cowled front wheels was a small blue angel logo and a blue zero.
Thirteen and zero, devil and angel, Ryan thought. The concept was clearly intriguing, but he also wondered why someone made a statement concerning stuff like this in motorsport, of all places.
"…this is it, folks! Project Singularity has been revealed! Soldat Automobiles S.p.A. and Kamata Motor Company, Ltd. present to you…the Soldat Crinale and Kamata Angelus!"
The crowd roared, and the engines of Ryan's competitors flared up, matching the audiences' noises in raw power. Ryan blocked out the noise, and focussed on his inner self. This is it, he thought, three laps to battle with these masterpieces. All or nothing. Do or die. Nothing but us and the asphalt beneath our wheels.
The lights lit up. In a mere two seconds, Ryan would be having quite possibly the most elite race in the history of motorsport. And with that thought passing, the light had already turned green. The race had begun. Ryan shifted to second gear in an instant, taking advantage of the OverLimit Start and shot to 85 km/h in less than two seconds. The G-forces were heavy, but he was used to it. In less than the time to comprehend an image, Ryan had a lead on both the Angelus and the Crinale.
However, Ryan's early victory would not last long, as the Angelus' ultra-efficient 2nd-to-5th gear ratios allowed it to accelerate to 200 km/h way before Ryan's RC410 could, and overtook the rival Kamata machine when the track lead to the highway tunnel. The Crinale wasn't too behind, even though it was designed more for top speed than raw acceleration. All three cars initiated a drift as the tunnel kinked right, cars gathering nitrous for which was going to be an uphill battle for all. As soon as the turn finished, Ryan initiated a stage one nitrous that propelled him in front of the Angelus. With orange flames leaping from his exhaust, the RC410 gathered an ultimate charge from the double hairpin before the bridge. He quickly checked his rearview mirror and saw both machines doing the same – whoever the companies hired as the drivers, they were definitely good. Wasting no time, Ryan shot out another stage one nitrous after passing the chicane past the bridge, getting another ultimate charge from the 90-degree turn.
A surprising sight then befell Ryan: both the Crinale and the Angelus passed his RC410. He then noticed the remnants of green flame from their exhausts after also getting an ultimate charge. "…what, double nitrous already? Man, those cars must get nitrous quickly…" Right before the north chicane where most of the crowds were watching, Ryan let out a third stage one nitrous for another upcoming hairpin. The RC410 passed the special machines and got another ultimate charge, filling his nitrous system to the brim. He checked his mirror again, and the machines apparently didn't get an ultimate charge. He smiled through gritted teeth, and unleashed a triple nitrous, expending all of his nitrous reserves in one long blue-coloured blast. Speeds quickly reached 400 km/h as Ryan drifted through two soft turns, one of which went through another tunnel. Ryan was surprised once again as the Angelus pulled up right beside the RC410 and the Crinale roared ahead of the other two, both of which were also running a triple nitrous.
A tad shocked at how developed the nitrous technology was for the two special machines, Ryan's triple nitrous ended right as he entered a decreasing radial turn, and he drifted once again for a massive ultimate charge. His nitrous system topped up again within seconds, and he unleashed his second triple nitrous. The Crinale and Angelus had the same plans, and also achieved ultimate charges for yet another triple nitrous. The special machines caught up to Ryan at the start line, and all three cars posted times within microseconds of each other. Reiko watched from the sidelines, a bit worried but confident in Ryan's skills. "42.692 seconds, each car within 0.004 seconds of each other. C'mon, Ryan…" she murmured. The cars roared past the pit stop, the drivers with nary a thought for tires or fuel.
Lap two had begun, and the Crinale's higher top speed gave it the edge over the RC410 and Angelus as all three drifted into the first turn, triple nitrous still running. In unprecedented synchronicity, the nitrous stopped for all cars at the same time, and as a result every car got an ultimate charge on the double hairpin. However, the Crinale was already partially into the drift, and did not muster up as much charge as it should have. Ryan unleashed a stage one nitrous to propel him to the 90-degree turn, and filled up his nitrous again from the resulting drift after forming a ten-length lead on the special machines. Behind him, the Angelus and Crinale had activated double nitrous, and quickly caught up to the RC410 in the north chicane.
"Oh, c'mon!" Ryan complained, and he let loose another triple nitrous after drifting past the hairpin. As expected the other machines also had triple nitrous, and used it liberally. With the raw top speeds of both prototypes, the Crinale and Angelus quickly caught up to and overtook Ryan. Both cars drifted in tandem in the final decreasing radius turn and activated yet another triple nitrous after garnishing an ultimate charge. Ryan did the same, but the RC410's top speed could not match the special machines, and started the last lap in last place. The margin was still minimal however; the cars were only separated by 0.342 seconds, and all three machines had lap times improve by over five seconds.
Now focussing on utmost precision, Ryan finished off his triple nitrous before the double hairpin and achieved maximum efficiency on the resulting ultimate charge drift. The Angelus and Crinale did the same, but Ryan could tell they were getting a tiny bit sloppy on drift angles and timing. Deciding to change things up a bit, the RC410 let out a green double nitrous right after the bridge, passing the 90 degree turn and drifting a bit in the north chicane for a minor ultimate charge. Ryan knew this was a gamble, but GeneralResource systems offered an extra tank of reserve nitrous in their products, and Ryan was banking on using that up in the near future. The Crinale and Angelus were behind him, but they were still close-by. Passing the north hairpin, Ryan started another triple nitrous as the drift finished, and the special machines did the same. Hands with a death grip on the steering wheel, Ryan guided his RC410 through the soft turns as the Crinale and Angelus inched ever closer with their top speed bonuses. In the final decreasing radius turn, Ryan forgoes all pretence on proper ultimate charges and started a double nitrous in the middle of his final drift, exhaust blazing and wheels screeching as the car was literally seconds away from the finish line. He gave a quick look backwards, and noticed the Angelus and Crinale doing the same…except with triple nitrous. Ryan's jaw dropped, but at this point it was only a straight line to finish, and everything was left to the performance of the car. And he knew with the inherent additional power the triple nitrous had over the double and the superior top speed of the other machines, the RC410 could very well lose this matchup. Nitrous blazing, all three cars screamed towards the finish line. The Crinale and Angelus sped forward at an equal pace, creeping up towards the RC410 like a shark towards its prey. But the finish line was close, and it was impossible to tell who would win by the naked eye alone.
The cars passed the finish line, with a high speed camera recording the finish. Ryan let go of the accelerator, and coasted his RC410 for quite some distance until he finally stopped. Tired and unsure of the results, he U-turned the vehicle and drove back to the pits. The Angelus and Crinale were already there, and crews had already gathered around the special machines, gathering data and making sure no damage occurred. Ryan parked his RC410 beneath the garage with the F/A Racing banner, and got out. Reiko greeted him almost immediately with a hug. "Ryan, that was incredible!"
Half-smiling through his tiredness, Ryan said, "Well, it was a tough race. Still not sure exactly what happened at the end, but…regardless, that was by far the craziest race I've ever done. Two minutes of unbridled racing fury."
An official walked up to the pair, and motioned for their attention. "Miss Nagase, we have the final results. As per the request of R&D scientists from both Soldat and Kamata, we had recently installed timers that recorded to eight decimal places. It turns out their request was well-founded."
Reiko responded with an eyebrow raised. "Really? The times were that close?" The official nodded. "Practically speaking, the times were the exact same when recorded to thousandths of a second. But to be absolute with numbers, Cooper won by approximately 8 millionths of a second."
Ryan's jaw dropped. "…I won? I WON?"
Reiko laughed, hugging her friend tighter. "That's great! You won!" The two laughed, and the official motioned for their attention again, a bit miffed. "Additionally, I have already informed representatives from Project Singularity about the times. They would like a word with you, Mr. Cooper."
Reiko, still smiling, let go of Ryan and said, "C'mon, go. I bet they've got good news for you." Ryan, chuckling, said "Yeah, they'll be happy that I rendered their multi-million dollar projects useless in a race." With that, Ryan walked off to the Kamata pit. There, he found the aforementioned 'representatives', both which were wearing extremely expensive suits and black ties.
"Uh…hi. You wanted to see me?" Ryan greeted the men. They exchanged handshakes, and Ryan was then sure that this was going to be good news.
One of the men stepped forward a bit. "Mr. Cooper, we are well-aware of your exceptional 'drift racing' abilities in all UFRA-sanctioned races and your continued success with both Soldat and Kamata vehicles in said races. This is precisely the reason why both companies had decided to use you as a test subject for the results of Project Singularity." Ryan smiled a bit, acknowledging his oddly flattering prose.
The other man started talking. "Project Singularity was designed to start a new generation of vehicles for the future. Our initial attempts are for racing vehicles, but Project Singularity has begun branching off to companies such as Gnade and Assoluto, who are researching different future-car concepts. For example, Danver, who was the first company to join our efforts, has just finished development on the Bass Cruiser, a super-armoured SUV designed for the 'tuner' market while still surviving anti-tank mines. We have send requests to many manufacturers, all of which have agreed to contribute. Furthermore, we would like to invite you as a test driver for these vehicles."
Ryan's eyes nearly popped out. These guys were offering him a chance to drive car prototypes that would be practically exclusive to him and a handful of drivers. Excitedly, Ryan stammered, "I don't care if there's a catch or whatever. I'm saying yes to this."
Both of the reps smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Cooper. We will send details concerning your employment and work in a future date, within the next three weeks. Until then, enjoy your victory with your friends." The men walked off into a black sedan, and drove off.
Out of nowhere, Reiko grabs Ryan into a hug from behind. "So, driving special machines from multiple manufacturers, eh?" Ryan beams, and says, "Yeah, pretty much. And I'll make sure I'll give you access to whatever tech the R&D guys will have." Reiko returns Ryan's smile, and kisses him on the cheek.
Ryan then turned to face the now-parked Crinale and Angelus. Angel and Devil…weird combo, but probably the deadliest racing duo I've ever seen. I can't wait to drive those machines!
A/N: Well, there you have it. Quite possibly the last story I'll ever release in my stint as a fanfiction writer. Unless I start having epiphanies related to Avatar/Mass Effect 2/Scott Pilgrim/HTTYD or whatever. Who knows. But at this point, I don't have anything else planned. Thanks for reading.