Opening Lap
A New Legendary Racing Team
The engines of the monster-sized F-Zero racing machines began to roar like lions. The crowds are cheering insanely loud for the F-Zero pilots. This is the year 2165. A brand new F-Zero Grand Prix is about to unfold…
"Welcome to the 2165 F-Zero Grand Prix!" The emcee shouted. "The opening event of the Legends Tour will begin shortly after the pilots arrive at the starting grid."
The 48 pilots who qualified to compete in the race are taking two test laps.
"In this race, there are a few groups, the Eagles of Faith, us in the Galaxy Police, the United Nerd Clans, and the pirates." Jody Summer said.
Jody is the commander of the Galaxy Police's "Mobile Task Force". She drives the No. 02 White Cat and is one of the best racers in the entire galaxy.
"Well, this looks like that I am going to win this race, Commander Summer." Jeremiah Rice said.
Jeremiah is the rookie pilot of the No. 31 Fighting Irishman. His story will be told later on.
"Not this time, Jeremiah." Bruce McConnery replied. "This fisherman is going to reel in the win today!"
Bruce is the avid fisherman that drives the No. 32 Centennial Lunker. He is part of Jeremiah Rice's Eagles of Faith racing team.
The machines have finally arrived at the starting grid to begin the race.
"Okay, let's wait for the signal…" the emcee announced.
Tensions are running high on the pilots. They are absolutely anxious to begin the battle for supremacy. The light turns red. The crowd counts down for the green light. Ten seconds later, the light turns green. All of the pilots hit the accelerator and the race is on! The machines zipped through the starting gate and out onto the track.
"Okay, start!" Jeremiah Rice declared.
"This race is mine!" Meghann Wann shouted. "Let's go!"
Meghann is one of the members of the Eagles of Faith. She pilots the No. 00 Faith Eagle.
Back to the race, another F-Zero racing machine, the No. 15 Big Fang, hit Jeremiah's machine. The pilot of the machine is a genetically engineered dinosaur by the name of Bio Rex. Bio Rex taunts Jeremiah.
"What the heck?" Jeremiah Rice said. "You want a piece of me, eh? Well, here's the whole thing!"
Jeremiah hits the No. 15 Big Fang and sends Bio Rex into the guardrail, forcing him out of the race.
"That will teach you not to be so cocky!" Jeremiah Rice shouted. "Ha! I haven't raced since 2015!"
Now it is time to turn back the clocks 150 years in the year 2015. Jeremiah Rice and his friends were part of a great racing team competing in the Formula One World Grand Prix. If you are wondering who all part of the Eagles of Faith is, well here they are. Jeremiah Rice is the captain of the team, with his friends Bruce McConnery and Meghann Wann as the junior captains. The chaplain of the team is Gary Osborne, one of the pastors from the White Horse Christian Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. Chris "Cairos Maximillion" Maxwell, Amanda Fletcher, the Bates brothers Ethan Madison and Zachary Xavier, Kelsey Smith, Jesse "Tiger" Kiger, Aaron "Ninja" Mullen, and Lacy Eads make up the rest of the racing crew as racers.
In the final lap of their last Formula One race in New York, Jeremiah Rice crossed the finish line to secure the victory in the F-1 World Grand Prix. In victory lane, he is greeted by his fellow teammates.
"The 2015 Formula One Grand Prix championship race victory now belongs to Jeremiah Rice!" the female emcee shouted.
The victory trumpets sounded all over the race track and the American flag along with the Eagles of Faith's battle flags were hoisted up in the air. It only gets better, America's national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner was playing.
After the race, Jeremiah was sitting in his cruiser with his friends, Bruce McConnery, Meghann Wann, and Jesse Kiger. Suddenly, the police scanner announced that there is an escaped criminal by the name of Zoda on the loose.
"Zoda escaped, eh?" Jeremiah Rice said. "People, let's go get the man!"
"Roger that." Zach Bates said.
"Yes sir!" Ethan Bates and Kelsey Smith said.
"Ten-four, Jeremiah!" Chris Maxwell and Amanda Fletcher said.
"My ninja skills will bring him down!" Aaron Mullen said.
"Justice will be served once again, everybody!" Lacy Eads said.
"I agree!" Gary Osborne said, "Justice will be here soon enough."
Jeremiah and his comrades turned on their vehicle's engines to prepare for the chase on Zoda. They sped up to him as soon as they found him. Jeremiah's vehicle and Zoda's vehicle are just three seconds apart from each other.
This guy is going down, Jeremiah Rice thought.
Zoda fired bullets at the hinge of the door of the getaway car that he used to escape. The door was loosened and was sent flying.
"Look out, Jeremiah!" Bruce McConnery shouted.
Jeremiah Rice looked to see that the door is about to hit the windshield of his vehicle. The car is spinning out of control. Finally, the car hit the side of the road. Shocked at the fact the car was hit, there was a horrific freak of nature accident involving the all vehicles from the Eagles of Faith team. It was a huge pileup of vehicles. So, that was the end of that story.
One hundred fifty years have passed now. The galaxy is now ruled by the government of the Galactic Space Federation. Technology has made a significant advance in transportation.
"Reviving a team of racers to save the galaxy?" John Tanaka said. "That seems troublesome…"
John Tanaka plays a couple of roles in the story. Not only he is one of the F-Zero pilots in the Galaxy Police "Mobile Task Force", he is the director for the unit. Also, he is one of the mechanics for the Federation's Defense Ministry.
"Hello, Jody." Dr. Robert Stewart greeted.
"Hello, Doctor." Jody replied. "So, can you help him?"
"Hm? Well, as you can see, the damage on the young man is pretty significant. However, with my surgical expertise, I don't see why I can't help him and his friends."
"I have a bad feeling about this." John Tanaka said.
"Would you prefer taking his place in cold sleep?" Dr. Stewart asked.
"No, no, I'll pass on that."
It took seven painstaking hours of hard work to bring to life the members of the Eagles of Faith. Jeremiah Rice is in the room with Dr. Stewart and Jody Summer. He is in medical garb, still not aware of his surroundings.
"Jeremiah, can you hear us?" Jody Summer asked.
"Yeah, I can hear you." Jeremiah Rice replied.
"I'm Jody, the leader of the Mobile Task Force of the Galaxy Police. Starting today, you will be working with me and for me."
"I understand, Miss Jody."
"I'm Dr. Stewart, one of the Task Force members." Dr. Stewart said. "This is your uniform: a navy blue jacket, a green undershirt, a green jersey with the number 31 on it, a Irish National tartan kilt, crew cut socks, and a pair of black sneakers."
"All right, thank you." Jeremiah Rice replied.
Jeremiah changed from the medical garb into his new F-Zero uniform.
"Very good, Jeremiah," Jody Summer commented on Jeremiah Rice's uniform. "It certainly makes you proud to be Irish, eh?"
"Yeah, thanks." Jeremiah Rice replied. "Where are my friends?"
"I don't know. But, feel free to walk around the headquarters if you want."
"All right, then."
Jeremiah Rice walked through the corridors of the building until he enters into the observation platform.
What is this place? Jeremiah thought.
"I see that you wondering what that was about, Jeremiah." Jody Summer said.
"Is this New York City?" Jeremiah Rice replied.
"This is used to be New York. Now, the city is named Mutant City or Mute City for short."
"Wow, the world has changed…Has one hundred fifty years really passed?"
"You can say that." Dr. Stewart said. "This is the year 2165."
"Forgot to set your alarm to wake up, dude?" Jack Levin joked. "I'm Jack Levin, pilot of the No. 14 Astro Robin. You must be one of the racers from 150 years back, eh?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." Jeremiah Rice replied.
"Jack, would you mind showing our young friend around the headquarters?" Dr. Stewart asked.
"What? Why do I have to be the welcome wagon?" Jack Levin asked.
"Because you are popular perhaps," Jeremiah Rice joked. "However, I need to get going."
"What do you need to do, Jeremiah?" Jody Summer asked.
"I got to go find my friends, Commander." he replied.
With that, Jeremiah Rice ran out of the room on a search for his friends. Somehow, he found his way into the garage. He sees a garage full of F-Zero machines.
"At long last, it is done!" Dr. Clash declared.
"What is done?" Jeremiah Rice asked.
"This machine…"
The machine that Jeremiah Rice was looking at was his own car. Apparently, the machine was modified to compete in an F-Zero Grand Prix race.
"That must be some awesome work." Jeremiah Rice complimented to Clash.
"You like it, eh?" Dr. Clash asked.
"Yes, may I see the key to the vehicle?"
"Yeah, you may Jeremiah."
Dr. Clash handed the ignition key to Jeremiah Rice. Jeremiah Rice started up the machine. The machine was roaring like a lion.
"Well, what do you think?" Dr. Clash asked.
"What are the stats on this machine?" Jeremiah Rice asked.
"Well, the weight of the machine is 1587 kilograms, which makes the machine gives raw power and speed. I think you would be a great pilot in the Grand Prix."
"I need to go find my friends, Dr. Clash."
"I see. Well, good luck Jeremiah."
Jeremiah Rice shifts gears to reverse to back out. The sirens were sounding. Jack Levin rushed to the garage.
"Jeremiah!" Jack Levin shouted. "Your driver's license had expired 150 years ago!"
However, Jeremiah Rice was gone before Jack Levin could ever reach him.
"He's a goner…" Jack Levin said.
Jeremiah Rice is in for one huge culture shock. The machine is going at 850 kilometers per hour. The tunnel was long and winding, full of twists and turns. The machine was on auto-pilot mode until the machine reached at the end of the tunnel. Then, the gate opened up and the machine zipped out of there. Jeremiah Rice looked around while he was driving, seeing what was changed in 150 years.
Ah, there's Brooklyn Bridge, Jeremiah thought.
He made the turn onto where Brooklyn Bridge is. There he sees a group of people just standing there.
"Hey friends!" Jeremiah Rice said.
Meghann Wann and the other turned their heads to see him. And sure enough, they're alive too.
"Hey!" she replied. "Good to see you!"
"I notice that you have a new F-Zero machine, buddy." Gary Osborne said to Jeremiah Rice.
"Yeah, but I don't know what to name the machine." Jeremiah Rice replied.
"Well, I notice that you have a gold shamrock on your green machine." Chris Maxwell said.
"True."
"Also, you like Notre Dame's college football team." Zach Bates said.
"Well, I am going to call my racer the Fighting Irishman." Jeremiah Rice said.
"Cool name, man!" Jesse Kiger said.
"Thank you, guys! Now, let's go have a look around the city."
"Good plan, my friend." Gary Osborne said.
"Leaving so soon, people?" Jack Levin sarcastically said to Jeremiah Rice.
"Yes. Why?" Jeremiah Rice replied.
"I want to show you around Mute City. Consider this a welcoming ceremony for you guys."
"That sounds awesome." Jesse Kiger said.
So, the entire Eagles of Faith crew followed Jack Levin to a local dance club. Once they arrive, Jeremiah Rice follows Jack inside the club. There were a lot of people hanging out there. Soon enough, there a handful of young, college-aged ladies approached Jack Levin.
"Relax, ladies! There's plenty of Jack Levin to go around" Jack Levin said. "Any autographs, anyone?"
While Jack was talking, three ladies snuck out of the crowd to meet Jeremiah Rice. They were trying to get an autograph from him, thinking that he was one of the F-Zero pilots.
"Jack, I am out of here!" Jeremiah Rice shouted to Jack Levin.
With that, he bolted out of the dance club.
"Wow, he has a great deal of potential there." Jack Levin said to himself.
Jeremiah Rice was about to climb in his machine until Jack Levin stopped him.
"You could handle a lot more fans than that, Jeremiah." Jack Levin said.
"Yeah, but this is too much, Jack." Jeremiah Rice replied.
"Jeremiah Rice, I challenge you and the Eagles of Faith to a race!"
"What?"
"That's right! I want to test your driving skills as a team."
"All right, then! Your butt is mine, Jack! People of the Eagles of Faith, let's head to the practice course!"
"That's the spirit!"
As soon as they arrive to the practice course, they warm up by doing two warm up laps.
"Pilots, the race will begin as soon as we hit the start/finish line." Jack Levin said to everybody, via team radio.
"You got it, Jack!" Jeremiah Rice replied.
"Be careful, Jeremiah." Gary Osborne said. "Who knows what will happen…"
"You may be right, Pastor…"
The Eagles of Faith passed the starting gate after Jack Levin. Jeremiah is about 2 seconds behind him. Jeremiah Rice and Zach Bates decide to team up on Jack Levin.
"Pull that lever on the right side of you, Jeremiah." Zach Bates said to Jeremiah Rice.
"OK. Let's see what this does." Jeremiah Rice replied
He pulls the lever on the right side of the cockpit. Suddenly, the machine thrusts up ahead of Jack Levin.
"What was that?" Jack Levin said in shock.
After about seven seconds, the Fighting Irishman was losing control when it attempted to make a sharp right turn. It was spinning out of control, hit the guardrail, flipped over a couple of times, and landed and skidded on the track.
"Jeremiah!" Meghann Wann shouted.
Jack Levin hurried to the wreckage site to see if Jeremiah Rice is all right. He punches in a code on the machine to open the cockpit of the Fighting Irishman. Gary Osborne and the rest of the Eagles of Faith also hurried to see if Jeremiah's okay.
"Are you all right?" Zach Bates asked.
"Yeah, I am okay." Jeremiah Rice replied.
"Dude, you gave us quite a scare there." Kelsey Smith said.
"I totally agree." Aaron Mullen said.
"You better get that machine fixed, man!" Jack Levin said sarcastically and walked away.
"Darn it all!" Jeremiah Rice shouted. He pounded his fist on the dashboard and sobbed.
"It's all right, Jeremiah." Gary Osborne said. "It is just only our first race."
While the conversation was still going on, Jody Summer was seeing that the Eagles of Faith were racing against Jack Levin. Back at the garage, Jeremiah Rice and his friends were working on their machines. Suddenly, the sirens were blaring.
"What was that?" Jeremiah Rice said.
"Probably, there is a criminal on the loose." Chris Maxwell said.
"We better see what's up, huh?" Amanda Fletcher said.
In the lounge, Jody Summer was briefing the Mobile Task Force on a breakout in progress.
"Where's Jeremiah Rice?" Jody Summer asked.
"I guess I shown Jeremiah what's up and he ran away. He's useless to us."
"I beg to differ!" Jeremiah Rice said boldly. "This time, I drive the Fighting Irishman. From this day forth, the Eagles of Faith is now a part of the F-Zero Mobile Task Force of the Federation's Galaxy Police."
"I see. Everyone move out!" Jody Summer declared.
So, that was the story of how Jeremiah Rice and his friends joined the Galaxy Police. Now the adventure begins!