Disclaimer: I do not own any of the acceleracers or this plot permission have been granted to post it up
PROLOGUE
"First they take us to this dump, then they take my tunes??" Shirako said.
He was referring to the Racing Droids...
In a flash of light, they had been taken into a realm...
A realm that somewhat resembles the Acceledrome. There was a track, snaking up, looping up into what appears to be a portal.
A buzzer told them it was lunch time.
The Drivers entered the Lunch room and sat down in teams.
Lani sat down with the Teku, and Sparky sat down with the Metal Maniacs.
The Droids were sitting on their own table, and Virto was breakdancing to Shirako's tunes.
But Terra had enough.
The X 88 robot that frequently accompanies Dr. Ardeth has had enough.
She floated over to the Drones table and said something.
"You know, I'm not really fond of Robots that threaten the existance of mankind..." She said in an unusually menacing tone.
"Yeah?" Virto said. "Then you must hate yourself really bad!!"
Plex and Optic laughed at his line, and Virto stuck out a metallic tongue.
"How immature..." Terra responded by charging her energy and preparing to fire a bolt of electricity.
She was halted by the sound of engines roaring.
"Oh no... Not them again..." Satt said. The Gelorum counterpart of the Racing Droids groaned.
Six vehicles appeared through the portal.
They were large, monstrous and beastly, almost Reptilian. Their engines rivaled that of the Metal Maniacs.
Then, the Drivers stepped out of their cars. They wore similar racing suits, bearing the team name 'Rev Raptors'.
Like their cars, they were beastly. Their leader, even larger than Hertz stood up.
He resembled a large Crocodile standing on two, muscular, legs. His arms, larger than Porkchops, ended in claws. His name, displayed in an ID tag, was Rokk.
In his native language that only they understood, he mentioned something to his comrades.
Then, they hurried over to the tables, selecting the largest one.
In a flash of light, their meal arrived; Hundreds of pounds of cooked meat.
The Drivers and the Droids stared in amazement as the Rev Raptors literally wolfed down the food without any table manners, whatsoever.
Dr. Tezla sat with the Silencerz. He was playing around with a thought in his head.
The Teku, Metal Maniacs, and the Highway 35 Team don't trust me.
Nor do they trust the Silencerz and the Droids.
The Silencerz don't trust anyone, and so do the Highway 35 Team.
Some Race this was going to be...
CHAPTER 1
After the Drivers finished their meal (meals, in the case of the Rev Raptors) they decided to explore the realm.
Suddenly, a voice boomed on the P.A.
"Greetings Drivers... We are pleased you could make it..."
Dr. Tezla was the first to realize.
"An Acceleron!!"
"Yes, Dr. Tezla... We have been watching over the Drivers for quite some time now..."
"Where are we?" Vert asked.
"You are in the Hyper Realms, a dimension designed for the most skilled of Drivers..."
"And we got picked because...?" Zack asked.
"You entered yourselves. The Wheel of Power, The Acceleron Ring, and the AcceleChargers trigger different portals when combined and arranged in a certain pattern... This is one of the portals..." The Acceleron replied.
"You mean... there are more??" Taro asked.
"Of course. There are more. Thousands more..."
"Cool... I'm gonna put this on my website..." Shirako said.
"So what do we do??" Monkey asked.
Sparky shrugged.
"We move some metal... and we win this race..." Tork replied.
"Sounds good to me..." Kurt said.
"Very well... Then Prepare yourselves... The Race will begin..." The Acceleron said.
The P.A. shut off.
"What is it?" Major Wheeler asked.
Dr. Ardeth haden't taken her lunch. She was too busy observing an image of the Wheel of Power.
"Lava... Lava Dimension..." She replied.
"Oh, great..." Banjee said sarcastically.
"The humans are in another realm..."
Kadeem's voice boomed over the radio.
The entire force of the Racing Drones were just sitting on what appears to be the end of the track. Despite their terrifying numbers, they were useless if they could not find the humans.
An RD-L1 mustered the courage to speak.
"Sir, what do we do now?"
"We enter the realm... somehow..." Kadeem replied.
"Do not worry, sire." Crow said. "I have a solution..."
Crow climbed out of his car and walked towards the end of the track.
There, he pointed his cane and moments later, a portal appeared.
Kadeem wondered where Crow could get such a powerful device. It didn't seem to be Racing Drone technology.
Even Crow himself was strange. Not much is known about him.
But one thing is for certain; He is more powerful than he appears.
And it is good to have him on our side, Kadeem thought.
As soon as the portal opened, thousands of Racing Drones rushed in...
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
The P.A. came alive...
"The following Drivers will enter the Realm..." The Acceleron said
"For the Teku;"
"Nolo Pasoro..."
Nolo raised his fist and got into his car, Spectyte. He found something there; A necklace, with a broken shape of a 'T'. He wondered how that got in there.
"Kurt Wylde..."
Kurt got up from the bench and made for his car. He was surprised to find out that his Battle Spec II had been replaced with his original Battle Spec.
"And... Vert Wheeler..."
"Oh yeah!!" Vert said. He climbed in his car, Reverb.
"For the Metal Maniacs;"
"Tork Maddox..."
"Let's move some metal!!" Tork said. He got into his car, Hollowback.
"Mark Wylde..."
Mark looked at his brother then nodded. He got into Flathead Fury and started the engines.
"And... Taro Kitano..."
Taro quietly walked towards his car. He started its engines.
"For the Silencerz;"
"Major Wheeler..."
"Tank Mallory..."
"And Dan Dresden..."
The Silencerz, as a group, marched towards their cars. They were silent.
"For the Highway 35 Team;"
"Aryan Shreyank..."
Aryan got up and walked to his Gallardo. It suffered some minor damages. It's going to get replaced soon.
"Toni Berry..."
The expert marksman stood up and made for her Toyota RSC. She smiled before putting on her helmet.
"And Felix Sharkey..."
The ex-Waveripper member cheered for himself before walking to his car, Power Pipes.
"For the Racing Droids;"
"Hertz..."
"Satellyte..."
"It's Satt!!" yelled the Droid. But half the time, she didn't mind.
"And Plex..."
The Racing Droids marched towards their cars. For a brief moment, they looked like the Racing Drones...
"And for the Rev Raptors;"
"Rokk..."
The largest of them all stood up.
"Gato..."
The Rev Raptor named Gato stood up. He looks like Rokk, but he was smaller.
"And Sike..."
Another Rev Raptor stood up. He looked different from the first two. He was thinner, almost snake-like.
The leader, Rokk, roared something in their native language, and, as a whole, they charge towards their cars.
"Now..." The Acceleron began. "Only three drivers per team will enter the realm. The EDR has been replaced with a Sub button."
"When you are in trouble, you can press the Sub button, and you and your car will be taken out of the realm... A driver from you team will take your place in the nearest checkpoint..."
"Cool..." Shirako said.
"Drivers, take your positions..." The Acceleron instructed.
The Teams found their own track, leading, looping up to the portal.
"On the count of five..."
"FIVE..."
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs nodded at each other, wishing each other good luck.
"FOUR..."
The Highway 35 Team flicked on their radios, and prepared their gadgets.
"THREE..."
The Silencerz did a last check on their cars, then turned invisible.
"TWO..."
The Rev Raptors cheered for themselves. They revved their cars, producing loud, monstrous engine noises.
"ONE..."
An overhead light blinked green.
All the Drivers accelerated towards their part of the tracks.
As soon as their cars touched the track, they were accelerated to 300 miles per hour in an instant.
Moments later, they came nearer the portal, and in a flash of white light, they disappeared.
The remaining Drivers could only watch on, cheer for their teams, and hope for the best.
The Hyper Race has begun...
The Drivers yelled as they fell from the top of a huge mountain. The track, hundreds of meters below, started to close in...
With a loud 'bang', eighteen cars fell on the track.
The Drivers starred at the realm. The Lava Dimension was a combination of the Lava Realm and the Cavern Realm. One can either drive over Lava, or under it, in the darkness.
"Lava... Ardeth was right." Major Wheeler said. "Silencerz, move out..."
Behind him, Tank and Dan accelerated their cars. Iridium, Covelight, and Nitrium was gone.
"The Silencerz have taken the lead." Satt said.
"After them..." Hertz replied.
"Roger..." Plex said.
Their cars, Glow Plug, Syphon, and Carburator accelerated after the Silencerz.
The rest of the Drivers followed. No one was willing to lose.
"Sir..."
"Sir..." Crow said.
"What is it?" Kadeem demanded.
"There appears to be a limit on the number of cars that can enter the realm..."
"What?!" Kadeem replied.
"Only three can enter the realm." Crow said.
"I see..." Kadeem said, calmly. "Very well. General..."
From the darkness, an RD-G1 stood up. Its design resembled that of Gelorum's, although the RD-G1 was smaller.
"Take two RD-11's... Enter the realms... Finish the humans..." Kadeem ordered.
Moments later, there was a flash of white light, indicating that the two Drone vehicles entered the realm...
"The Racing Drones have entered the Hyper Race..." An Acceleron said.
"We must remove them..." Another Acceleron replied.
"Of course..." The other said in response. He waved a hand at the Wheel of Power...
And was knocked to the ground.
"Something... Something is blocking my thoughts..." The Acceleron said.
"The Drivers are in Danger. We must cancel this race..."
"We can not. Not without our powers..."
"What can we do now?"
"Hope... Hope that someone wins the Race..."
In the middle of nowhere, the Silencerz base stood silent.
Until a voice on the intercom shattered the peace.
"Can you hear me?"
Static
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Static
"Why you little -- ! RONNIE!!"
Ronnie Strauss woke up with a start. He immediately pressed a button on the computer in front of him.
"Where have you been?? I've wasted enough of my time trying to contact you!!" it was Dr. Ardeth.
Ronnie sighed, pressed the talk button, and tapped the microphone to test it. No sound came out. He repeatedly tapped the microphone.
Ronnie tapped something on the keyboard. It would be better to send a message than to have no communication at all.
"Listen, something's going on here, and I want YOU to find out."
Ronnie tapped a single button on the keyboard; The question mark.
"DON'T ASK WHY!!" Dr. Ardeth screamed at the microphone.
"Just take Metalloid and enter the realm!!
Ronnie sighed, and typed away on the keyboard.
"What do you mean you can't?!" Dr. Ardeth demanded.
Ronnie's message flashed in her Laptop screen.
Dr. Ardeth frowned and pressed the talk button.
"What do you mean you've got Higher orders?? And from who??"
Ronnie didn't reply.
Back at the Silencerz base, all communication computers have been turned off.
Ronnie glanced at a monitor, and found himself starring at an incoming Silencerz car.
Though standard operation procedure stated that all incoming cars should be checked, Ronnie immediately gave an order. The defenses were lowered.
And the car drove in...
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs drove side by side.
"Our tires are heat resistant, but that doesn't mean contact with the lava won't blow them out." Tork said.
"No problem..." Taro said.
Inside Spectyte, Nolo had his own thoughts.
How did this get here, he asked himself. In his hand was Tone's necklace.
He put the necklace down.
The Teku cars slowed down.
"Hey, Nolo. Everything okay?" Kurt asked.
"Sir, we found some of the drivers..." RD-G1 said.
His partner, RD-G2, confirmed it.
"Destroy them..." Kadeem ordered.
"At once, sir."
Perched on top of a mountain, the monstrous RD-11s screeched to a halt.
The RD-Gs both pulled a lever on their dashboards.
As they did so, the RD-11s began to transform. Its large wheels were pushed outwards. The sides slid forward, making it appear larger. A booster appeared on each side, pointing downwards. The cockpit slid from the center to the front.
In its place was a massive cannon.
"Charging..." the RD-Gs said.
Light started to appear near the end of the cannon. Air was sucked in.
Below the vehicles, the boosters activated, stabilizing them.
"Ready to fire..."
Miles below and miles away, the Teku and the Metal Maniacs rushed forward. The Teku was slightly falling behind.
The Silencerz were no where in sight. The Metal Maniacs have taken the lead!!
Tork looked at his mirror. He was the first to see it coming...
"Teku, hit the brakes!!" He yelled. "Maniacs, Nitrox!!"
The two teams followed. Moments later, a beam of intense energy surged forward, missing the front of Spectyte and the rear of Flathead Fury by mere inches.
The beam, however, was powerful enough to sear through the track. The Track, which was suspended above a pool of Lava, began to shake. They can't go back either; That part of the track already fell.
"Tork, go!!" Nolo said.
Tork nodded. The Teku can take care of themselves. However, as they rushed forward, the track behind them fell apart, trapping the Teku.
"Jump Jets!!" Vert said.
"No!!" Kurt replied.
"What?" Vert asked.
"Jump Jets are too slow..." Kurt replied.
"We'd be easy pickings for whatever tried to shoot us..." Nolo added.
Vert understood.
"What do we do?" Vert asked.
"If we go back, were dead."
"If use our Jump Jets, were dead."
"If we fall..."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Vert had a trick up his sleeve. He was, after all, a surfer. Was there some way to surf over the Lava?
On the mountain, the RD-11s were charging up for a second shot.
"Vert, what now?"
"We take a dive..." Vert replied.
Moments later, the entire track collapsed and fell into the pool of Lava below.
CHAPTER 3
Click...
Click...
Click...
An organic clicking sound echoed throughout the air.
In their own language that only they can understand, the Rev Raptors spoke.
"Where are the humans??" demanded Rokk, the leader.
"They must've gotten a huge lead..." answered Gato.
"Whatssss that up ahead??" the snake-like Sike asked.
Several miles away, on top of a mountain, two vehicles were sucking in the air and emanating immense heat.
Racing Drones...
"What sssshould we do?" Sike asked.
Gato thought about the situation. The RD-11s seem to be charging up, preparing to fire at something.
"Leave them... They will lead us to the humans..." Gato replied.
"And what if they try to sssshoot ussss??"
"They're sucking in air to cool down their engines..." Gato said.
"But even the air is hot..."
The Rev Raptors flicked a switch on their dashboards, and their windshields turned blue.
Thermal vision. Anything that gives off heat appears yellow, anything else appears blue.
The Racing Drones appear red. They were overheating.
Gato looked around and saw three lighter colored spots on the red-hot Lava.
The Teku.
"Use your grapples... attach yourselves to the tracks..." Nolo said.
The Teku vehicles fired their grappling hooks at the nearest piece of the track.
Although they were falling, they were still hundreds of feet away from the Lava below.
"Use your Jump Jets to stabilize your track... don't go too high." Nolo said.
It was just as well. Moments later, two white beams of energy destroyed what's left of the track.
The Teku landed softly on the Lava, bobbing up and down on pieces of the track they were attached to.
"Here it comes!!" Vert yelled.
A gigantic piece of the track fell into the Lava, causing a massive wave.
"Surf's up!!" Vert said.
"Use your Jump Jets to steer... The Lava will push us..."
The Teku rode the wave perfectly.
"What now?" Nolo asked.
They were away from the Racing Drones, away from harm.
But they were still hundreds of feet below the mountains, where the track was.
"Over there!!" Kurt pointed. On the foot of the mountain, untouched by the Lava, pieces of tracks moved to form a track leading to a cave.
"Teku, let's jet..." Nolo said.
The Teku climbed the side of the mountain and entered the cave.
"There they are..." A mechanical voice said.
"Activating Particle Shields..."
Satt brushed her white hair, then put her helmet back on.
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
"Sir... Droids, six o'clock..." Tank Mallory said, as he checked his radar.
"Prepare your EMP Shields..."
The Silencerz, invisible, was currently in second place, with the Racing Droids right behind them.
The moment the Racing Droids came nearer, the Silencerz dropped their camouflage and open fired.
Once again, there was no visible effect.
Losing their cars' energy, the Silencerz had no choice but to drive as normal cars; No gadgets whatsoever.
The Droids knew this.
"They are defenseless. For now, anyway..." Satt said.
"I say we knock them off the track..." Plex said.
Hertz thought for a minute.
"No. We are not the Racing Drones. We are civilized..."
And with that, they accelerated, and took second place.
"Generals... proceed with the explanation..." Kadeem said.
He was rather disappointed at the RD-11s performance.
"Sir, our targeting systems aren't working..." a confused RD-G1 replied.
Behind Kadeem, Crow stood up. He understood the situation.
"Sir, the RD-11s require a charge up period after firing." He pointed out.
"It must cool down, otherwise, it will not work as intended..."
"But can it fire??" Kadeem demanded.
"Yes, sir... But..." Crow replied, but Kadeem cut him off.
"Then pick your targets and FIRE!!"
The RD-G1s looked at each other then nodded.
The Metal Maniacs, currently in first place, were having a rather easy time.
Suddenly, the ground shook.
"Earthquake?" Mark asked.
"No. Eruption..." Taro replied.
"Look... Up ahead!!" Tork said.
Miles ahead, part of the track, connected with the Volcano, started to glow. Suddenly, Lava burst forth, covering the track.
"I got it..." Taro said.
He flicked three switches on his dashboard.
Instantly, a pair of metallic plates slid in front of his car, making a Lava Plow. More metallic plates appeared on Rivited's tires, and then more slid in place on the body.
Rivited was now an unstoppable moving metal.
"Draft..." Taro said.
Tork swerved Hollowback behind Rivited, and Flathead Fury got behind Hollowback.
Rivited cut through the Lava like a knife through Jelly. But unless they find a safer track, the Metal Maniacs are still in danger of overheating.
A fork in the track appeared. The Left part of the track Lava gushing into it, and another disappeared into the mouth of the Volcano.
"Right..." Tork said.
Taro nodded, and Rivited left the Lava coming at them. The Metal Maniacs turned right, accelerated and kept going.
The track they took spiraled inside the Volcano. At the bottom of it was a pool of Lava.
"I can't see a thing!!" Vert declared.
The Teku, currently in last place, were not able to go any faster. They were under the Lava pools.
It was difficult to see, though it was made clear that breaking the walls of the tunnel would mean letting Lava flow in.
"Hey, I see light!!" Kurt asked.
He saw something else; The Highway 35 Team.
"After them!!" Nolo said.
Currently in fifth place, the Highway 35 Team suddenly became aware they had company.
"What now?" Toni asked. She didn't want to lose to the Teku.
"We need to speed up..." Felix said. His car, Power Pipes, was in the middle.
"Activate your Polarized Lights..." Aryan said. He accelerated his Gallardo and kept up with the others.
Moments later, light flooded the tunnel.
Vert raised a hand to cover his eyes.
"Yeah... We're blinding them!!" Felix said.
"And we can see!!" Toni replied.
"And we also woke up those creatures..." Aryan added.
"Alright!!... What?!" Toni looked ahead and saw what appeared to be an enormous earth worm, crawling towards them.
It opened its mouth, showing an array of razor sharp teeth.
"Felix, Jump over it!!" Aryan said. "Toni, use your grapple on Felix!!"
Power Pipes floated off the track, dragging Toni's Toyota RSC. She screamed as they brushed past the worm.
Aryan tensed his hands on the steering wheel.
"I can do this..." He reassured himself.
His Gallardo swerved left, just in time to avoid the Worms mouth.
The worm kept on going, presumably going for the Teku.
Aryan looked at the worm through his side view mirror. He can see what appears to be the tail of the worm.
And the tail opened to reveal an array of sharp teeth.
It had mouths on both ends!!
Aryan accelerated his car, but it was too late. The creature clamped down on the Gallardo, and, using its mouth on its front end, tunneled upwards.
"Aryan!!" Toni screamed.
Power Pipes and the Toyota RSC swerved one hundred and eighty degrees, and went after Aryan.
The Teku, confused, continued forward. They were close to the end of the tunnel.
"Should we help them??" Vert asked.
"We have other problems..." Kurt pointed towards the end of the tunnel.
Two RD-11s were waiting. They transformed into their turret modes, charging up, preparing to fire.
Aryan tried not to panic. His car was dragged several miles upwards. The Worm was creating another tunnel above the one they took.
He pressed a button on his dashboard. Flames burst from the Gallardo's exhaust pipes, but did no damage to the worm.
It was, after all, living under the Lava. The heat of the Gallardo's flamethrower was nothing compared to that.
He pressed another button. Spikes appeared on his tires.
He shifted to fifth gear and pressed the Nitrous. His car ripped apart the mouth of the worm before surging forward.
"Yes!!" Aryan said.
His car, heavily damaged, managed to make it out of the Worm's makeshift tunnel, and wound up on the track.
Suddenly, Power Pipes and the Toyota RSC appeared behind him.
"Aryan!! Are you okay??" Toni asked.
"I'm fine. My car's a bit shaken up though..." Aryan smiled.
The Teku hit the brakes.
In front of them were two RD-11s, fully charged.
We're dead... Nolo thought to himself...
Suddenly the track shook.
The RD-G1s looked at each other, then shrugged it off.
Moments later, another Worm appeared, devouring an RD-11.
The pilot of the other one open fired on the worm. The worm was destroyed, but the RD-11s engines couldn't handle the excess heat anymore.
It blew up, shaking the tunnel once more. The tunnel was caving in.
"Go!!" Nolo said.
The Teku accelerated forward, left the tunnel, and found themselves back on the track.
"Hey!! What's that??" Mark asked.
At the bottom of the Volcano, a few feet above the boiling Lava, a Ring spun around.
"It's the finish line..." Tork said.
They continued on, spiraling downwards, towards the Lava. Then, Taro saw a jump ahead.
He remembered how Vert got the Wheel Of Power in Highway 35. He knew what he had to do.
But he had to hurry. Behind the Metal Maniacs, the Racing Droids appeared, followed closely by the Silencerz.
Tork looked upwards, and saw three cars landing on the track; The Rev Raptors.
Mark looked ahead. There was another track, also leading towards the jump. Suddenly, the Teku and the Highway 35 team dashed forward.
"There they are!!" Karma said.
"Go Taro!! Go!!" Monkey replied.
Back in the observatory, the other members of the teams were glued to their seats, watching the Hyper Race, Lava Dimension.
Taro was in first place, followed by Vert. Behind him, was Kurt and Nolo.
The Highway 35 Team separated the Silencerz and the Droids, taking the fourth place. The Rev Raptors were right behind the Silencerz.
Taro smiled. He and Vert were neck to neck.
"Hey Vert..." Taro said.
Vert raised an eyebrow.
"I'm gonna pass you..." Taro said.
He pressed a button on his dashboard, and he accelerated forwasrd, leaving a trail of flames, blinding Vert momentarily.
Rivited accelerated forward, and made for the jump.
Taro rolled down his window, and reached out...
In a flash, they were all back in the Observatory, each arranged in their respective places;
Metal Maniacs came in first, Teku in second, Racing Droids in third, Highway 35 Team in fourth, Silencerz in fifth, and Rev Raptors in last place.
The remaining team members cheered for their corresponding team.
"Yeah!! PORK... CHOP!!" Porkchop said, raising his fists.
Dr. Ardeth groaned, and Terra shook her head.
The Lava Dimension was over; The Metal Maniacs won!!
"Hey, Doctor...??"
"Yes, Zack?"
Dr. Ardeth flashed him a smile. For some reason, she had been nicer to him throughout the years, at least, she treated him better than she did with the other Silencerz Operatives.
"May I ask you a question??" Zack muttered.
"Sure..." Dr. Ardeth smiled.
"About your car..."
Suddenly, Dr. Ardeth's smile faded away. Zack knew he was in for it.
"What about it?" Dr. Ardeth replied.
"Can I drive it?" Zack asked.
"No."
"Can I sit in it?"
"No."
"Can I touch it?"
"No."
"Can I look at it?"
"No."
"I can't even look at it?"
"NO!" Dr. Ardeth's words were clear.
"Why not?" Zack asked, out of curiosity.
"It's invisible."
Of course, she was right. Gallium was completely invisible. But for some reason, not even the built-in thermal vision inside Zack's helmet can detect it.
"It's my latest project. You think I'd let a rookie test-drive it?"
"I am NOT a rookie..." Zack scolded.
"Hmmm. We'll see..." Dr. Ardeth replied.
"Aryan..."
An Acceleron floated into view.
"Follow me..." The Acceleron said.
Aryan left his team without a word.
The Acceleron guided Aryan deeper into the Observatory post, until they reached a metallic door.
The Acceleron waved at the door. It opened.
"In there..." The Acceleron pointed, before floating away.
Aryan walked in, and the doors slid shut behind him. He was alone.
"What is that?"
Tork asked as he approached the Metal Maniacs.
Taro was at the center, holding up what appears to be a disc. When he won the Lava Dimension, the disc was given to him by the Accelerons.
"Why don't we find out?" Taro replied, point to their cars and a practice track.
Tork smiled.
"Let's move some metal..."
"Yeah!! PORK... CHOP!!"
The Metal Maniacs, including Sparky, rode their vehicles and made for the practice track.
"It appears as if the terrain is on their side, sir..."
Crow said as Kadeem approached.
The Racing Drones were all stranded in the Hyper Dimension, an area that stretches on for miles and miles. Only when a race begins can the Drones leave.
"Another Racing Dimension will be opening soon." Kadeem said.
"Perhaps we can send units to take over the humans' cars." Crow replied.
The drivers had once entered the Racing Drones Headquarters by hijacking Drones Vehicles.
Perhaps it could work the other way around.
"Very well... Soldiers..." Kadeem commanded.
Behind him, hordes of RD-S1s stood, ready for action.
"Bring out the Sweepers!!"
"Not bad, Vert..."
Karma said. She had been watching the race, and noted Vert's ingenuity. He had saved the Teku.
"Nah, it was nothing..." Vert replied. He looked around.
Lani was talking to Nolo, and Kurt was talking to Shirako.
"I'm telling you man, those Drone Vehicles are high speed tanks!!" Kurt said.
"Woah. Not Cool..." Shirako said.
"We could've been killed..."
Suddenly, Nolo walked towards them.
"Who let them in the race anyway?" Nolo asked.
Kurt veered around. He was starring at the Racing Droids.
Suddenly, Satt caught his eyes.
"What? You think we'd let them in?"
Satt removed her helmet and brushed her white hair. She really looked like Gelorum when she was with the CLYP.
She even sounded like Gelorum. But her face and voice showed something that Drones can not; Fear.
"Come on, guys. This is... this is... immature..." She said.
The Racing Droids stood behind her.
And the Teku stood behind Kurt.
"So, where does the disc go?" Monkey asked.
Sparky shrugged.
Taro thought for a moment.
"Let's try it here..."
He pressed a button, and a CD Drive came out.
"What? That's for music, not for this!!" Monkey stammered.
"Oh come on, Monkey. Taro's just having fun..." Porkchop smiled.
Taro inserted the Acceleron Disc in his CD Player, and pressed the Play button.
Nothing happened.
"Taro!! Your tires!!" Tork said suddenly.
Rivited's tires went up in smoke.
The Teku and the Racing Droids starred at each other.
"Do you really think we'd do that? Do you?" Satt said.
"In a word, yes..." Kurt replied. He crossed his arms.
They were interrupted by Dr. Tezla.
"We have... discovered something..." He said.
The Teku followed Dr. Tezla, and left the Racing Droids.
"I can't believe they actually blame us..." Satt said.
She walked towards the nearest chair and sat down.
"Taro's car!! It's... it's..." Karma stammered.
"On Fire..." Dr. Tezla finished.
True enough, Rivited was on fire. It was the fire.
But it was still moving. It was a threat to anything near it.
Taro removed the CD from the CD Player.
The flames on his car disappeared.
"Interesting..." Taro said.
"Where... where am I?"
Aryan felt around in the darkness. Suddenly, the lights came on, blinding him.
"What the--"
He was in a warehouse.
Full of car parts.
"I can... I can build a new car!!
There were seemingly endless shelves of car parts, and even half built cars, most of which were left for dead in the Racing Realms.
There was a Flathead Fury, a Road Runner, a Slingshot, a Rolling Thunder, an RD-08, an RD-06, a Black Reverb, and more.
"Reverb?" Aryan asked.
He knew that Reverb was one of the few cars that never got destroyed in the Racing Realms.
He examined it. It had black paint.
He checked it. It had a couple of documents, and a picture of two people; Vert and another guy.
There was a journal in the compartment. He opened it and read it. From what he read, it would seem as if the previous owner of the car was killed in a car accident, although the owner also made it clear he was being hunted down.
On the last page of the journal, a single word was written;
Crow...
"So the Lava Dimension Disc creates fire?"
Monkey asked. The Teku and the Metal Maniacs were all holed up inside Dr. Tezla's lab.
"No. More like a shield of flames..." Dr. Tezla replied.
"Cool... I want one..." Shirako said.
"Shirako, you can't just copy Acceleron Technology..." Dr. Tezla said.
"Already did... Five copies..."
"How did you...??"
"Oh, I just popped it into my Laptop and burned copies..."
Everybody starred at Shirako.
"Let it go, Satt..."
Gateway said, trying to console his team mate.
Plex, on the other hand, was encouraging this.
"Alright... They want a race?! I'll give them a race..." Plex said.
"You can't. Not for a while. It's our turn now." Virto replied.
He was right. Only three at a time where allowed in a race, and Hertz, Satt and Plex already had their turn.
Virto, Gateway and Optic will be the drivers for the next race.
"Alright, guys... Here's what we're gonna do..."
"I still can't believe we wound up in fifth place..."
Dan Dresden, Alec Wood, and Banjee Castille are standing inside the Silencerz's dormitory.
"Don't worry Dan, we'll win the next one..." Banjee said.
"Yeah!! We got Zack on our side." Alec added.
True enough, Zack was the tactician of the team. He wasn't present in the Lava Dimension, nor was he able to provide any tactics over the severed communications link.
Although Zack's job is to ensure the team's victory, he hardly won anything himself. He would rather slow down and think than risk lives for the finish.
"Hey, Dr. Ardeth..." Zack said.
Dr. Ardeth sighed. Zack was like a younger brother to her. And like all younger brothers, they can be too curious.
"What is it?" She replied.
"How come you car doesn't show up on Thermal Vision?"
The cars of the Silencerz were all equipped with incredible technologies, but they still function like a normal car, and gives off heat in the same way an ordinary car would.
Gallium, however, is invisible in all fields of vision. Not even Polarized Lights can de-cloak it.
"Because my car has a newer version of the cloaking device."
"Cool..." Zack replied. "Can I..."
"No..." was Dr. Ardeth's quick reply.
"But..."
"No."
"I didn't say any..."
"No."
"What? Do you now what I'm thinking?"
"Yes."
"What number?"
"Fifteen."
Zack groaned. Dr. Ardeth smiled.
"Sir..."
A faceless Silencerz operative entered the room.
There were more than a dozen monitors in the room, each monitoring a specific part of the Silencerz base.
"Sir... an anonymous message..."
Ronnie Strauss swiveled in his chair. As the only Vectra Silencerz Operative remaining, he was in charge.
Until now.
He took the envelope and dismissed the other Operative.
'Top Secret' was printed on it.
He opened the envelope and read its contents; Signed, General Trage.'
'Sent: 7:00pm, Tuesday.Re-establish communication link with Dr. Ardeth.
Forward this letter with attached orders to Major Wheeler.
Retrieve the AcceleChargers.
Attached with the letter was a smaller, sealed envelope, with the words 'For Major Jack Wheeler Only' written in red.
Ronnie thought for a moment.
General Trage belonged to a different faction, a different unit, called the Strata Silencerz. It wasn't like him to give orders to the Vectra Silencerz, as he had always believed in Major Wheeler's decisions.
On the other hand, the envelope might contain specific instructions, orders to aid in Major Wheeler's task.
Ronnie had decided. He walked towards the nearest computer and began typing on the keyboard.
The connection with Dr. Ardeth will be re-established soon, but he wasn't going to forward the letter.
Not yet.
Aryan took every document inside the Black Reverb, and made for the door.
"This car gives me the creeps..."
He turned off the lights as he shut the door behind him.
Had he turned around at the exact moment, he would've seen that the Black Reverb vanished in a flash of green light.
"Hey... Vert? Vert..." Aryan yelled as he made his way into the Teku dormitory.
"Hmmm..." Dr. Tezla thought.
"The disc Shirako burned seems to have the same properties, but not the same strengths..."
"What? are you saying..." Tork asked, but Dr. Tezla cut him off.
"Well, if you would take a look at this demo..."
Dr. Tezla played a video of Monkey and the Lava Disc Copy. As Monkey inserted the Disc, his car went on fire, but some parts of his car, remained the same.
"Comparing it with Taro's Disc... It would seem as if, the more you make, the less you have..." Dr. Tezla said.
"So we can't make too many copies..." Tork said.
"Exactly... It could be some sort of, tamper-proofing..." Dr. Tezla replied.
"No problem... We can win without these things..."
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
An Acceleron floated into view.
"The following drivers will enter the race..."
"For the Metal Maniacs;"
"Porkchop Riggs..."
"Yeah!! PORK... CHOP!!" Porkchop yelled.
"Monkey McClurg"
"They finally got my name right!!" Monkey said.
"And Sparky..."
"Hello..." Sparky said, as he put down his goggles.
"For the Teku;"
"Karma Eiss..."
Karma grabbed her helmet from her shelf.
"Shirako Takamoto..."
"Yo!! I'm cool..." Shirako said.
"And Lani Tam..."
"Hey Lani!!" Nolo said. "Take Synkro..."
"Synkro? How'd it get here?" Lani replied.
"I don't know, but it's a good car, and you can have it..."
"For the Silencerz;"
"Zack Falcon..."
"That's you... Go... Go!!" Dr. Ardeth said.
"Banjee Castille..."
"Oh yeah!!" Banjee yelled.
"And Alec Wood..."
"Good luck, Alec!!" Vert yelled, as Alec made his way to his car.
"For the Racing Droids;"
"Virto..."
"Gateway..."
"And Optic..."
"Alright guys, you know what to do..." Optic said.
"For the Highway 35 Team;"
"Skeet..."
"Banjee's gonna buy me Guava Juice!!" Skeet smiled.
"Esmeralda Sanchez..."
"Burn, baby, burn..." Es said.
"And Jet Blaney..."
The former Scorchers Team Member made his way into his car.
"And for the Rev Raptors;"
"Toro..."
A huge, reptilian creature with a shell on his back stood up, and made for his car.
"Dral..."
Another Rev Raptor, wearing what appears to be a cape, started his car.
"And Liza..."
The second thinnest member (next to Sike) made her way to her car.
"Hmmm... Ice Dimension..." Dr. Ardeth murmured.
The Racing Droids activated their radar.
"FIVE..."
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs looked at each other, then at the track.
"FOUR..."
The Silencerz scanned the nearest vehicles.
"THREE..."
The Highway 35 Team started their engines, and rolled up their windows.
"TWO..."
The Rev Raptors revved up their engines.
"ONE..."
An overhead light blinked green...
Eighteen cars raced for the track, and were accelerated to 300 miles per hour.
The Portal opened, and all eighteen cars went in.
CHAPTER 6
"What is that?" Kurt asked.
"Ice... Ice dimension..." Dr. Ardeth replied.
"Ice, huh?" Tork confirmed.
"Then Karma should have no trouble..." Taro said.
Eighteen cars appeared from nowhere and landed on the frozen track.
"35 Team, use your spike tires!!" Esmeralda said.
The Highway 35 Team did as ordered and instantly gained a massive lead.
"After them!!" Banjee said.
The Silencerz took off after the Highway 35 Team, but their limited traction slowed them down.
"Rats!! If only I had my old car..." Banjee said.
"Tag them!!" Zack said.
Banjee and Alec knew what Zack had in mind. If they can't take the lead, the least they could do was follow.
Technetium, Accelium, and Anthracite each fired tracking devices on the Highway 35 Cars.
"They won't get far..." Zack said.
Merely meters away, the Teku, Metal Maniacs, Racing Droids and even the Rev Raptors were trying to catch up.
"Hello..." Sparky said.
"How are we suppose to drive through ice??" Monkey yelled.
"Hmmm... We melt the ice..." Porkchop said.
"Great idea... What are we supposed to do?" Monkey replied.
"Use the discs and melt the ice!!" Porkchop said.
The Metal Maniacs inserted the Lava Discs into their players, and moments later, their cars were on fire...
"Yeeeeeehaaaaawwww!!" Porkchop yelled.
The Metal Maniacs activated their Nitrox and gained a small lead, effectively taking third place.
Meanwhile, the weight of the Rev Raptors' cars gave them a small advantage in traction. But the Mega Bass of the Teku kept them at bay.
Behind them, the Racing Droids were in last place. They were seemingly having a hard time catching up.
So far, the Droids had been passive. Their cars do not even seem to posses the lethal weapons found in a Racing Drone vehicle.
Three cars zoomed ahead.
The Highway 35 Team, in first place, was racing through the track as if it wasn't covered in ice.
"Easy win..." Es said.
Suddenly, the ride became bumpy.
"What the--" Es remarked.
She looked around her.
The ice over the track was gone.
They had entered a cave, which protected the track from the harsh weather.
"Turn off the spikes. Now!!" Es yelled.
The spikes on their tires, adapted from Kadeem's old team, the Dune Ratz, allowed traction in places where normal tires couldn't get any. However, under normal driving conditions, it was impractical.
For one thing, it turns even the smoothest of rides into bumpy ones.
"Turn on your Active camouflage..." Zack said.
Banjee and Alec, again, did as he asked. They knew what Zack had in mind.
Suddenly, the ice on top of the track disappeared.
"Let's catch up!!" Banjee said.
The Silencerz entered the cave and accelerated to top speed almost instantly.
The Highway 35 Team did not see them coming.
"Shall we?" Alec asked.
"Of course... But you first..." Banjee replied.
"No, no, you first..." Alec smiled.
"Guys, stop playing with your targets..." Zack smiled.
The Highway 35 Team, currently in first place, were shocked to find three Silencerz car surrounding them.
"Bermuda Triangle formation..." Zack said.
The Silencerz cars went into a triangle formation, with Banjee at the lead.
The cars' energies traveled from one car to the other, creating a visible and inescapable wall of electricity while the cars themselves prepared for an EMP shot.
"Oh no!! We're trapped!!" Es yelled.
"Woah!! Not cool, man!!" Jet Blaney said.
"Yikes!!" Skeet said.
"Don't worry guys, this won't hurt a bit..." Banjee smiled.
Suddenly the Silencerz released their energy into the Highway 35 Team.
Banjee was right. It didn't hurt.
But it did shut down the Highway 35 Vehicles.
"Hey, Es. I'd like my Guava Juice imported..." Banjee said.
"The Bermuda Triangle Maneuver... Zack's getting good..." Major Wheeler said.
"Hmmm. Not bad, for a rookie..." Dr. Ardeth muttered.
"I don't get it. Where's the danger? Tank asked.
"Excuse me?" Major Wheeler asked.
"Well, the Lava dimension had those Lava Worm creatures..."
"What does this dimension offer?"
"Wha-What about tha-that?? Dr. Ardeth stammered.
She pointed at the Silencerz Spy Monitor.
It showed an incredibly large creature, towering above the track, moving silently. It stood there for a few seconds, then disappeared behind the mountains.
"Shirako??Shirako!!" Lani yelled.
Shirako's tunes were way too loud.
The Teku, the Rev Raptors and the Racing Droids were following the puddles of water left behind on the track by the Metal Maniacs.
The Rev Raptors, totally annoyed, could not do anything. Nothing can get near a Teku vehicle with its Mega Bass turned on.
Nothing.
The Metal Maniacs, now near the end of the cave, spotted something.
"Hey, Porkchop, what's that?"
Monkey pointed to three objects at the end of the cave.
"Its the Highway 35 Team..." Porkchop said.
"We're in third place..." Monkey said.
"And now in second place!!" Porkchop replied as they passed the Highway 35 Team.
"Hello!!" Sparky said.
The Metal Maniacs laughed as they sped by.
"Hello?! HELLO?! I'm gonna 'hello' your metallic bu--" Jet yelled at the Metal Maniacs.
"Let it go, Jet..." Skeet said.
"Come on guys, lets try to start our cars again..." Es demanded.
The sound of engines starting filled the cave.
"Hey!! It's working!!"
"After them!!"
The Highway 35 Team took off after the Metal Maniacs.
"Hey! What's that up ahead?" Lani asked.
"I think it's the Highway 35 Team..." Karma replied.
"Hey, Es!! What happened?" Lani asked the Highway 35 vehicles as they caught up.
"Silencerz..." Es replied.
"Figures... Come on." Karma said.
"If we hurry, we can catch up to them..." Virto said.
The Racing Droids, falling short behind the Rev Raptors, were in last place.
"How'd you figure that out?" Skeet asked.
"Well, based on my observations..." Gateway said, "The Silencerz are most vulnerable after using vast amounts of energy."
The brains of the Racing Droids, Gateway, had observed this when the Silencerz tried to attack them.
"So... What you're saying is..." Shirako confirmed.
"They can't be invisible, they can't mimic, they can't fire... and they would show up on radar..." Virto replied.
"Cool..." Shirako said.
Suddenly, a fork in the track appeared.
"Where do we go now?" Lani asked.
"I suggest you take the left route..." Optic said, after scanning the tracks. "It leads to the mountains..."
"Where does the other track lead??" Karma asked.
"Below the mountains... over frozen water..."
The Teku and the Highway 35 Team took the left route, while the Rev Raptors and the Racing Droids took the right.
"Where are they going?" Es asked.
The Metal Maniacs, far ahead of the others, took the right route.
They were below the mountains, skidding and sliding over the slippery, ice covered track.
Suddenly, the track disappeared.
"What now?" Monkey asked.
"We can't go anywhere without a track..."
They were in the middle of a vast, frozen body of water, somewhere below the mountains.
Suddenly, cracks appeared on the ice.
"Yikes!! Let's get out of here!!"
But try as they might, their tires just couldn't find any traction.
Then the Ice gave way.
"Aaaaaargghhhh!!" Porkchop yelled.
"Hellooooooooo!!" Sparky yelled too.
The water froze their engines.
Three Metal Maniac cars, completely immobile, sunk in the freezing water below the ice.
CHAPTER 7
"Can't reach the Maniacs on the comm!!" Karma said.
The Teku and the Highway 35 Team were making their way around the slopes of the snow-covered mountains.
"What's wrong?" Lani asked.
"I don't know..."
Flashback
The sound of sirens filled the air.
By the time the paramedics got there, it was already too late.
What started out as an ordinary fishing trip turned into a disaster.
"Keep trying!! There's got to be--"
"Still not breathing..."
"Come on!!"
"Still not breathing!!"
Held back by the police, a young boy watched as his father's motionless body was loaded into an ambulance; The sirens weren't turned on.
He could still hear his father's voice...
"Porkchop!! Something's got me!! Swim... Swim!!"
"Porkchop..."
"Porkchop..."
End of flashback
"Porkchop!!"
Diesel Riggs opened his eyes.
He and his car, were sinking.
So far, no water entered the car.
So far...
"Porkchop!! Are you okay?!"
Monkey. The two had been best friends since their meeting at the junk shop.
"I'm okay, I think..." Porkchop replied.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" Sparky screamed.
Suddenly, they hit something.
"What the--?" Monkey stammered.
Suddenly, some sort of force field activated. Water was flushed out, keeping the cars inside a waterless sphere.
Then the ground opened up...
"It's... It's..." Tork stammered.
"The Water Realm..." Taro continued.
"So far, so good..."
Zack and his team of Vectra Silencerz are miles away from the others.
"Brake, left, then right..."
The Silencerz cars skidded their way across the track.
"Hey guys, I think I see something over there..."
Alec pointed out. Miles away, there was a Mountain range, arranged in a circular fashion.
In the middle was...
"The Dimension Disc!!" Banjee yelled.
"Alright!! Easy win!!" Alec yelled back.
"Hold it, guys... Something doesn't feel right..." Zack said.
"What?" Banjee asked.
Zack had been observing the area. They had been racing across the track, which was connected to the mountains. On one side of the track, the mountain, too steep to climb. On the other, the abyss.
"There aren't any trees..." Zack said.
Zack accelerated his car, Technetium. Accelium and Anthracite followed.
"Something is definitely wrong..." Zack said again.
His thoughts were confirmed when they heard what sounded like a low rumble.
Banjee blinked. Twice.
It took them a second to realize what came from the mountain, heading their way.
"AVALANCHE!!" Alec yelled.
"The Rev Raptors are still on our tail..." Virto said.
"Optic, see anything?" Gateway asked.
"Scanning... Scanning..." Optic replied.
As Optic switched his vision to X-Ray, he found something moving under the ice...
"Where's the track?" Gateway asked.
"Not here... Optic, anything?" Virto replied.
"There's a break in the ice..." Optic said. He rubbed his eyes.
"And it's heading for us!!"
"Uh-oh..." Virto said.
Six vehicles suddenly plummeted downwards, into the water below the ice.
"Hey, doesn't this guy over here talk?" Skeet asked, referring to Shirako.
"Nope, nope, nope!!" Jet taunted.
Shirako responded by turning up his tunes.
"What the--?? Hey!! Turn down the music!!" Jet yelled.
Like any Scorchers member, Jet Blaney appreciated only heavy rock music.
"Shirako, maybe you should turn down the music..." Lani pleaded.
"Why?" Shirako asked.
"HE TALKS!! Jet, you owe me five bucks..." Skeet said.
"Ah, crap!!" Jet muttered
"Knock it off guys..." Es smiled.
They were interrupted by the sound of heavy machinery.
The drivers looked at their rear view monitors.
"Sweepers!!" Karma yelled.
The new Sweeper II's were smaller and sleeker in design, allowing them to achieve what the original Sweepers could not; Agility.
"Can't shake them!!" Es said.
"Those grinders will make scrap metal out of our cars!!" Skeet yelled.
Suddenly, from the back of the Sweepers, numerous RD-07s appeared.
"Oh no!! Not those again..." Lani commented.
The RD-07s were deployed.
"Hey Teku boy!! I said turn down the music!!" Jet yelled.
"Ooookay..." Shirako complied.
"Turn it off--"
Without Bassline's shockwave, the RD-07s accelerated.
"Turn it on! Turn it on! TURN IT ON!!" Jet yelled in panic.
"Cool..." Shirako said.
Shirako veered to the right, letting the RD-07s get beside him.
As soon as the RD-07s started to charge up their laser cannons, Shirako veered left and activated his jump jets.
Bassline took out eight RD-07s.
"Okay... Now for the Sweepers..." Karma said.
"You make sound like it's easy!!" Skeet said.
Suddenly, one of the Sweepers was tossed off the track.
"What was that?" Es asked.
The other Sweeper veered left, avoiding what appeared to be a large hand.
Then, they heard a terrifying roar. The drivers looked at the mountain.
A large, ape-like creature suddenly appeared. It towered over the cars.
"The Abominable Snowman!!" Skeet yelled.
Mere seconds after they saw it, the creature attacked.
CHAPTER 8
"It's... It's just like the water realm..."
Porkchop drove on, his car, Jackhammer, accelerating on the tracks.
The tracks where protected by some sort of material, but occasional breaks in the track indicate the cars were meant to cross over the water.
Porkchop didn't feel so good. Again, he was reliving his father's last words;
Monkey and Sparky seem to be doing better.
Monkey was observing his surroundings, while Sparky, in Rollin' Thunder, takes the lead.
Sparky had little trouble in driving, as he still had Drone Driving Capabilities.
"Hey, Porkchop, you okay?" Monkey asked.
"Huh?" Porkchop snapped out of his trance. "Yeah, I'm fine..."
"AVALANCHE!!" Alec yelled.
"Oh no!!" Banjee yelled back.
In Technetium, Zack let go of the steering wheel. His hands were on his head. He was trying to think, but the screaming...
"Banjee!! Do you have the grenade on board!!" Zack snapped the words.
"Yeah!! What do I do?" Banjee asked.
"Fire at the Avalanche!! The one nearest us!!"
"What?!"
"DO IT!!"
Banjee fired, and Zack hoped for the best. In theory, a big enough explosion should disturb an incoming flow of snow. This should provide a break in the flow, for a few seconds at most.
The massive wave of snow, hurling towards them at over 300 miles per hour, was suddenly interrupted by a large explosion.
This was all the time the Silencerz needed. They accelerated their cars, and made it, inches away from the danger zone. If they had reacted a second later, they would've been thrown of the track.
"Good thinking, Zack!!" Banjee yelled.
"Thanks, Banjee..." Zack yelled back.
"Alright guys, keep your voices DOWN..." Alec said.
They laughed at his comment, then made for the mountain range.
"Left!! Right!!" Karma yelled.
The Teku and the Highway 35 Team avoided the hands of the abominable snowman.
But they can't keep this up for long; Compared to the size of the creature, they were but mere toys.
"Hey, maybe we can..." Karma said.
She was interrupted by the sound of a heavy engine roar.
The Sweeper was still giving chase. Although smaller than the original Sweeper, it was still fairly larger than the humans' vehicles.
"What do we do?!" Es asked.
"Turn up your lights!! MAX!!" Karma ordered.
Es, Skeet and Jet did so. But the Polarized lights of the Highway 35 Team lasts only for a few seconds.
The creature was momentarily blinded, and as it held its hands in front of its face, it slowed down.
"Hey!! Look over there!!" Es pointed out.
There was a large cave up ahead, presumably the home of the creature.
Karma took note of the sharp, giant icicles near the mouth of the cave.
"Shirako, turn off your tunes!!" Karma said.
"Why?" Shirako asked.
"Just do it!!" Lani replied.
"Hello!!" Sparky pointed up front.
There was a break in the track. Water flowed through.
Sparky knew what to do. He accelerated and made for the break. His car left the track and plunged in the water, but its momentum kept him from sinking. He made it to the other side.
"Good thinking, Sparky!!" Monkey said.
"Come on, Porkchop!! We can do this!!"
Monkey accelerated Rat-fied.
A hundred feet above them, a thing moved in the water. Attracted by the headlights of the cars below, it came closer.
A giant shark made its way towards the track.
"Optic, any sign of the leading team?" Virto demanded.
"No... No... No..." Optic replied.
The Racing Droids, followed by the Rev Raptors, entered the track underwater.
Virto's eyes flashed.
"We must find them..." Virto replied. His voice sounded darker than usual.
Behind them, the Rev Raptors looked at each other.
What where the Droids planning to do, they asked themselves.
"Shirako!! Tunes!! Now!!" Karma yelled.
Shirako turned up his music at maximum volume. Bassline's Mega-Bass produced shockwaves powerful enough to create small earthquakes.
As the Highway 35 Team entered the cave, the icicles shook.
The Teku and the Sweeper followed. As they entered the cave, the icicles shook again. Then it fell.
The Abominable Snowman looked up just in time to see the largest one fall on top of him.
"That takes care of the Yeti..." Es said.
"No more Yetis!!" Jet yelled.
The drivers saw the end of the cave, and with it, a horrifying sight; another abominable snowman. Behind them, the RD-L1 used its last resort weapon; A Nitrox Boost. If any of them made a slight error, they could get caught in the Sweeper's grinder.
"Oh my -- " Jet yelled. But Karma interrupted.
"Use the Nitrox. Go between the legs!!"
The drivers did as she told. The Sweeper was gaining on them, mere inches away from Chicane.
The creature saw the incoming cars, and brought its hand down to catch them.
The cars proved to be too small and to fast. The Sweeper, however, was a bit larger.
The creature caught it, and tore it apart as the drivers made their getaway.
Jet sighed. "Woah!! That was too close..."
"Hey, Jet..." Skeet called.
"What?"
"That's ten bucks you owe me..."
"Hey!! Look at that!!" Es yelled.
She pointed to a mountain range, some several miles away. In the center was jump. And at the jump was
"The Dimension Disc!!" they all said together, as they accelerated their cars.
Monkey made it. He made it to the other side.
"Come on Porkchop!! You can do it!!"
But Porkchop wasn't listening. He was recalling his father's last words.
"Porkchop!! Something's got me!! Swim... Swim!!"
"Something's got me!!"
"Something's got me..."
His car slowed down. The momentum was enough to carry Jackhammer halfway through, and it would've made it, if it weren't for the shark.
The giant shark suddenly appeared in front of Jackhammer, snapping Porkchop out of his trance.
But it was already to late; The shark had already clamped down on Jackhammer's front.
Porkchop closed his eyes.
"Porkchop!!" Monkey yelled.
But his friend couldn't hear him anymore.
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:04 am Post subject:
Will do...
As for the Black Reverb, it's the prototype of Vert's Reverb. It won't have a major role in Hyperdrive, but I can expand on it on future sequels, such as in my next fanfic, UltraSonic.
CHAPTER 9
"Sir... It appears as if luck is on their side..."
Crow appeared, walking silently.
His cane, decorated with various Acceleron symbols, was in his hand.
"Don't you think I know that?!" Kadeem snapped.
"Yes sir, but if we are to eliminate the humans..." Crow said, but Kadeem cut in.
"This is just a distraction..." Kadeem smiled.
"Excuse me?" Crow replied.
"Crow, allow me to introduce to you my real plan..."
"RD-A1..."
As Kadeem said the words, a Silencerz operative appeared.
He removed his helmet, revealing the face of a Racing Drone.
His fake suit did not function the same way a real one did, but nobody would be able to figure it out...
Until it's too late...
Vectra Silencerz Operative Ronnie Strauss sat in his chair.
In his hand was a letter, addressed to Major Wheeler, signed by General Trage. He spun it around.
Ronnie turned his head as his computer monitor flickered to life.
It displayed the words,
Connection Re-Established...
"It was over here!!" Aryan said.
Vert was with him, and so were Toni Berry and Felix Sharkey.
"I don't see anything, Aryan..." Vert said.
"But, it was... right here..." Aryan replied.
The Black Reverb had disappeared.
"Are you sure you saw it?"
"Yes... I even took some documents from the compartment..."
Aryan pulled out a pile of envelopes and handed it to Vert.
"Hey, these belong to Tone..."
"Who?" Aryan asked.
"Nolo's brother! The first Teku leader... Nolo would love to see this..."
Vert thanked Aryan and walked away.
"So, where's your new car?" Toni asked.
"Right here!!" Aryan said. "So, what do you think?"
"Woah... Looks like... The Batmobile!!" Toni said.
"Excuse me, what?" Aryan asked.
"No, no. It's KITT from Knight Rider." Felix said.
"What the--?" Aryan cut in.
"The old one or the new one?"
"The new one..."
"No... I say it looks like Batman's car..."
"Batman had a car? No he didn't..."
"Yes he did..."
"I thought the Batmobile belonged to Spiderman!!"
"Batmobile!! BATmobile!!"
"Guys?" Aryan asked.
Kurt walked in. Vert told him of the garage, and he decided to have a look himself.
"What's up with those two?" Kurt asked.
"Can't decide on what my car looks like." Aryan answered.
"Hey!!" Kurt said as he walked over "My old car!! Slingshot!!"
"Nice..." Aryan said.
"Hmmm... The Laser cannon is busted... Engine's not working..."
"Hey, Kurt. Could I borrow some body parts from the Slingshot?"
"Sure..." Kurt replied. "Just mind the cannon. It could fire..."
Porkchop opened his eyes.
The only thing he can see was the seemingly endless rows of teeth.
A muffled voice yelled on the radio.
"Por..hop!!"
"..ork..op!!"
Porkchop wanted to reach for the radio, but somehow, he was rooted to his chair.
Porkchop closed his eyes, and recalled his father's last words, as Monkey tried to contact him once more...
Flashback
"Porkchop!! Something's got me!! Swim... Swim!!"
"Something's got me!!"
"Something's got me..."
End of flashback
Something...
It hit him.
Porkchop pounded on the dashboard. Rage and frustration took over. It was then that he realized, though water drowned his father, it was an animal, a creature from beneath that started it all.
What could've been one of many moments was turned into disaster... and all because of some... monster...
Porkchop snarled. It wasn't going to happen to him. He won't allow it.
"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!!" He yelled.
"If I'm going down, then I'm taking you with me..."
He flicked a switch, and a metallic blade slid in place. He flicked another, and Jackhammer was converted from a two wheel drive, to a four wheel drive.
"Eat THIS fish stick!!"
Porkchop flicked another switch.
Jackhammer fired its grappling hook, attaching itself to the interior of the shark. Porkchop accelerated, following through with his blade.
The giant shark was violently ripped apart from within, as Porkchop yelled.
Jackhammer busted through the rear of the shark, and in a moment, Porkchop could feel peace...
"Porkchop!!" Monkey yelled again. It was louder. He must be closer...
Porkchop flicked the grappling hook switch again, and Jackhammer fired the grappling hook.
It worked. It was able to latch on to the track, some hundred feet above.
"Hmmm... Water ain't so bad..." Porkchop said as Jackhammer hauled itself out of the water, and into the track.
"Yeah!! That's what I'm talking about!!" Tork yelled.
"Nice..." Taro commented.
"Impressive... Say goodbye, Jaws..." Kurt said.
"Will YOU be quiet?!" Dr. Ardeth snapped.
The three looked at her.
"I am TRYING to contact our home dimension!!"
Kurt looked at Taro.
"Right... uhhh... We'll be on our way then." Kurt said.
"What's her problem?" Tork whispered as they walked away.
"Dunno..." Taro replied.
"Virto!! I see them!!" Optic said.
"About time..." Virto replied. "But first, get rid of the Raptors..."
"Aye, aye!!" Gateway replied.
Gateway and Optic, in their respective cars Axle and Shock Tower veered outwards, and decelerated.
The Rev Raptors were completely shocked to find to Racing Droid vehicles beside them.
"Goodnight, reptile..." Gateway said, as he pushed a button.
In a manner similar to the Silencerz Vehicles, the Racing Droids vehicles emitted EMP bursts, shutting down the Rev Raptors' cars.
"And now, after the humans!!" Virto demanded.
The Rev Raptors cursed them as they sped off.
"Hey!! They're gaining!!" Banjee said.
Miles behind, the Teku and the Highway 35 were catching up.
"What should we do? We don't have enough energy yet for claoking..."
Alec pointed out. They still had to wait five minutes before their vehicles can cloak.
"Hmmm... We wait..." Zack said.
"Excuse me, what?" Alec asked.
"Competition will get the better of them..." Zack replied.
He was right.
"Hey Lani..." Es said softly.
"What up?" Lani asked, pretending she didn't already know.
"It was cool of you and the Teku to save us back there but..."
Here it comes, Lani thought to herself.
"See, the thing about coming in third place..." Es continued.
But the Teku already knew.
"Fuel Cell! Now!!" Lani said.
The Teku used their hybrid fuel cell engines to suddenly take the lead.
"What the--?" Es snapped. "After them!!"
"Teku boy, you are going down!! DOWN!!" Jet yelled.
"Porkchop!! Are you okay?!" Monkey asked.
"Never better..." Porkchop replied. This time, he meant it.
"Just don't me eat fish..."
"Hello!!" Sparky said, pointing behind them.
The Racing Droids were catching. Miles behind them, the Rev Raptors revved up and accelerated.
"So, it's gonna be a good race after all..." Porkchop said.
"Good thing we still have our Nitrox!!" Monkey replied.
'Connection Re-established...'
"Finally!!" Dr. Ardeth sighed.
She tapped a few keys on her laptop.
"Imagine how long this would've taken without Internet..."
Terra, her loyal X88 Robot, floated around.
"Dr. Ardeth, the Racing Droids have been acting weird lately..."
"Figures... They're a weird bunch..."
"I don't trust them..." Terra replied.
"Nobody trusts them, Terra."
"Hey, look! A letter for Major Wheeler..."
"Must be important. It's from General Trage..." Dr. Ardeth guessed.
"Hey, JACK!! Come over here and have a look at this!!"
'Sent: 7:00pm, Tuesday.'
Major Wheeler read the contents of the Email.
"I wonder why Ronnie didn't come here personally..."
"Anyone could've read it..."
Suddenly, Dr. Ardeth cut in.
"Are you done yet? I have Emails too."
"Ardeth, this is important..." Major Wheeler said.
"Right, right..." Dr. Ardeth replied. "Come, Terra. Let us leave him with MY LAPTOP!!"
Major Wheeler chuckled.
But he frowned when he read the contents of the letter.
Three Silencerz Vehicles entered the mountain range.
"There it is!! Oh, Yeah!!" Banjee declared.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden burst of electricity.
"What was that?" Banjee asked.
"Not me!!" Alec said.
"Not any of us!! Look!!" Zack said.
Behind them, the Racing Droids were brawling with the Metal Maniacs. The Rev Raptors were catching up.
Zack looked at his side.
The Teku and the Highway 35 Team were fast approaching.
"There they are!!" Es said. "Don't let them out of your sight!!"
The Highway 35 Team saw the Silencerz.
"Activate your Jamming Frequency!! Don't let them talk to each other!!"
Moments later, the communications were cut off.
"What the--?" Lani said.
But no one could hear her.
"Someone took down the comm!" Karma yelled.
This isn't good, Zack thought to himself.
No radio, no coordination...
No coordination, no teamwork...
Eventually, the team race became a free for all race to the finish.
But Zack had other plans.
I just hope Banjee and Alec are up to this... Zack thought.
He decelerated.
"What's he doing?" Banjee said to himself.
"The five minutes are up!!" Alec said to himself.
"He must be trying to by Alec and I some time..."
And he did.
Zack activated his EMP Shields, exhausting Technetium's energy reserve in one big blast.
Unfortunately, Banjee and Alec were caught in the blast. All the cars were caught.
Except the Racing Droids. Somehow, they had managed to put up their Particle Shields, which are immune to all forms of long ranged attack.
"Oh no..." Zack said to himself.
"What have we done?" Es whispered.
"Es, I can't move!! Car won't start!!" Skeet replied.
"Me too, what now?" Jet cut in.
"I think... I think mine can start!!" Es said. She tried once.
No juice.
She tried again.
No luck.
She tried once more...
Third time's the charm.
"Go, Es!! Go!!" Skeet yelled.
"Not good..." Zack said.
Due to the lack of any energy, whatsoever, Technetium was starting to degrade. Some of the monitors even stopped functioning.
But at least it can still move.
Zack accelerated Technetium and caught up with Es, only to be knocked to the side by Virto.
But Technetium couldn't keep up anymore... It had to be recharged...
Zack pressed down one last time, gaining the lead, before swerving to the left...
Virto was surprised to see Technetium suddenly appear in front of him. He hit his brakes, and skidded left, hitting Es in Power Pistons.
"YES!!" Zack yelled.
It worked. His plan worked.
He rolled down his window, and grabbed the Disc.
As he did so, the teams behind him disappeared, and appeared in the Observatory in their respective places;
Silencerz in first, Racing Droids in second, Highway 35 at third, Teku and Metal Maniacs tied for fourth, and Rev Raptors in last.
"Not bad... For a rookiee..." Dr. Ardeth said.
"Well you gotta admit, swerving in front of them was a good idea..." Zack replied.
"That's oldest trick in the book..." Dr. Ardeth smiled.
"You have a message from Ronnie Strauss..." Terra said.
"Oh, fine..." Dr. Ardeth murmured.
"Sir..."
A Silencerz Operative made his way into a room filled with monitors.
"Sir..."
Ronnie Strauss swiveled in his chair to face the operative.
"There appears to be an intruder..."
Ronnie Strauss glanced at a monitor. It showed a family sedan, painted white, with purple window tint and tires entering the base.
Ronnie waved his hand, dismissing it. It appears as if Ronnie had allowed the intruder to enter the base...
"There's another thing, sir... General Trage... passed away..."
The operative pulled out a paper and handed it to Ronnie.
'Died: Monday 5:00am
Cause of Death: Heart Failure
Foul play suspected.
Investigation on-going.'
Ronnie stood there, rooted to the spot. Didn't General Trage just sign a letter, addressed to Major Wheeler?
Unless...
Ronnie Strauss blinked. Twice. In all his time, his service, with the Silencerz, he had never forgotten a detail, never made a mistake.
Until now.
Ronnie Strauss walked towards a computer. There was a big, red button on it. The Code Blue alarm. Just a push of the button would send hundreds of Silencerz operatives into action...
"Sir... I wouldn't recommend that..." The operative behind him said in a dull voice.
Ronnie Strauss turned around to face the Operative.
What he saw was an apparently robotic being...
A Racing Drone...
With a gun...
CHAPTER 10
"The Ice Dimension Disc..."
Dr. Tezla examined the Disc rotating slowly on his desk.
"Hmmm... We would've gotten it if it weren't for the Droids..."
Skeet said.
"And the Silencerz..." Es replied.
Suddenly, Banjee walked in.
"Hey, guys..." Everybody starred at him. "Did I interrupt something?"
Es starred at him. Clearly, she didn't approve of his loyalties.
"No. Not at all..." Dr. Tezla replied. "Why don't you test out the disc?"
"Alright!!" Banjee said.
"Something wrong, Karma?"
Lani walked on a small balcony, giving her a good view of the cars in the team garages.
Karma was meditating there.
"I was just thinking..." Karma replied.
"Yeah?" Lani confirmed.
"How did the Drones know we were taking the left route..." Karma said.
"A coincidence..." Lani reassured herself.
"No... The Racing Droids told us to take that route..."
"Karma, maybe they did it out of good will."
"Well, the right route did seem harder..." Karma commented.
"See? Maybe... they were just trying to help us." Lani said.
"Still... I don't trust them..." Karma replied.
Ronnie Strauss stood still.
He was the only Silencerz Operative left. The others had been assigned to different stations, by the late General Trage.
He watched the monitors, and saw a cheap imitation of a Silencerz Vehicle make its way into the base.
To make matters worse, a Racing Drone found the base. And it was pointing a gun at him.
The intruder will be dealt with later. Ronnie observed his surroundings.
He realized something.
The Drone's gun wasn't loaded. He would have to pull back the hammer in order to fire. It would take no more than a second.
CLICK.
He heard it. He dove to the left, and at the same time, the Drone fired, missing his head by centimeters.
Ronnie rushed forward and tackled the Drone. He felt a bullet tear across his shoulder.
The force of the tackle was enough to send the gun spinning away.
Under normal conditions, Ronnie could take down an RD-L1 in under three seconds with his bare hands. This new, more humanoid type of Drone, however, was holding his own.
Ronnie rolled forward and made for the gun. As the Drone tried to catch him, it was shot.
Twice.
Ronnie locked the weapon, and slid it into his pocket as the dead Drone fell to the ground. Now, for the intruder.
Suddenly, the Drone, still alive, lunged forward.
"Diesel Riggs..."
An Acceleron floated downwards.
"For your courage and bravery in the face of danger..."
"I would like to award you a gift..."
The Acceleron spun his hand around, creating a small circle.
Then, the circle became a portal. A vehicle came out.
Porkchop starred at it. His eyes wide open.
"Ol' Smokey!!" Porkchop yelled.
The Acceleron floated upwards, and returned to his observatory.
"Well, I guess that explains how we got some of our cars back." Nolo said.
"We can still create portals..."
The Acceleron said.
His companion nodded.
"But we can only bring in people and objects... We can't leave..."
"Perhaps..."
"Our powers are limited. The only way to leave is to..."
"Win the race and get the second Wheel of Power..."
"Agreed..."
Accelium sped through the track.
"Yeah!!"
Banjee yelled as his car reached 200 miles per hour.
"Time to chill!!"
Banjee inserted the disc. Moments later, a beam of ice appeared in front of him, freezing anything in his path.
Including the track.
"Yikes!!"
Banjee slammed on the brakes, but the car skidded instead of stopping.
Minutes after he hit the brakes, Accelium finally stopped.
"Woah... This thing is cool... and dangerous..."
Dr. Ardeth and Dr. Tezla nodded their heads in agreement.
"The Ice Disc creates a beam of ice..." Dr. Tezla said.
"Good for freezing objects, but puts the driver at a disadvantage."
Dr. Ardeth said, as she wrote down some notes in her journal.
"Finally!!"
Aryan stood up and admired his work.
His new car was finished. What was previously dubbed as the 'Batmobile' now looks like a cross between Slingshot and a Muscle car.
The rear tires were larger than the front. A chrome bumper was added to the front as well.
Toni walked in.
"So, what are you gonna name it?"
"Haven't thought of it yet." Aryan replied. "But once I see it in action, I'll think of a name for it..."
"By the way, Toni... See if you can integrate this 'Eye in the Sky' to the other vehicles..."
"Hey, Jack..."
Dr. Ardeth called Major Wheeler.
"I think something's wrong at the base... Ronnie won't respond..."
Major Wheeler thought for a moment.
"General Trage probably gave them new stations. It happens. But keep trying. There must be a reason he didn't respond."
"And you?" Dr. Ardeth asked.
"I have orders to follow."
Major Wheeler walked away, leaving a puzzled Dr. Ardeth.
"What the--?"
Dr. Ardeth said as she noticed the Racing Droids. They had been acting strangely.
Perhaps it would be wise to keep an eye on them.
"Is it finished?"
Gelorum's voice echoed.
"Just a few more adjustments..."
Crow stood up to reveal an incredibly long and thick cord.
Gelorum's face appeared on Crow's computer screen. For now, she is but a memory, a program. But
"After this, we will be able to transfer your program to a new body..."
Crow said, admiring his work. He allowed himself a small smile.
"Everything is going according to plan..." Gelorum said.
"Yes... It is..." Crow replied.
"Hey, Monkey!!" Mark yelled. "Where's Porkchop?"
Tork walked towards them.
"He... uhh.. He's taking a bath..."
"A BATH?!"
"I thought Porkchop didn't like water!!" Mark replied.
"Yeah, he said it's okay." Monkey said. "But he hates fish."
"Well, that's new..." Mark replied. "Tell him to go to Dr. Tezla..."
"What for?" Monkey asked.
"I don't know... Something about 'a way out of here'..."
"Soup's on!!" Lani said.
Food appeared in a flash of light on the tables.
"Finally!! I'm starving!!" Porkchop yelled.
As Porkchop wolfed down his food, the other drivers began talking.
"How many Dimensions do you think are there?" Kurt asked.
"Don't know." Mark replied. "But there better be an off-road dimension."
"Am I the only one who thinks we are being kept here?" Vert added.
Every human driver starred at him.
"Why? Don't like driving in exotic locations?" Es said.
"No... It's just that... The Accelerons... For someone who's supposed to be built for racing, they pay little attention..."
"Hmmm..." Dr. Tezla thought. "Vert's right."
"Perhaps they're busy with something."
The Teku, Metal Maniacs, and the Highway 35 Team resumed eating.
"Hey, where'd all the steak go?" Porkchop demanded.
Suddenly, a long, skinny tail grabbed the plate of meat.
"What the--? Hey!! Gimme that meat!!"
"Rooaaarrrr!!" replied the Rev Raptors.
"You want meat?! Then take it!!" Porkchop yelled. He threw the plate of meat.
And it landed on Rokk's face.
The massive leader of the Rev Raptors stood up, picked up a pile of meat from their table, and threw it at Porkchop.
Sitting in another table, the Silencerz observed everything.
"You do know where this is going, do you?" Dr. Ardeth asked Zack.
"Mistrust among the drivers?" Zack replied.
"No..." Dr. Ardeth said. "Food fight..."
"FOOD FIGHT!!" Monkey yelled.
"Oh no..." Dr. Ardeth groaned.
"Evasive Action!! Evasive Action!!" Tank yelled.
"You people are so immature!!" Dr. Ardeth yelled. Moments later, a plate of mashed potatoes hit her face.
Zack laughed. "Oh, wow... Bullseye... Excellent shot... Nice Aim!!"
SPLAT
"I was just kidding, you know..." Zack said, as he wiped the pie Dr. Ardeth slammed on his face.
"Traitor..." Dr. Ardeth commented.
"Humans..." Plex said. "Predictable creatures..."
"How long until they arrive?"
"Not too long..."
"What do we do?"
"Whatever they ask us to do..."
The Racing Droids observed the ensuing food fight.
"They're wasting their time..." Virto said.
"INCOMING!!" Optic yelled.
The Racing Droids ducked as a massive piece of fish bounced off their table.
Hours later, the humans were all asleep in their respective team rooms.
Even the Rev Raptors were tired. They packed some meat and took it with them to their dorm.
The Racing Droids, however, made for their cars.
They have modifications to make...
"Sir, an RD-A1 is in position..." Crow said.
"Excellent... How long until they reach us?" Kadeem demanded.
"Any minute now, sir."
Kadeem smiled. His plan worked perfectly.
Apparently, He had managed to release a team of RD-A1's on Earth, before chasing the humans in the Dimensions. This is to ensure that, in case he failed to destroy the Racing Teams, he will still be able to take over the Earth.
And one of them found the Vectra Silencerz Base, and is in the process of contacting the others.
Before long, The Silencerz, the last real threat to the Drones on Earth, will be eradicated.
CHAPTER 11
Ronnie tapped in some keys on a nearby computer, in an attempt to locate the intruder.
How the heck did she get here, Ronnie asked himself.
Behind him, the Racing Drone, shot twice, was lying on the ground, motionless.
Or so it seemed.
A second later, the Racing Drone sprang forward.
Ronnie turned around just in time to hear a sound of metal hitting metal.
There he found the Racing Drone, with a fire extinguisher in place of its head.
The intruder, wearing what appears to be a home-made Silencerz suit, held the fire extinguisher.
Ronnie raised his gun, but in a flash, the gun was kicked out of his hand by the masked intruder.
Ronnie went into his fighting stance as the intruder removed her helmet revealing...
A very familiar face...
A lot of noises came from a room.
A combination of inhumane growls, roars, grunts and snorts can be heard.
The Rev Raptors weren't happy. Indeed, they have no reason to be. They lost the first two races, and as if that wasn't enough, they came in last place for both.
This was not acceptable.
"This is not acceptable!!" Roared the leader, Rokk.
"Perhaps we have been too easy on the drivers." replied Sike.
Sike, the skinny, snake-like member of the team, was probably right.
The others agreed with him. Their cars were designed for unstoppable force, for durability, rather than flat out speed.
It is time they utilized them to their full potential.
"Then it is agreed." Gato announced. "The rest of the races, we will show them no kindness, no mercy..."
The Rev Raptors walked out of their rooms, and into the garage.
"Wonder what the next realm is?"
Zack entered Dr. Ardeth's lab. Terra turned around to face him, then floated back to a computer console.
"Why would you think I know?" Dr. Ardeth replied.
"I don't know. You seem to know everything thrown at you..."
"I don't. I just read a lot here and there." Dr. Ardeth said.
She adjusted her binoculars, and focused on the spinning Acceleron Ring.
Zack turned to leave when Dr. Ardeth said something.
"Urban. The next dimension is the Urban Dimension..."
Beep...
Beep...
BEEP...
"The following drivers will enter the dimension..." announced the Acceleron.
"Vert Wheeler..."
"This time, I'm gonna win it!!" Vert said as he climbed into Reverb.
"Kurt Wylde..."
Kurt slipped on his helmet before quietly walking towards his car.
"Nolo Pasoro..."
"This is for the Teku!!" Nolo said.
"Taro Kitano..."
"Let's do it..." Taro commented.
"Tork Maddox..."
"Alright, let's move some metal!!" Tork yelled.
"Mark Wylde..."
"I got this, I got this..." Mark said to himself.
"Major Wheeler..."
"Tank Mallory..."
"Dan Dresden..."
The Silencerz made for their cars quietly. Even in their formation, they show coordination.
"Aryan Shreyank..."
"Time to test out my new car!!" Aryan said.
"Toni Berry..."
Toni tapped her helmet to make sure her comm link was working.
"Felix Sharkey..."
"Show time..." Felix said.
"Hertz..."
"Satellyte..."
"Plex..."
"Alright, Droids, you know what to do..."
"Rokk..."
"Gato..."
"Sike..."
The Rev Raptors revved up their monstrous cars. With each rev, the groun trembled a bit.
"That's everyone... Drivers, take your positions..."
The Silencerz formed a triangle, with Major Wheeler at the lead.
"FIVE..."
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs started their engines.
"FOUR..."
The Rev Raptors roared in anticipation.
"THREE..."
The Highway 35 Team checked their comm links and the 'Eye in the Sky.'
"TWO..."
The Racing Droids flicked on their radars.
"ONE..."
An over-head light blinked green.
Eighteen cars accelerated forward on their respective tracks, each leaving a trail of smoke and burnt rubber.
"Hey, Aryan..." Es suddenly spoke over the comm.
"Something wrong??" Aryan asked.
"Use your Eye in the Sky to monitor the Racing Droids..."
"Good idea..." Aryan replied. "35 Team, activate the Spy Satellites as soon as you hit the Dimension..."
"So, you're Ronnie Strauss, right?" The female asked.
Ronnie nodded. He knew who this person was. If she had been a Silencerz, she would probably out-rank him.
"What happened?"
Ronnie guided her to a computer console.
It revealed some messages from General Trage.
The late general had been giving recent orders, which the operatives followed without question.
"So, there is an impostor in the Silencerz..."
"Anything else?" the female asked.
Ronnie nodded. He tapped a command on his keyboard.
The female understood.
A special team of Drones had been left on Earth, tasked to find out the biggest threat to them and eliminate it from within.
This special team of Drones had been able to infiltrate the Silencerz, and they took over the comm link.
Ronnie stopped their attempts by shutting down communications.
But this was not the case with the Vectra Silencerz. Major Wheeler insisted Dr. Ardeth to keep trying to contact the Silencerz HQ.
With each attempt, the Racing Drones are narrowing their search, locking on to their signal...
"We have to save them... Or at least tell them about the Comm Sabotage..."
The female thought for a second.
"But how can we warn them without alerting the Drones to our presence?"
Ronnie pointed to the track. At the end of it was a small beam of light. Every time a dimension opens, so does the portal.
"What? We don't have a car!!"
Ronnie handed her the keys to Metaloid, while he took the keys for Octanium.
"I don't like this." The female said. "But we don't have a choice..."
The beam of light at the end of the track widened, opening a portal.
Moments later, Metaloid and Octanium accelerated on the track, and entered the portal.
The entire Silencerz Base in California was now empty.
Or so it may seem.
In a dark room filled with monitors, something moved.
The Racing Drone, though headless, was still alive. It made for the nearest computer console and tapped a command on the keyboard.
Communications Online...
"Begin Operation Silent Control..."
CHAPTER 12
A flash of white light appeared across the sky;
Eighteen vehicles suddenly appeared, and landed on the track some 20 feet below.
"Woah!! Check it out!!" Vert said.
"It's... it's beautiful!!" Aryan said.
Aryan had never been in a city before, so the sight of a city with various loops, jumps, and flashing neon lights thrilled him.
"If it's anything like the Metro Realm, then this should be easy..." Tork said.
"Should be..." Taro said. He lost the Metro Realm to the Silencerz.
"Anything?" Es said.
She was contacting Toni on the comm link.
"Nothing... Yet..." Toni replied. On a screen inside her Toyota RSC, the top view of the Racing Droids were displayed.
"We'll keep our eyes peeled..." Felix added.
Something moved...
In a large warehouse, headlights flickered, horns sounded, and engines started.
Beeeeeeeeepppp...
Three large vehicles, Semis, left the garage.
The drivers concentrated on the road ahead of them.
Beep... Beep...
"Who's doing that? It's annoying!" Mark announced.
"That's not us!!" Nolo pointed out.
Behind them, a wave of cars of all sorts came forth.
"What the--?" Mark asked.
"Traffic... The cars keep coming..." Kurt replied.
"Is there a pattern?" Nolo asked.
"I don't think so..." Kurt replied.
The drivers did their best to avoid incoming and outgoing cars. But a wave of cars, rooted to the spot, told them they were in for trouble.
The cars were so packed that not even the Metal Maniacs can get past them with Lava Plows.
"What is this... Rush Hour??" Toni commented.
"Why do you call it Rush Hour if nothing moves??" Aryan asked.
In Africa, there was no such thing as a Rush Hour, Aryan knew that.
The Rev Raptors spoke suddenly.
"Now's our chance..." Rokk roared.
"I almost feel sorry for them..." Gato taunted.
"Almost..." Sike added.
The drivers looked behind them just in time to see the Rev Raptors burst forth.
The large, beast-like vehicles of the Rev Raptors made short work of the traffic.
"There!! Follow them!!" Aryan said.
The Highway 35 Team tried to follow, but the cars the Rev Raptors cleared were now littered on the street.
"Rats!!" Toni said.
"How are we gonna follow them now?" Felix asked.
"Hang on!!" Aryan said. He pressed a button on his dashboard.
At the front of his car, Slingshot's laser cannon appeared.
He pressed a button. The cannon fired.
But it didn't fire a laser. It fired a projectile; A tracking device.
"Nice one, Aryan!!" Toni said.
Knowing that the Rev Raptors were powerful, but not all that fast, the Highway 35 could weave through the traffic and follow them.
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs looked on as the Rev Raptors took the lead.
"Jump Jets?" Vert asked.
"No... The traffic is too long... we'd lose our Nitrox and fall halfway..."
Kurt looked around.
"Over there..." Kurt pointed out.
A few feet to the left of a shop, a sign said 'Backstage Pass'. The way there was very narrow, less than 9 feet in width.
But it could go on... It could lead the drivers to the alleys...
"Come on!! It's our only chance!!" Kurt beckoned.
He was right. The cars ahead weren't moving.
Losing is one thing... Getting stuck, that's another, Kurt thought to himself.
The Drivers made there way to the 'Backstage Pass'.
"Sure about this, Kurt?" Nolo asked.
"Yeah... Mark and I used to do it everytime..." Kurt replied.
He wasn't kidding. Before they raced for Dr. Tezla in the Racing Realms, Kurt and Wylde raced not only on the streets, but also on the alleys, while carrying tanks of Nitrox.
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs slipped in the passageway. Garbage bins and fire escapes occasionally blocked their way, but they can simply find another route to take.
The Racing Droids followed them.
The Silencerz, however, had another thing in mind.
"Tank, see that bin over there?" Major Wheeler pointed.
"Roger that... What's next?" Tanks asked.
"Shoot it..." Major Wheeler replied.
Tank shot the bin. It bounced twice, and hit a barricade.
The wooden barricade fell down, hitting a building, making a make-shift ramp.
Major Wheeler accelerated Iridium and hit the ramp.
For a few seconds, he was flying through the air. And then, he hit the roof top.
"Just as I thought." Major Wheeler said. "There's tracks on the rooftops..."
"Say no more!!" Dan followed.
Tank followed soon after.
As the Silencerz continued on the rooftops, they saw something.
"What's that?" Tank asked.
Miles away and miles above, he spotted something glowing. It could only be...
"This disc!!" Dan said.
"It's on top of that--" Tank replied "-- that tower!!"
True enough, the disc was spinning on top of an enormous tower, some 3000 feet from the ground.
"Awwww crap..." Dan commented.
The Racing Droids noticed something.
They were weaving through the alleys, following the Teku and the Metal Maniacs.
"Satt, did you see that?" Hertz asked.
"Where?" Satt asked back.
"Above..." Plex said.
They weren't referring to the dis; They were referring to the Highway 35 Team's Spy satellite.
"We'll give them something to think about..." Hertz said. "Shoot it..."
"Finally..." Plex commented, before shooting the Spy out of the sky.
"The humans' spy satellite has been taken out, sir..."
Crow appeared.
"Shall we initiate the distraction?"
Kadeem appeared from the darkness.
"Yes, we shall..."
Two RD-11s accelerated before disappearing in a flash of light.
"Sir, and RD-A1 has located a signal from a laptop..." Crow announced.
Kadeem raised an eyebrow.
"It must be the Acceleron's Observation Post, sir..." Crow said.
Kadeem thought for a moment. It would be hard to deal with an Acceleron.
"Sir, might I suggest using a hit and run tactic?" Crow asked.
"The Racing Drones never run..." Kadeem boomed.
"It won't be running... We'll make them go after us..." Crow replied.
"How?" Kadeem demanded.
"We go in, take their finest and brightest, then we go out..." Crow answered.
"Then they will try to follow us here..." Crow continued.
"Where legions of Racing Drones await..." Kadeem added.
"Very well... Send in a squad of RD-A1s..."
"I will personally lead them myself, sir..." Crow said.
"Who is their brightest, anyway?" Kadeem asked.
"A Silencerz Scientist..." Crow replied. "By the name of..."
"Dr. Ardeth..."
CHAPTER 13
The Rev Raptors were in first place.
Miles behind them, the Highway 35 Team, led by Aryan, took second place.
"They're still following..." Rokk roared.
"Not for long..." Gato replied.
Gato accelerated his car, Gator Head, and slammed countless realm cars head on.
A few moments later, more upturned cars littered the Highway, making it almost impossible for anything to go through.
Almost impossible.
"When will they stop??" Aryan asked.
"They're doing this to keep us at bay..." Felix asked.
"Is there any way out of the traffic?" Toni added.
Aryan flicked a switch, and called in his Eye in the Sky.
However, the monitor returned only static.
"Hey... what gives? My Spy is gone..." Aryan said over the radio.
"Then the Racing Droids are definitely up to something..." Esmeralda said.
She had been watching the race. She noticed that the monitors aren't displaying everything.
The Racing Droids' dash cams were transmitting videos of the race that never happened.
Hmmm... The feeds here must be fake, Es thought to herself.
She gathered up the rest of the Highway 35 Team and told them her discovery.
"Yeah, baby!! This is the way WE do it!!"
Dan Dresden yelled the words as his car, Nitrium, soared over the rooftops.
"Dan, you're enjoying this too much." Tank said.
"Can't help it, man!! It's been a while since I went rooftop racing..."
"Yeah right..." Tank commented.
"No seriously..." Dan said.
"Stay focused, men..." Major Wheeler said. "We're no closer to the Disc than the others are..."
The Silencerz accelerated and hit a ramp, launching them into the air.
Moments later, they landed on another rooftop.
The Racing Droids weaved through the alleys with ease, and, although they tailed the Teku and the Metal Maniacs, they never made any effort to over-take them.
"Why aren't we taking the lead??" Plex demanded.
"Because I know what's in store for us if we do." Hertz replied.
"The Semis?" Satt asked.
"No." Hertz replied. "Worse than that. Much worse than that."
"Stay in the middle..."
An unknown female accelerated her car, Metaloid.
Behind her, Ronnie Strauss followed in his car, Octanium.
Suddenly, a huge mosquito appeared and attempted to lift Metaloid off the track, only to receive an electric shock.
Apparently, the mosquito's thermal vision made them a visible target, even with the cloaking field on.
"Remind me again why we're doing this?" the female asked.
Ronnie punched some codes on his car.
"Oh, right. The Major and the Vectra Silencerz..."
Ronnie looked upward and saw numerous mosquitoes heading for his car.
He sighed, rolled his eyes, and with a press of a button, eliminated them all with a single, well-placed shot.
As they got closer and closer to the Swamp Beast, light surrounded their cars.
"Here we go..." the female said.
Ronnie nodded.
Moments later, they disappeared, and entered the Cavern Realm.
A loud, metallic honking noise was heard.
"What was that?" Toni asked.
"Uhhh, guys..." Felix stammered, but Toni ignored him.
"Look!! An exit!!" Toni yelled.
"Guys..." Felix stammered again, but was interrupted by Aryan.
"An exit? Good! Let's get out of this traffic." Aryan said.
"GUYS!!" Felix yelled.
"WHAT?" Toni yelled back.
"Look..."
Behind them, three large, silver Semis appeared and gave chase.
"A metallic Elephant!!" Aryan yelled.
"Oh no..." Toni said. She was hoping the cars littered on the Highway would slow them down.
Fifteen seconds later, she knew that was wishful thinking. The Semis didn't even bother to stop. They simply smashed the cars out of their way.
"What did we ever do to them?!" Felix yelled as he accelerated his car.
"Run away!!" Toni yelled.
The Highway 35 Team took the exit and left the highway, followed closely by the Semis.
"Pitiful humans..." Rokk roared.
His team laughed along with him.
Rokk looked ahead to find two Semis heading his way. He growled.
The first Semi slammed headfirst into him, sending him spinning out of control.
But, nevertheless, his car was still intact. He brought it back under control.
He flicked a switch on his dashboard. The front part of his monstrous car moved. Metallic plates slid back, revealing a large, mechanical pair of jaws with a full set of teeth.
He pressed another button as the Semi made for him head on.
The upper jaw raised itself, before clamping down on the Semi's cockpit.
He pressed hard on the accelerator, and pushed against the Semi. He increased the power of the jaws, and crushed the Semi's cockpit.
"DESTROY THAT VEHICLE!!" Rokk roared.
Gato and Sike nodded and made for the second Semi. Gato's car was similar to Rokk's, albeit a bit slower and faster.
Sike's vehicle was long and snake-like, with multiple independent segments, allowing it to turn sharply at high speed.
Gato accelerated his car towards the side of the Semi, and rammed it to the side.
Sike pressed a button on his dashboard; The front part of his car raised itself, then, like a coiled spring, struck the Semi on the side.
The damage done was minimal, but it had enough impact to tip the Semi on its side.
The Rev Raptors roared in victory, and proceeded with the race.
The Racing Droids suddenly broke left, disappearing into another part of the alley as Kurt broke right.
"Where are they going?" Kurt asked.
"Never mind them, Kurt." Nolo replied.
Battle Spec turned left, and found itself back on the road.
"No traffic here, guys..." Kurt announced.
"Yeah!!" Mark yelled.
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs left the alley and proceeded onto the road.
In a small part of the Urban Dimension, a radio switched on by itself. "Sally, we have eighteen speeding vehicles..." "Roger that, Charlie, initiate pursuit..." "Move out..."
"Code 5-1-0..."
In the distance, the sound of sirens can be heard...
CHAPTER 14
The sound of tires on a track echoed through the air.
SPLASH.
Here we go again... Ronnie thought to himself.
The female, codenamed 'Fox' had taken the lead.
Their cars, Octanium and Metaloid cut through the water.
Giant fish from above started to take interest in them, but they were long gone.
"So, you're saying there's more to this than the race?" Fox asked.
Ronnie shook his head. He sent her the video that Aryan showed him almost a month ago.
Fox played the video in her car. It was a video of a street race.
"Hmmm... I always hated racing..." She pressed the fast forward button.
Then she saw something; In the video, a car got boxed out by two vehicles, and disappeared in a flash of light.
"Drones can't do that..." Fox said to Ronnie.
Ronnie shook his head.
"So, it's not the Drones... It's... something else..." Fox concluded.
"How are we gonna get up there?" Dan yelled.
He was referring to the Disc, floating on top of a building, some 3000 feet from the ground.
"There's a way up..." Major Wheeler said.
"You mean other than the impossibly steep track?"
"Over there..." Tank said.
He pointed to a huge crane, carrying some planks of wood from the ground by itself, as if it was constructing the building where the Disc is located.
"What? We're supposed to ride that thing like an elevator?" Dan asked.
"Unless you want to take the track..." Tank said.
"Oh, fine..."
"It's decided then." Major Wheeler said. "We hitch a ride..."
The Silencerz accelerated, jumping and landing over the rooftops.
Tires screeched as they skidded on the driveway.
"Well, we left the traffic..." Mark said.
"But entered a maze..." Kurt replied.
He was right. The Alleys took them to a part of the dimension that simulates the mean streets. Alleys, apartments, garages, and restaurants were everywhere.
The track wasn't even orange.
"I wish I had my Spy Cam right about now..." Kurt said.
"Maybe we should split up..." Nolo said.
"Alright. Just radio if you see anything."
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs split up, and eventually, the Teku split up themselves, and so did the Maniacs.
"They've broken up..." Satt said. She accelerated her car, Syphon, and turned a sharp left.
The Racing Drones were still in the alleys.
"Hmm... It's safer here..." Hertz said.
"What exactly are we hiding from?" Plex demanded.
"We're not hiding; We're just not following them." Satt replied.
"We will strike when the time is right." Hertz said.
"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna DO?!" Felix cried out loud.
The Highway 35 Team were being chased by three Semis.
"Left!!"
"Right!!"
The team weaved through the city, but the Semis were still on their tail.
"What do we do?" Toni asked.
"Maybe... Maybe we can use them against each other..." Aryan said.
"Okay... You let me know how that turns out..." Felix said, as he accelerated his car.
"Felix!! Look, Aryan has a point. These things will just keep chasing us..." Toni said.
"Alright. We split up, and head back to that intersection." Aryan said.
"Ready?" Aryan asked.
"No no no no no no no..." Felix stammered.
"GO!" Aryan said.
The Highway 35 Team split up, each taking a direction in the intersection.
The Semis followed them.
Aryan spun his car ninety-degrees. He was hoping the Semi would follow.
It did.
"One more pass..." Aryan said to his team over the radio.
The 35 Team weaved through the city blocks, but were ultimately heading for the same intersection they crossed earlier.
"Almost there..." Toni said.
Suddenly, the Semis slowed down.
"Oh no..." Felix commented.
"They're... they're not falling for it..." Aryan said.
"The signal's getting closer, sir..."
Crow spoke over the radio. He was leading a team of RD-A1s, sent to infiltrate and kidnap humans from the Acceleron's Observation Post.
"Excellent... And the Accelerons?" Kadeem demanded.
"I don't think they will be bothering us, sir..." Crow replied.
Street Spyder and four RD-11s sped through the void.
They were surrounded by darkness and emptiness, guided only by the signals coming from Dr. Ardeth's laptop.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large building appeared.
"Here we are..." Crow said. "Change in plans..."
The RD-A1s looked at him.
"We take a member from every team..."
The Teku and the Metal Maniacs spoke to each other over the radio.
"Hey Vert, see anything?" Nolo asked.
"Nah... There's nothing here..." Vert responded.
"Hang on..." Vert said over the radio. "Is that..."
"COPS!!" Mark yelled.
"Hey, back off!!" Tork demanded as a Police Car tried to hit him.
"Why you..." Kurt said, but he was interrupted.
Numerous cars appeared from nowhere. They were all identical. Individually, they were powerless to stop the Racing Teams.
"Stop your Vehicles!!"
"Not on your life..." Mark said. He veered left, slamming Flathead Fury in a Police car.
The car spun twice before hitting another. Mark smiled.
More cop cars appeared from nowhere. The Teku and the Metal Maniacs were scattered; They couldn't help each other.
But they refused to slow down.
"We've got trouble..." Taro said.
Suddenly, the roar of a powerful engine was heard.
A Police Hummer appeared. Behind it were four Police Corvettes.
"We've got more trouble..." Taro added.
CHAPTER 15
"They're... They're stopping!!" Toni remarked.
Their plan had failed. They wanted to lure the Semis that were chasing them into a tight intersection, where the lack of space would guarantee the Semis' destruction.
But the Semis slowed down, apparently wise to their plan.
"Hey... what gives??" Felix asked.
Aryan looked around. Then, he saw something.
A couple of miles away from him, there was an alley. Toni and Felix would have to cross the intersection to get to it, but Aryan can simply make a break for it...
At the cost of his team. With the Semis behind them, it would take a miracle to squeeze three cars in a tight alley in time to avoid a deadly collision with the gigantic Semis.
But Aryan put his team ahead of him.
"Guys, there is an open alley here." Aryan mapped out the coordinates.
"But... if we go there, the Semis will block you off..." Felix stammered.
"I'll hold the Semi behind me. Go..." Aryan said.
"But..." Felix stammered again
"GO!" Aryan replied.
Felix and Toni went on, while the Semis behind them gave an organized chase, one after the other.
The Semi behind Aryan sped up.
"Let's see how quick you are." Aryan said.
He veered left and right across the narrow road, trying to make sure the Semi follows him.
It did.
"Almost there..." Toni said.
Her Toyota RSC accelerated, followed closely by Felix's Power Pipes.
The pair made it across the intersection, heading Aryan's way, with the Semis following them.
Toni and Felix pulled their emergency brakes, and twisted the steering wheel left.
Their cars turned ninety-degrees, and accelerated into the alley, as the Semis brushed behind them, missing them by mere inches.
Aryan was now trapped between the Semis, one behind, two up front.
He accelerated his car.
The Semi behind accelerated, and tried to hit him. But Aryan quickly got out of the way.
There was little space to maneuver. He accelerated again just as the Semis were closing in on him...
Then he broke right, the Semis behind and in front of him tried to hit the brakes, but their momentum cause them to crash.
"Woah... That was close... What the--?"
Aryan's words were cut off. He forgot about the second Semi up front, and turned left just in time to hit the left side of his car.
His car quickly spun around, making Aryan feel dizzy, and crashed into a building.
He tried to start his car.
The Semi that hit him stopped.
"Come on... Come on..." Aryan said.
Then, the Semi traveled towards him in reverse.
"Oh no... Come on..." Aryan said again.
His car started, but most of the body was damaged. Then, he realized he was near the alley.
He tried to make a break for it as the Semi's Trailer came upon him.
It didn't work.
Aryan closed his eyes...
"So... how many members did you lose?" Lani asked.
She was talking to Alec.
"Just one; Gave his life up for Dr. Ardeth..." Alec replied.
Zack walked in on their conversation, but they did not hear him.
"That Ryder guy?" Lani confirmed.
"We were all quiet like... Dr. Ardeth told us not to tell anyone..." Alec replied.
"How did he..." Lani asked, but Alec continued.
"Got eaten by the Swamp Beast..."
Zack's eyes widened. He left the room.
"The Semis here are smarter than the ones in the Metro Realm..."
Dr. Ardeth recorded her voice on her journal.
"I wonder if..." She tried to continue, but Zack burst in.
"YOU told me Jason was promoted and moved..." Zack accused.
"Yeah... That's what..." Dr. Ardeth replied, but she was cut off.
"Well, I just heard Alec said that Jason's already dead!!"
"Zack, listen, it's not that simple..." Dr. Ardeth tried to explain.
"I joined the Silencerz to see my brother, not to REPLACE him!!"
"There were complications... I couldn't just tell everyone..."
"So you made sure the others would never tell me... You're just like Dr. Tezla..."
"But..."
Zack sighed and walked to the door. He slammed it shut. He rushed to his room and locked himself in.
Dr. Ardeth sighed and hung her head. She raised her hands to cover her face.
"There's too many of them!!" Nolo said.
A dozen Police cars were chasing him.
"We can take them..." Tork said.
Suddenly, Hollowback was launched from a ramp, and hit one Police car.
Tork flicked a switch, and the Lava Plow was activated.
Nolo activated his Mega Bass, and swept up any other Police Car that Tork missed.
Suddenly, a Hummer SUV appeared, and drove towards them.
"Come on..." Tork taunted.
As the Hummer and Hollowback met head-on, Tork felt an incredible impact that shook his car and his body. Behind him, Nolo hit the brakes, but still hit Hollowback.
The Hummer, however, hardly shook.
"I hate Police SUVs..." Nolo commented.
Suddenly, part of the hood of the Hummer slid open.
A small, gun like device appeared, and aimed itself at Hollowback.
"Back up!!" Tork yelled.
Tork and Nolo switched to the Revers Gear, but as they tried to break away, Hollowback was shot.
Blue electricity swirled around the vehicle, slowing it down, then eventually, switching it off.
"Tork!!" Nolo yelled.
But soon, he too was shot down, and shut down.
The Rev Raptors stopped.
They had destroyed the Semis. They had destroyed the cars in the traffic jam.
The only thing left was the Disc.
Which was spinning on top of a tower.
"Impossible..." Gato said.
Rokk roared.
"If we can't get the disc, then no one will!!"
The Rev Raptors roared in agreement.
Some hundred feet above them, the Silencerz rode a make shift elevator. It was a crane carrying supplies to the tower.
Suddenly, the Racing Droids came out from the alleys.
"Shut down that crane!!" Hertz commanded.
"With pleasure..." Plex replied.
Plex activated his EMP Cannons, and repeatedly shot the crane until it stopped functioning.
"Uh-oh..." Tank said.
The Silencerz, suspended two hundred feet above the ground, were no closer to the Disc.
"What do we do now?" Dan demanded.
Major Wheeler surveyed the area; The only thing he saw as a means of escape was the building next to the tower.
The building was under construction.
"Hit all your pedals. Then, accelerate!!" Major Wheeler replied.
The Silencerz did as he told; They accelerated their cars, but the Brake and the Clutch naturally held it in place.
"Use your Nitrox... Wait for it to go out..."
The Nitrox bar slowly faded out, then disappeared.
"NOW!!" Major Wheeler said. The Silencerz released the clutch and the brakes.
In a manner similar to Zed-36, the Silencerz were catapulted towards the construction site, and landed on top of the building.
"Nice!!" Dan commented. "Now how do we get down from here?"
The rest of the teams were watching the Silencerz's apparent ingenuity.
Karma, however, said "Kurt did that first..."
They were interrupted by the sound of an explosion.
Suddenly, four RD-11s entered led by a black car with red lines.
"The Street Spyder!!" Jet exclaimed.
"Drones!!" Lani yelled.
"Who's that?" Monkey asked.
He was referring to the man who climbed out of the car. He was wearing a black suit, and his face was hidden by a white mask and a formal hat.
He held a cane, which glowed an eerie blue.
"Good evening... Allow me to introduce myself... I am Crow..." Crow said.
"And you are... in trouble..." Crow added. He pointed his cane at Lani and pressed a button.
A blue net came out from the tip, and trapped Lani.
The four RD-A1s climbed out of their cars and started towards the drivers.
To Be Continued...
And this is where Burnout Ends:
CHAPTER 16
Lani tried to move under the net that Crow fired upon her.
But suddenly, she felt tired; She couldn't move.
The net somehow drained her of her energy. Soon, she was asleep.
"L-Lani!!" Monkey stammered. He tried to go for Lani, but became trapped himself.
The Drivers backed up to their cars. Suddenly, their hands were pressed behind them, on to their backs.
The Racing Droids locked them with handcuffs. The Drivers starred at them in disbelief.
"One member of each team..." Crow instructed.
The Racing Drones and the Racing Droids followed.
"Put the rest to sleep..."
Lani, Monkey, and Jet were hauled away.
Suddenly, an RD-A1 was ripped apart. A Rev Raptor appeared and roared at Crow.
"What a fine specimen..." Crow said. The Rev Raptor charged towards him.
Crow took a side step left, then brought his cane at the Rev Raptor's feet. He was tripped over, and was caught in a net.
"And what is your name?" Crow asked, mockingly.
The Rev Raptor didn't answer. Crow read his name tag instead; Toro.
Dr. Tezla suddenly came up from behind and swung a chair leg at him, which Crow blocked with his cane without even looking.
Crow turned around and fired a net at Dr. Tezla.
"I see the Disc!!" Vert said. "Or, at least I think it's the Disc..."
"What else could glow like that?" Taro pointed out.
A dozen Police cars were after them, led by a Corvette.
"Any plans, Taro?" Vert asked.
"Just one..." Taro replied, before veering to the left and slamming a Police Car onto a wall.
Vert activated Reverb's Mega Bass and forced a Police Car into a blind alley.
"I'm gonna pass you..." Taro said quietly.
But Rivited suddenly slowed down.
"Hey, I thought you were gonna..."
Suddenly, Rivited stopped. An EMP dart was stuck in its rear.
It was surrounded by three Police Cars.
"Woah!! Hang on, Taro!!" Vert said.
The Corvette fired another dart, but Reverb's Mega Bass kept it at bay.
"Why isn't anyone replacing Aryan?" Toni asked.
"I don't know. Didn't the Accelerons say something about a Sub feature?" Felix asked back.
"Yeah, they did..." Toni said. "Not that the Accelerons have done much, lately..."
"Hey, what's that??" Felix asked, pointing above.
"It's a Police Helicopter!!"
"Wonder where it's headed?" Felix asked.
"It'll probably lead us to the Disc. Come on..." Toni said.
The two reluctantly left the alleys and quietly followed the Helicopter.
"There's it is!!" Felix said.
Aryan opened his eyes. He was in the infirmary.
He had pressed the EDR just in time. He was hoping someone entered the realm and took his place.
"Remind me never to do that again..." He said.
"Of course..." Crow said, taking him by surprise, before a net was slung over him.
Crow went back to the Main Garage, with Aryan in tow.
Zack saw everything. He was hiding in the garage, with a Tazer Gun in his hand. He hid Terra in the trunk of his car.
He suddenly aimed, and fired, destroying an RD-A1.
"Excellent strategy..." Crow said.
Zack pointed the Tazer gun at him. Suddenly, Crow threw his cane like a spear.
It pierced the gun, destroying it. Zack tried to stand up, only to find Crow waiting for him.
His cane, now tipped with a blade, was pointed at Zack's neck.
"Wait..." Came a voice from behind.
Crow turned around, his cane still pointed to Zack's neck.
"I'll go..." Dr. Ardeth said. "Leave him alone..."
"They are here!!" Hertz said.
"What do we do?" Satt asked.
"Hit the EDR..."
In a flash of green light, the Racing Droids disappeared from the Urban Dimension.
"Where'd they go?" Gato asked.
"That's not important!!" Rokk replied.
"More humanssss are coming..." Sike added.
"What are the Rev Raptors doing?" Felix asked.
"Guarding the place..." Toni replied.
The Toyota RSC and Power Pipes moved towards the Rev Raptors.
"Hey... dudes... you wouldn't happen to know how to get Disc?" Felix asked.
"FELIX!!" Toni yelled.
The Rev Raptors roared and gave chase.
"Yikes!!" Felix said. "I figured there was no harm in asking..."
Toyota RSC and Power Pipes accelerated away from the Tower.
"We need to circle back..." Toni said.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" Mark yelled as numerous Police Cars closed in on him.
Suddenly, Police Cars blocked his way.
A barricade.
Mark swerved to the left, and almost hit a lamp post, but managed to keep his car under control.
Until four Police Cars boxed him on all sides.
"Hey!! Back off!!" Mark yelled, but he noticed that the Police Cars didn't have drivers.
Mark looked behind him and saw a Police Corvette, with an EMP dart ready.
"Oh man..." Mark said.
Kurt saw Flathead Fury being boxed by four Police Cars, while a Police Corvette was taking aim.
Behind him, another Police Corvette aimed at him and fired, though the force of his Mega Bass was enough to redirect the dart.
Kurt veered left and entered an alley, the Police Corvette followed him, but had little succes in avoiding the grabage bins.
Suddenly, the exit was blocked by a Police Car.
Being a defensive driver, Kurt opted to find another way.
"Is anyone near me? I need help!!" Mark said over the radio.
Kurt blinked.
Flashback
"Hey, Kurt, what are we going to do with these?"
Kurt looked at his brother.
"We load them in our cars."
Kurt helped his brother lift a tank of Nitrox, dubbed Nitrox 1.5.
"Now what?" Mark asked.
"We go to the California Desert, and hope this will open up Highway 35..." Kurt replied.
"Okay, let's go..." Mark said.
Suddenly, a noise alerted them.
"Cops!! We'll get busted!!" Mark said.
"If we get caught..." Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry... I got your back..."
Corvette Stingray and Slingshot burst from the alley and accelerated down the road.
"Whatever happens, keep heading for the desert!!" Kurt said.
However, a civilian car appeared, and blocked off Kurt.
Kurt hit the brakes, and in moments, Slingshot stopped.
But Mark kept going. He even used the Nitrox; All the while, the Police were chasing him.
Suddenly, the engine died. Something was wrong with the Nitrox mix.
Mark tried to start his engine, but it wouldn't.
"Kurt? Kurt, where are you?" Mark yelled as he got caught.
End of flashback
The memory flashed in his mind.
Kurt's eyes narrowed.
It won't happen again, he said to himself.
He accelerated, and, without regard for himself or his car, slammed into the Police car blocking his way.
His aggressive driving style was coming back. Strategies that he thought were too risky came back in his mind.
"Nobody beats Kurt Wylde..."
Police Cars came from nowhere and surrounded him.
"I don't think so..." Kurt said.
He activated his Mega Bass, and the Police cars were pushed away.
He timed it right. The Police cars were either forced into walls, or fire hydrants as he sped by.
The Police Corvette had Mark in its sights.
Suddenly, Battle Spec slammed it from behind, causing it to fire accidentally.
The Police Car in front of Flathead Fury got shot, and lost control.
Flathead Fury broke free from the Car Cage that the Police created.
"Thanks, Kurt!!" Mark said.
More police cars appeared, led by four more Police Corvettes.
"What do we do?" Mark asked.
"Head for the tower..." Kurt said. "There must be a way up..."
"I see it!!" Mark said.
Part of the track leads up to Disc. It was hidden behind the tower all along.
"It's just like Hot Wheels City!!" Mark added.
Suddenly, a Police Helicopter appeared.
It had two turrets, which aimed at Kurt and Mark.
"Oh man...!!" Mark yelled.
Kurt looked up just to see the Helicopter receive an electric shock.
"Hmmm... Thanks Dan..." Kurt said.
"No problem... Just win this thing and get us out of here!!" Dan replied.
"Go on, Kurt... I'll hold the Police this time..." Mark said.
Kurt smiled and accelerated. He made sure he had enough Nitrox left.
"Here goes..." Kurt said.
Battle Spec climbed the track.
Power Pipes appeared and raced for the track.
"Sorry, Zed-36, the Disc is mine..." Felix said.
"The name is Kurt, and the Disc is MINE..." Kurt replied.
Kurt pressed the Nitrox, and soon he reached 300 miles per hour.
"Hey!!" Felix yelled as Battle Spec overtook him.
Kurt reached out and touched the Disc...
Zack starred at the sleeping Dr. Ardeth as she was hauled away.
It felt awkward for him; A moment ago, he was so angry at her.
But now, he felt sorry for her.
"Gentlemen!!" Crow said. "Let's broaden our minds!!"
The RD-11s converted into tank mode, charged up, and fired at the Observation Post.
The Dormitory, the Kitchen, the Mess hall, the Lounging Area, and the Spare Parts Garage were all destroyed.
All that remained were the Team Garages and the track that leads to the Dimensions.
"Thank you for the wonderful time..." Crow laughed.
He climbed into Street Spyder, and the remaining two RD-A1s climb into the RD-11s.
Crow tapped a button on his dashboard, and the RD-11s whose pilots were destroyed started, and followed them.
The Street Spyder, followed by four RD-11s, went out from the way they came in.
"Dr. Ardeth..." Zack said, his voice was weakening.
What was left of the Observation Post had been laced with Sleeping Gas.
The drivers from the Dimension appeared.
Teku in first, Highway 35 in second, Metal Maniacs in third the Silencerz and the Rev Raptors were tied for fourth.
The Racing Droids didn't appear.
Zack looked around him.
"Dr. Ardeth..." He was confused, shocked.
But then again, so were the other drivers...
The End...