Surprise everyone! Managed to get everything together and decided to post a pilot chapter to a new story! Unlike RWBY BA, this story will be more traditional. No weird stuff, no over the top violence, just simple plans for a simple heist.
But let me say this straight. This is just a pilot chapter. I'm just throwing the idea out there just to see the reception. I don't have any spare chapters sitting around waiting to be published like RWBY BA. It's just this. So, I can't promise any kind of schedule or that I'll even post another chapter of this story again. I will promise that if I do post again, it will be on a schedule and properly written out.
But without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
The dim neon flicker caught Yang's attention as she drove into the parking lot. Most of the street around her was bathed in the weak streetlights, barely illuminating the ground with an orange glow. However, the sign of the building glowed brighter than anything else, a beacon within the night. Even the lights within the garage was dimmer than the flashy forest-green sign. The cursive lettering spelled out a familiar name: "Patch 'em Up."
It was her auto-repair shop. More specifically, her family's auto-repair shop, the one they've had since her parent's racing days. Granted, right now Ruby has a share of the garage, as well as her friends. But as far as everyone cared, Yang Xiao-Long was the proud owner of Patch 'em Up.
Her heart fluttered, a small smile growing on her face seeing her second home as she parked Ember Celica, her beautiful Skyline GT-R at the side of her garage. As she stepped out, the chill of the fall night air brushed past her, sending a shiver run down her back. She glanced at the sky. It was a beautiful night, the moon in its completely shattered form. An evening like this was perfect for a night drive, or if everybody was up for it, a challenge—
Not now. She shook her head, making her way towards the side entrance. There's too much stuff to worry about right now. I shouldn't be enjoying myself at a time like this.
With the flick of a switch, a bright fluorescent light snapped on, revealing her little office. Stacks and stacks of paper lay all around a wide desk desk, fanned out in various positions. In the corner of said desk were a bunch of old-fashioned electronic equipment. Several order requests spilled out from a corkboard onto the window leading to the garage, many still unfinished.
Her office walls seemed to bulge from the weight of everything it was holding. Blueprint designs of her Ember Celica, old portraits of her family, various certificates in mechanics, shelves filled with dusty metals and trophies from several generations of Xiao-Long and friends, a small fashion mirror with a brush hanging from it, that one pin-up of an actress Yang had a crush on during her awkward years: all those and more covered her wall.
It didn't have to be said that the office could use a bit of cleaning.
With a sigh, Yang tossed herself onto a leather swivel chair and pulled herself towards her desk. Sitting in front of her was the sheet of paper she dreaded looking at. It taunted her, a reminder of reality. It read: Valean Cancer Center - Invoice. Patient - Taiyang Xiao-Long. Condition - Mesothelioma. Treatment 1 - Pneumonectomy. Cost - 40,000 lien. Treatment 2 - Radiation Therapy. Six month treatment. Cost - 12,000 lien. Treatment 3 - Chemotherapy. Six cycles, four weeks each. Cost - 90,000 lien. Grand total - 142,000 lien.
One hundred forty-two thousand lien! A groan escaped her mouth as she rubbed the base of her temple. No amount of rereading made it easier on her. Even with a business, who makes that much money in months! And insurance barely covers Dad's stay in the hospital! She pushed herself away from the desk and let out a breath.
The blonde girl pulled out a calculator and returned to the desk, dreading a result she's seen multiple times already. Think about it, Yang. You're paying this over six months. That makes around… Twenty-three thousand, six-hundred sixty-seven lien a month. My current salary is maybe… Ninety-five thousand a year; seven thousand, nine-hundred seventeen a month. Five thousand, one-hundred twenty-four after taxes. Half that for living costs and gas and that's two thousand, five-hundred and sixty-two. Add Ruby's salary and it's around five thousand lien. She sighed. Still barely a fifth of what I need a month. What am I going to do?
Her eyes drifted towards the ancient machinery. The pile wasn't that big, just an old stereo TV and an equally old VCR. However, there was a VHS tape sitting on top of the box TV. Yang picked up the tape and dusted it off. In the scrawl of her dad's handwriting, the tape read: The Patch 'em Up Family at the Vale Grand Prix, 2003.
Click. The old stereo TV flickered on as the blonde mechanic pressed a VHS tape into the VCR. A sigh escaped her mouth as she shook her head. I should've chucked this stuff out years ago. This stuff is older than me. But... I can't.
The old electronic crackled. In an instant, the dark screen blossomed into a static screen. But slowly, bit by bit, the colors faded in. Yang leaned close to the tiny display, peering deep into the static as the scene became clearer.
A set of lilac eyes stared back. "Hello!" young Yang chirped. "Hi! Today's Saturday, and… uh… umm… What do I say, Daddy?"
The camera shook with laughter. "Okay." A deep voice became distorted from the crappy built-in speakers. "Just say your name and what we're doing."
"Okay…" The seven-year old stood tall. "My name is Yang Xiao-Long, and today I'm watching Mommy and Aunty race in the Vale Grand Prix!"
The camera panned from Yang, revealing a giant crowd surrounding an empty street. Dad let out another haughty laughter. "Do you know what kind of race Mommy and Aunty are racing in?" The younger version of Yang shook her head. "They're racing in a street circuit. You see how nobody's driving on the street right now? The city was nice enough to close the streets in order to have the racers race here."
"Oh, cool!" She clapped her hands in excitement. Her tiny pigtails bobbed up and down as she danced around. "Mommy and Aunty are racing! Mommy and Aunty are racing! Mommy and Aunty—"
"Alright, that's enough, Yang. Can you hold the camera for a moment? I want you to get a good shot of me and Ruby." The footage became blurry as the device exchanged hands. Soon, it was pointing at a large, tanned blonde man carrying a tiny pale girl on his shoulders. They didn't look remotely related at all, but at the same time… they just are. "Hey Ruby," Dad cooed. He pointed at the camera. "Look at the camera and say hi." The tiny girl eeped before ducking behind her father's head, eliciting more laughter out of him. "It's okay, Rubes. It's just your big sister. It's going to be fine, okay?"
"Yeah, Rubes!" The footage blurred again as Yang's past self shook her head. "It's just a camera! You're a brave girl now, go ahead and say hi!"
At that the girl poked her head out. Two silver saucers stared into the camera before Ruby gave the camera a quick wave.
The sounds of rumbling could be heard from the background. "Oh! Those are the racers right now! Yang, turn your attention to the street!" The camera shifted positions yet again, this time being pointed at the street. "Okay, you guys know what numbers Mom and Aunty have?"
The camera shook yet again. "Yup!" came Yang's reply. "21 and 65! It's the red RX-7 and the steel gray MX-5!"
"Do you know which companies made them?"
"Umm… Maze-da?"
"It's pronounced Mazda, but you got the right idea." The sound of ruffling hair can be heard in the background. "You really know your cars. I guess Daddy taught you well."
"Nuh-uh!" The camera shook side to side. "Mommy and Aunty let me help them fix the cars! They taught me more about the cars than you!"
"Ooh, right in the chest! My pride!" Dad let out a dramatic gasp. "You hurt me, Yang. I thought I was your favorite parent."
"You are! It's just that Mommy and Aunty are my more favorite parents!"
"... It's because they're the ones racing, right?" Past Yang nodded. "Well, I've done plenty of races in the past, you know. In fact, I would kill to be racing right now. But we can't let you be in the car with us, so— Oh! There they are right now! You see them, Yang?" The camera moved towards the side of the road.
"No."
"Over there, you see the little arrow lights over there? You see the little dots?"
The camera shifted over a bit. "... Oh! I see the racers! Wow, they look so cool! Daddy, look! The front people are right next to each other! What are their numbers— Daddy, it's Mommy and Aunty! They're winning! They're winning!" The footage started bouncing up and down with excitement. "I knew it! I knew it!"
The first two cars flew by in an instant, the red and gray automobiles staying neck and neck with each other. A split second later, the rest of the racers started zooming past, leaving streaks of red, green, blue, yellow, and several other colors within the video.
"Come on, Yang!" The camera started jerking around. "That's the last turn! Let's go to the finish line and see who won! … Oh yeah, let's end the recording for now and save some batteries."
"Okay!" A long silence occurred as the camera filmed a pair of bright yellow light-up sneakers. "Um… Daddy, how do you turn it off?"
"Oh! So you see the button right there? All you have to do is push it, then—"
The footage cut to a view of the podium. A green haired man in a messy dress shirt and tie lifted a microphone to his mouth. "It is pleasant to see the whole entire city come to celebrate this momentous event! But now to announce the winners of the Vale Grand Prix! In third place, with number 15 is Saki Brooks!" The crowd roared. A young girl no older than twenty stepped onto the third place platform. "For a rookie, that is an impressive showing! There's no doubt that you're going places, Ms. Brooks!"
He turned to the crowd. "Now, deciding between second place and first place is a hard deliberation, since the times were so close to each other! In fact, the next two drivers are literally a split second away from each other! But thankfully, with the gracious sponsors of Fall Industries and their top-of-the-line high-speed cameras, I can say without a doubt that the second place winner of the Vale Grand Prix is… drum rolls, please… Summer Rose with number 21!" The short-haired woman in white waved into the crowd as she stepped onto the second place podium.
"Which means the winner of this year's Grand Prix is Raven Branwen, number 65!" Everybody cheered when the spotlights turned towards a dark-haired woman in black and red. Her eyes were wide in shock at the news, turning towards the smiling Summer Rose. Mom grinned, giving her friend a quick wave up onto the podium. The raven-haired woman nodded after staring for some time, taking her spot on top. The announcer took his spot in front of all of the women.
"And please let out one last round of applause for the winners of the Vale Grand Prix!"
"Yeah!" Yang screamed in the video. "Aunty, you won! You're the best Aunty around!"
The footage cut yet again, this time showing everyone sitting around a table plus Uncle Qrow. The table itself was covered with mountains of burgers and fries. Everyone around was laughing and chatting aside from Raven, who was poking at her meal.
"Hey." The spiky haired uncle threw a jab at his sister's arm. "What's the long face? You won the race, didn't you?"
She nodded. "I did. But still…" Aunty Raven looked at Summer. "Why?"
"Wuhy wuhat?" Mom's voice was muffled by the sheer amount of fries stuffed in her mouth. "Oof! 'Orry." She chewed her food quickly before swallowing.
"I know that you were holding back at the end." Raven tapped her finger against her untouched burger. "You've always beaten me on the straightaway with terrible time disadvantages. Here, you were neck and neck with me. No matter what I did, I knew you were going to win. But you didn't speed up even once. You kept Astera Rose at the same gear throughout the whole entire straightaway. So why? What happened?"
"Oh, that? Well, it's really embarrassing." Mom scratched her head and let out a nervous chuckle. "I 'tripped' up shifting gears and nearly stalled out. Tried fixing that, but then my transmission decided it was a great time to 'get stuck.'" She sighed as she shook her head. "Just terrible 'luck' there! But that's okay. It was going to be your last race anyways before you went back to Mistral to take care of your family." Mom gave Aunty a wink. "Might as well give the kids one last memory of you winning a race for old times sake."
Raven's crimson eyes flickered to the table, her eyebrows furrowing in thought. "... Thank you Summer. For everything."
The video cut again one last time, revealing Raven in a traditional kimono talking to Uncle Qrow. A single duffel bag was slung around her shoulder. "Look Qrow. I'm sure the rest of the family will forgive you if you decided to come back. Plus, it's going to be lonely without me around to take care of your alcoholic ass."
The man pouted. "Oh please, Raven. I'm capable of moderation, so don't start on my love for whiskey. And as weird as it is, I like my life in Vale. Working as a cop isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Plus, with the reckless parents that Ruby and Yang have, somebody's gotta be the responsible one."
Aunty Raven let out a scoff. "You? Being responsible?"
"You'd be surprised, sis." He pulled her into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you, you know. Knowing you might never come back. Say hi to Mum and Pops for me, 'kay?" She nodded, reciprocating the hug.
"And what about us?" Dad laughed. Everybody else appeared on frame, running over to hug the departing woman.
"Tai, of course I'll miss everyone else." She made the rounds, giving each person a hug. "Be good, okay?"
"Alright," young Yang sniffled. "I'll miss you, Aunty!"
The elder woman sighed, her eyes slightly dilating at the sight of young Yang. "Yeah. I'll miss you, too. Do well for yourself, okay?" The blonde girl nodded, releasing Aunty Raven. The woman in the kimono nodded at everyone else. "Okay then. Goodbye then." She started towards the terminal.
"Wait!" Raven stopped and turned towards Yang. The young girl stood rigid with her fists clenched. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a racer like you! Then when I become rich and famous enough, I'll come over to Mistral and see you again!" The girl turned her head upwards, a shier look forming on her face. "Do you think I can do it?"
Raven nodded. "You're a stubborn girl, just like your Uncle and Aunty. I would expect nothing less from a strong girl like you. I'll be waiting for you when you come home."
The recording ended, showing the static screen yet again. A drop of water hit Yang's hand, causing her to flinch in surprise. She touched the side of her face, her fingertips brushing against a small stream against her skin. The blonde spun around, scooting over to the mirror. I'm crying, she thought as she stared at her reflection with puffy eyes. Everything's going wrong, and all I can do is cry here in my office. Some strong person I turned out to be.
Yang stared at the ceiling, letting the minutes pass by as the tears kept rolling. What options do I have left right now? Mom lost her life to mesothelioma as well, and the medical bills plus the funeral costs swallowed up the tiny fortune we managed to save up racing. She glanced at the corkboard. I mean, I can try working more jobs, but I'm barely keeping up with orders. We don't have any investors to try and expand our business. Street racing might be a nice supplement, but one little mistake could get me arrested or killed, and then Ruby's going to be all alone paying for me and Dad.
That means the only thing left to do is— She let out a sigh as she stood up and walked around the office. Yang swore that she could see phantoms of her past self running through the empty room, laughing and cheering as the little girl explored every crack and chasm the place had. A hand ran down against the plaster wall. There was a sense of ancientness from the old store. Yet at the same time, there was something wonderful about it. Something that made it hard to rip away from.
The blonde popped the door leading to the garage open. Compared to the cramped, messy office, the garage was wide and spacious. One of the side walls had nothing but tools, charts, and calendars related to all things cars. The workbench sitting in front of said wall had a ton of dismantled engine pieces lying around. Ruby's tampering, no doubt. On the far back wall were three stations with lifts for any customers who needed tuning or general repairs. At this time of day, they were all empty.
To the right of all of those stations was nothing but a big and empty floor. Unlike the concrete flooring of most of the garage, the floor in this area was tiled in a checkered pattern. On the ceiling were spotlights that would normally beam down, highlighting the cars that were going to be showcased.
Yang let out another sigh. The RX-7 that was Summer's Astera Rose and the MX-5 that was Raven's Kamakaji were missing from their rightful spots. Also missing was the Mustang Yang's dad loved to work on and Bumblebee, the motorcycle that loved to buzz. Aside from Bumblebee and the Mustang, Yang had no idea where there rest of the vehicles were. Not after they were sold off to some eccentric collector. The show floor just didn't feel the same without the family cars here. And if anything, there's no guarantee that she would even be able to see the show floor again, let alone with the family cars again.
A click sounded next to her, followed by the groaning of the garage door opening. Yang turned to see a cherry-red Supra flashing its lights onto the showfloor. The car cruised through with a fluidness that the blonde was intimately familiar with. A smile spread across Yang's face. Sitting in the driver's seat was her dear sister.
"Hey Yang!" Ruby cheered as she got out of her car. She was still wearing the garage's dirty overalls. "Sorry about being late. Confirming the orders for that one customer's tune-up took a lot longer than expected. Have you been waiting long?"
The elder sister shook her head, putting on a false smile. "You're right on time, Rubes. I came here maybe a couples minutes before you." She checked her phone. "Still, it's pretty late out for both of us. We taking my ride home?"
Ruby nodded, unzipping her uniform and struggling out of it. "Yup. Crescent Rose feels more at home here, anyways. I just can't imagine allowing my baby out at night!" Underneath the mechanic's overalls, the young woman wore a form-fitting red t-shirt and black tights underneath dark shorts. Ruby let out a satisfied sigh as she fluffed her clothes out. "Whew! Man, it gets stuffy in that! Anyways, I'll just grab my hoodie and we'll be on our way!"
Everything sped by so quickly. Before Yang knew it, the two of them were driving down the streets of Vale towards home. The only thing illuminating the road in front of them were the beams escaping from the headlights of Ember Celica. Most of the ride was in silence, with Ruby staring out onto the passing shadows and Yang focusing on making it back home.
"... Yang?" Ruby tapped on the glass. "You know, everything's going to be okay."
"What?" The blonde let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, that just came out of the blue. What makes you say that, Ruby?"
"Well, it's just— You know—" Her sister sighed. "You've been moping, Yang. A lot more than usual, in fact. You've been crying recently. I can still see the puffiness in your eyes." Panic shot through Yang's chest as she instinctively reached for her eyes. She noticed?
Ruby let out a huff while still staring at the passing road. "I'm worried too, you know. I'm worried about Dad. And I definitely don't want to lose him. Not after Aunt Raven had to move back to Mistral. Not after Mom died. I know you don't want to lose him, either. I've seen you fret while we were working for the past couple of weeks. You're tearing your lovely hair out over… all of this!"
Ruby let out yet another sigh. "It's going to be hard times for us. There's a lot of money we need to borrow from other people, and that might kill us in the end. But Yang," The short-haired girl turned to face her sister, "It's going to be okay. We can make it through as a team. Together. Nothing's going to stand in the way of the sisters of Patch 'em Up. Got it?"
"Yup." Yang gave her sister a pearly smile. "Thanks, sis!" She sighed internally, biting her cheek. She doesn't know how bad we have it. Even with loans, it's going to be an absolute mess. And I don't want to dump all of this financial burden on Ruby, where we'll slave the rest of our lives just to pay off this debt. No, if we want to be free from all this… We might need to give up Patch 'em Up.
They came up towards a suburban house. "Alright then!" Ruby threw her hands up and twisted her body around. She groaned in pleasure as her bones made satisfying popping noises. "It's time to shower and then hit the hay!"
Yang slapped her face. "Oh! That's right! I forgot I was supposed to make a call to someone!" The blonde girl pulled out her phone. "You know what? Ruby, go ahead and go in first. I'll send this call in before I join you, okay?" The girl nodded, before heading towards their home.
The second Yang saw the door close, she quickly dialed the preset number. Her breath hitched as she lifted the phone to her face, listening to the dull ringing sound by the side of her thought as she sat there alone in her car. I don't want to take any other option. This might be the only way we get through this without debt. I just hope that he can get me somebody who can give me a decent price for the store.
A deep, grumbly voice answered. "Who the hell's calling?"
"Hey Junior." Yang rested her elbow against her steering wheel.
"Blondie?" The man let out a growl. "What the hell are you doing? Seriously, calling me while I'm at work? I told you, use this number only after work hours. You better have a decent reason for ringing me up. And I swear, if it has to do with pink slips—"
"Nono, I'm not here for that." The owner of Patch 'em Up sighed. "You see, I'm currently having financial problems, and I was wondering about anybody who's willing to buy stuff off of me for a good price. You know, wheeling and dealing?"
Yang could make out a choking sound from the speaker. "Say that again?"
"I said—"
"I heard you the first time, Blondie." The sound of glass could be heard over the speaker. "So you're saying you want me to tell people that you're selling something? Wow, you must be desperate if you're going to sell your precious Ember Celica. Such a shame too, since that's one of the best cars I've had the honor to see roar—"
"That's not what I'm interested in selling." Her fingers tapped against the rim of the steering wheel. "Do you know of someone who's willing to buy a business?"
Now the man on the other end was coughing. "Whoa! Changed my mind about that. It's that bad, huh?" Yang nodded, letting out a small hum. "Okay, I'm going to assume that was a yes. But to hear you say that… Damn. I don't like you too much, Blondie, but you're a good racer, and a better mechanic. It's a shame to see you be driven out of business like that."
He sighed. "I would buy you out if I didn't have to worry about connecting myself to the underground scene. But you know how it is. Sponsors want clean figures to make clean money. They can shove their sterile branding up their ass. Ugh, going 'clean' is a pain." Junior clicked his tongue. "How 'bout this: let me put you on hold, and I'll call you back if I find someone who's willing to take on your offer."
"Do it." Another sigh escaped Yang's mouth as she tapped the side of her window, listening to the orchestra of crickets outside. It must've been fifteen or so minutes before Junior came back on. "Alright, Blondie. So I was talking with the regulars about your offer when I got an interesting deal from one guy."
"Wait, really?" Yang sat up. "How much money are they offering?"
"Well here's the thing. They're not offering money for the shop. Okay, so there's this guy who says that he runs a 'loaning business'—"
"I don't want a loan, Junior!" the girl yelled. "I need money that isn't going to screw over my family for the next ten years!"
"Geez, calm down. Let me finish. The guy's a professional thief by trade. Organizes a prolific thievery ring for people of all backgrounds. One of his clients is an irate co-founder who's sick of the direction their company went ever since their departure. He didn't give me any details past that, but long story short, he needs a ton of people with a background in automobiles."
"So he made me an offer to steal from a car company?"
"I guess."
Yang shook her head. "Junior, that's illegal. I'm going to get in a ton of trouble if I get caught, and I'll lose my company either way. Plus, what does this have to do with his loaning business? Why me in the first place? I just make and race cars."
"... He has an… interesting view of loaning. A 'he scratches your back, you scratch his' kind of loan. Basically he's putting money on you to help him out with his own thing. You get the money needed to solve your financial problem, and you make him a lot of money in the process. As for why he wants you… I think it has to do with your status as a racer and mechanic. It's a farfetched guess, but I bet he and his client wants you to steal concept cars or blueprints for him to sell to rival companies. But as for the details, you have to accept first before anything else happens."
Yang sat silent for awhile. "So you're saying all I have to do is this one job, and the money's mine from the start? What if the cost is one-hundred fifty thousand dollars?"
"He doesn't care about the price. All he wants is your skills. He was adamant that he wouldn't deal any other way."
The blonde sighed, leaning back into her chair before glancing at her house. A single light appeared from one of the front rooms, followed with the shadow of her sister. Is our garage worth doing all of this? Yang thought. Becoming a criminal for a chance to save both my dad and my livelihood? On one hand, this guy is offering more what I need to pay off the hospital bills. But at the same time, if even one thing goes wrong, I'll be thrown in jail. Possibly forever for corporate espionage. The soft sounds of laughter escaped from the house. Yang looked over to see Ruby crawling into bed. Her heart made the decision for her.
She turned back towards the steering wheel. "Give me his contact info."
A groan escaped from the mouth of a blonde boy as he rubbed his eyes. His eyelids started to droop, his coworkers starting to fade in and out of his eyesight. What were they talking about again? Who's being assigned to do what? He yawned as he strained to hear the words coming out of their mouths. There was nothing but the muffled sounds of people talking. I don't think they'll notice if I close my eyes for just a second—
"Hey. Jaune!" The sounds of snapping jolted him back awake. He looked at his project leader Cardin, who gave him a smirk. Russel, Sky, and Dove shot him funny glances. "Come on, man. Stay awake. This is one of the biggest projects the company asked us to do so far. At least pretend you care about the rest of the team."
"Sure," the blonde boy yawned. "Keep going, keep going." Why do I have to be here right now? Jaune thought as Cardin continued with his long, monotone speech. Talking about team roles and feature design is a waste of time for a sorting application. And knowing these guys, everyone's going to slack on it. Then I have to come up with something to cover our butts, and once I throw something in, the whole team gets credit for my work. Cardin gets a big, fat raise and some company stocks while I might get some commission money at best.
The boy tried to suppress a sigh as his focus shifted to the open office. The colorful workspace that they sat in felt disingenuous, fake almost. It's a nice office - for creative people who need to collaborate and exchange ideas. For programmers, it's nothing more than a distracting workplace made for people who want to play office politics more than get work done.
I've seen the people who work here, Jaune thought to himself as he looked at the jocks messing around in front of him. They don't have grander dreams. They're just trying to coast through life, getting stable pay at a stable company. They pretend they're in a startup, being a trailblazer in technology, but they don't want more. They want to pretend they are doing more. And yeah, I might be working in this dump as well, but at least I'm doing my own thing.
"Well anyways." Cardin got up from his seat as he looked at his watch. "Let's end the meeting here. Day's done. So, you guys up for drinks?" Everybody except for Jaune nodded their heads. "What about you, Jaune?"
He shook his head, making a pretend smile. "No thanks. Not big on drinking. Plus, gotta take care of Hazel."
"Your cat?" Jaune nodded. Russel rested his chin on his hand. "Man, she's really needy, huh? Don't you let her out once in awhile? Beats being cramped inside a home."
"She's an indoor cat." The boy stuffed his laptop into his bag before slinging it on. "Very comfortable with staying in my apartment. And also a very lonely cat. So if you don't mind, I'll go now."
"Sure thing." Cardin waved Jaune off. "See you on Monday."
"Yup." Jaune zoned out as he made his way to the parking lot. He let out a sigh. Maybe I should quit and do something else. I didn't go through four years in college to just… do this for the rest of my life. The boy pulled out his keys as he approached his Sentia. Compared to the sleek economical cars around it, Jaune's car was just… old. The faded white paint flaked off from the roof, exposing the metal underneath. Compared to more modern cars, it was ugly as sin.
A chirp escaped the vehicle as Jaune climbed in. And he wouldn't have had it any other way. Dad really loved this car, Jaune thought as he pulled out of the parking lot into the streets. It was his first one. I remember how much care he put into caring for it. Almost as if it was his eighth child. Jaune sighed as he looked at the cracked dashboard. I didn't do a great job caring for it, have I?
He stopped at a streetlight. Apparently he had a race engine in here. Dad would tell stories about days where he would blaze through the highway at top speeds, enjoying the thrill of dodging cars at the last minute. His heart started beating faster. I wonder if it can still do it? Big hands gripped the wheel tighter. His foot twitched as it rested on the gas pedal, waiting for that light to turn from red to green. Can I do it? Be able to reach the speeds my Dad has once before?
The light turned green. He sighed, relaxing his body before going at the normal speed. I don't want to get arrested for endangering people. Not now, not ever. Not like Dad when he was young… maybe some other time, in a safer place. Will there ever be another time?
Before he knew it, he pulled up into his apartment garage. Jaune sighed as he locked his car, slipping his backpack onto his shoulders before entering his tiny home. "Hazel," he whispered, looking around the room. "You there? You sleeping, Hazel?" Nothing responded. "Alright then. Keep napping."
He went over to his desk and brought his laptop out, connecting it to a few more monitors. They switched on with little effort, displaying the multiple desktops he had saved. With a couple of commands in the command prompt, Jaune hit a button before reclining in his chair.
The only thing that had his attention was the dull orange glow of his computer monitor. On it was a code editor filled to the brim with lines in C++. Jaune Arc yawned as he watched the program run through its processes, just waiting for it to kick in. "Come on, come on." He tapped his fingers against the side of his desk.
The boy turned to another monitor, this one displaying the site of the company who hired him. Big-time fuel company From Dust 'Till Dawn. It's unusual that an oil company would come to some "freelancer" like me for computer security advice. Then then again, considering that leak of exploits collected by the Valean government… It's good that everyone's in a panic. So many companies going out to hackers like me to check their security and recommend changes. And lucky for them, I'm going to break into their system in three… two… one…
A smile crawled up his face as he saw those beautiful words: You Are Admin of This System. Bingo. Alright, found one. And in record time as well. He let out a quiet cheer. Way more fun than creating sorting programs. Well, time to send the company the information and get paid.
A small mew escaped from under his desk as he started typing up the information. Little Hazel, the hazel cat climbed up to his lap and rubbed her head into his stomach. "Oh hey there." Jaune gave the creature a little scratch around her neck, causing the feline to purr. "How was your nap? Daddy's going to get you something to eat right after he's done working, okay?" The cat let out another mew, curling up in his lap. "Alright then."
It didn't take too long until Jaune sent all of the information to his client. If things work out well, I should be getting my lien through the usual channels. But if that's done— He picked up Hazel and placed her on the floor. "Come on. We're having dinner. You feeling like salmon?"
The cat purred, and with that, Jaune went over to the freezer. A long filet went right into a pan with melted butter. A great smelling aroma filled the room as he hummed to himself.
"So, how was your day, Hazel? Is it just sleeping again? Or did you do something exciting this time?" The cat plopped itself onto one of the two chairs next to his table and curled up. "Sleeping again. Gotcha." The next couple of minutes were spent in silence as Jaune finished cooking the fish, plated it, and handed a portion to Hazel before digging into his own.
"Mmm! That's good. Although I might've went overboard with the butter. No vegetables this time around. Didn't really have any in the fridge. I'll get some next time I go shopping." The cat said nothing, focusing entirely on her meal. He sighed as he placed his fork to the side. "You know, I miss not being home. It's… lonely, just having you to talk to. At least at home I have my sisters. Here, I don't like anyone enough to be their friend." He sighed. "Maybe this is my fate: to be the lonely cat person. At least there's hacking to keep me busy."
"But…" Jaune poked at the meal. "Hmm… I wanted to make a name for myself in the city. Remember that, Hazel? You were just a little kitten when I left our hometown, my dreams of becoming a famous programmer fresh in my head. And now we're kinda just… here. I'm working at a company I used to admire, but now hate. Making just enough money to live in this apartment and eat comfortably. Having my efforts go unrecognized." He chuckled. "It's a sad life, telling my sorrows to a cat." Hazel yawned, glancing at his plated food.
He looked at his half eaten plate. With a sigh he scraped it into Hazel's plate. "Enjoy. I'm going to look for new job offerings. Come back when you're done eating, okay?" Jaune left his cat there, plopping himself back into his desk.
There were two new messages in his private email. The one where he takes offers for hacking jobs. The first one was just general 'thank yous' from From Dust and that the money's sent. Normal business stuff. The other one was… weirder. He squinted his eyes. I don't recognize that email address. It's not from any company I've contacted. The title was even weirder: FOR JAUNE ARC: A ROBIN HOOD OPPORTUNITY. What in the world? How do they know my name? I never told anyone my real name in any of my hacking projects!
Should I even click the email? What if it's a trap? … Better be safe than sorry. A couple of keystrokes opened up a virtual machine. If anything's in this thing, then it'll be contained. Alright… time to see what's inside.
The message opened up. To Jaune Arc,the email started. We've been watching you for some time now. Your skills as a hacker are impressive. It's sad to see them wasted breaking into obsolete security systems. We want to harness these skills and bring you to your true potential. We have an offer for you. Jaune raised his eyebrows up. A job offer?
We want you to work with one of our agents to break into company involved in the automobile business. While the specifics is on a need-to-know basis, you may expect yourself into breaking into security measures of both company computers and various cars. We're willing to offer you whatever amount you need to get everything started, plus whatever the team manages to take away from the heist.
Whatever I need for the job? Jaune wondered. And I get a portion of whatever the team collects? Wow. That's… that's a lot of money. A ridiculous amount of money. If it's from an automobile company, stealing from them will bring in a lot of dough. And if I managed to get that kind of money… I wouldn't have to live in an apartment like this! I can move into a nicer flat! Plus, with that money, I can quit and do my own thing! No more working under Cardin. No more working on dumb little projects a high schooler could do. I can focus entirely on making whatever I want!
But… the job's black hat. I don't think they have permission to break in. Whatever this person wants is illegal. Do I want to try something like this? If I get caught, it's all over for me. There's no way I'm going to recover from this. He sighed as he looked at the apartment around him. But… I guess it beats being stuck in a dead-end job with Cardin and the other guys. With that he opened a reply email. To whoever is sending this message: I've read your message, and I am interested in…
A scoff escaped from a white-haired girl as she took another drag from a cigarette. One imported from South Mistral with the finest quality tobacco she'd seen. Quite expensive as well: a single pack was two lien. At least the expense keeps me from smoking packs a day, Weiss thought as she leaned out of her car window and knocked the ash away. She blew out the smoke through the window, watching the partygoers revel a couple of blocks away within the Industrial District. The moon was almost non-existent, barely shining any light down on the old warehouses. If anything, the strung-up lights at the party were probably shining brighter.
She let out a hum alongside the dull whirs of Myrtenaster; a beautiful snow white Falcon XR6 Turbo, ready for the chase. This should be the right place, right? The parking lot at Maroon Drive and Ivory Lane. That's where they're going to have a street race. Illegal too, from the sound of it… It makes a little sense, I guess. Not all wannabe racers can qualify for any of the sanctioned street races. And maybe it's for the thrills more than anything else. But then again, doesn't really excuse them from doing something illegal.
The girl with the white hair glanced at the dashboard. Well, I guess it's time. I'm going to need to check in. Weiss flicked the butt of the cigarette out before shifting into first gear, leaving her spot on the side of the curb.
One of the first things she noticed was the intensity of the music. Weiss could feel the bass rumble beneath her. What kind of sound system are these guys using? I swear, the sound's probably going to reach the residential area, and that's a couple of miles away! She shook her head. Now's not the time to be judgmental of other people. Right now you have to focus. You need to catch some attention in the racing scene. I heard the recruitment's happening here, so let's show these racers what I can do.
She turned left into the parking lot. Oh, it was a party, alright. A giant crowd surrounded a stereo system to her right, dancing to the jazz-inspired electronic music coming from the musical duo Neon Flynt. The two performers bobbed their heads to the beat, allowing the music to ebb and flow to the mood of the crowd.
As the white-haired girl drove through, she glanced over to her left. There was a line of cars of varying colors, each bedazzling the crowd with flashy lights. "Hmm…" Some of them look fairly powerful. Most look gaudy, style over substance. Each vehicle had at least one scantily clad woman, either checking on the engine of the car, or chatting it out with one of the other partygoers. Weiss bit her lip before ripping her eyes away from what was under their short skirts.
She continued forwards, ignoring the rest of the crowd as she made her way towards a lineup of five cars. A hum escaped the girl's mouth. Now that's interesting. There was a pink-and-cream colored 350 Z. The colors might have followed a simple two-tone design, but even then, it felt flamboyant. In contrast, there was an olive green CRX with a bronze colored sword decaled on its side. It looked simple compared to the gaudy 350 Z. Then, there was the MX-5 Miata, with horizontal red and white stripes running across it. Ending the lineup was a red Camaro with a skull painted onto the hood, and a dark brown Mini Cooper with a heart decal.
Most of the riders sat on the hood of their cars. A pink-haired man chatted with a couple of drunk girls next to the 350 Z. The Miata had a girl in a hoodie and beanie sitting on its hood; she flicked through her phone with little interest of the party around her. Then there was the man with the bright red hair, who was talking to a well dressed blue-haired boy next to the skull Camaro. A rabbit faunus sat on the roof of the Mini Cooper, chatting with a man in olive green colored clothing.
Weiss rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "I heard somebody needed an extra racer. Who do I talk to sign-up?"
"That will be me." The white-haired girl looked up to see a well-dressed man wearing red shades. He scratched at his beard. "The name's Junior. You can say that I supervise these events. You looking for a race?" The girl nodded. Junior glanced over Weiss before letting out a sigh. "Stupid kids these days. Don't know what they're getting into," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He straightened his tie. "Anyways, this would be the part where I talk about liabilities that comes from street racing, but since you're here and not at a proper event, I don't think you care. Name?"
"Weiss."
Junior raised his eyebrows at that. "That's it? Just Weiss? No surname involved?" She shook her head. The man punched the name onto his phone. "Alright. You're car six. Don't think anybody else will come in time. Lineup with the others so I can get this thing on the road."
Not long after she took her spot, Junior walked onto the DJ stage and stopped Flynt. Weiss couldn't make out what they were saying, but soon afterwards the music cut out. Soon afterwards Junior grabbed a microphone and walked to the front of the stage.
"Ladies and gentleman! Are you guys having fun?" A thunderous roar escaped from the crowd, many raising their drinks in celebration. His smile grew as he threw one hand out towards the other cars. It was like his personality completely shifted the moment he was in front of a crowd. "It's time for the main event! The race is going to start in five minutes, so if you value your life, stay out of the way of these racers!"
The sea of people started to part for the six of them. Weiss gripped her steering wheel, staring at the open gate. This is it. Time to impress the crowd, and maybe if I get lucky—
Junior let out a hearty laugh, interrupting Weiss' thoughts. "Now let me introduce you our racers! In car one, we have the man in the 350 Z. You know him, you love him, give it up for Nadir Shiko!" The pink car roared alongside the cheer from the crowd. "In car two, there's the brawny fellow in the green CRX. His reputation as the Broadsword should have the other racers running scared, so let me hear a round of applause to Yatsuhashi Daichi!" The man popped open a window and waved out to the crowd, a small smile on his face that contrasted against his nickname.
"Car three actually has a newcomer all the way from Vacuo! Her Miata has made waves back in her hometown, so don't worry about her, folks! She's a danger in her own right! Give a warm welcome to May Zedong!" The girl said nothing, giving a quick wave from inside the car before adjusting her beanie.
"In car four, we have the brown Mini Cooper! Now, before everybody laughs, this rabbit has destroyed several competitors alongside her boyfriend! We're not kidding when we say that she's fleet-footed like a rabbit! Give a hand to Velvet Scarlatina!" The girl waved to the crowd, one of her ears flopping down instinctively. Junior let out a hearty laugh. "Now, I just heard of this today, but Yatsu and Velvet are engaged! So before we go on, a toast to them, my friends!" He held out an imaginary glass. "To a good, healthy marriage with lots of gearhead kids for us to dote on!" The two shrank back into their seats as the crowd held out their beers, though they still waved at the crowd nevertheless.
Junior adjusted his tie. "Car five is a red Camaro. He's a Mistralian native who has a history of taking corners with… a bit of recklessness." The crowd laughed at that. "Nevertheless, his ability to recover along with his aggressive moves makes him someone to watch for, so give a hand for Scarlet David!" The man blew a kiss towards the crowd.
"Finally, in car six is a surprise racer! She came at the last minute in a beautiful white Falcon XR6 Turbo! This might be her debut, so keep an eye on her. She's as mysterious as she is reckless, so give it up for Weiss!" The girl brushed a lock of hair from her face, keeping her eyes at the gate as she revved her engine up.
"Racers!" Junior turned towards the competitors. "Don't worry about figuring out the course, we already have people blocking off sections that you're not supposed to go in. The rules are simple: Get around the course as fast as possible, keep it clean with the other racers, Yatsu—" He glared at the man. "—and don't die. I don't feel like paying property damages today, and I'm sure you guys won't either once the lawyers come in. First one to make it around the course once wins five thousand lien!" Everybody roared upon hearing the number. Weiss kept her mouth shut. "That's all from me, so let's get these racers on the road!"
A woman in nothing but a short top and an almost-nonexistent skirt stepped a couple of yards away from the other cars. "Alright!" she called out, waving a piece of red cloth. "Good luck to everybody racing! Start your engines!"
One by one, each car let out a furious roar.
Okay, Weiss. The white-haired girl started taking deeper breaths. You got this. Just keep your head, and everything should turn out fine.
The woman point to the three cars to her left, sticking her butt out just a bit. "Are you guys ready?" Three growls escaped from those cars. She did the same thing to the right side. "Are you guys ready?" Weiss stepped on the gas, letting Myrtenaster howl to her content. The girl stood upright and nodded. "Then racers, on your mark… get set…" She raised the crimson fabric in the air. The white-haired girl held her breath.
"Go!" Weiss' car lurched forwards the moment the rag touch the ground, speeding towards the exit. She could hear the others doing the same. In fact, some of the racers were already starting to pass her. Come on, gotta get out of that narrow exit! Just need a single opening… Weiss glanced at the Mini Cooper coming ahead of the rest of the pack and clicked her tongue. She's a major concern. If I remember correctly, that means… The green bruiser car was starting to make an early turn. There we go.
She shifted gears, blazing ahead of Yatsu's car and through the gated fence. Almost immediately after that she yanked the emergency brakes, drifting through the first corner without a single hitch. Loud honks sounded off behind her. The CRX is blocking the exit. Well, I'm glad I'm out, then. Weiss let out a huff as she saw the brown Mini Cooper clear the second corner, shifting up a gear to give chase to the current leader.
This Velvet girl is maybe a second ahead of me, if I'm right, Weiss thought as she rounded the next corner. The roar of the other cars revealed the end of the deadlock. Everyone else might be a couple of seconds behind me. She stared down the lead car. Myrtenaster was designed for straightaways. The Cooper's pretty good at taking turns due to its size, but any turbo kits it might have shouldn't be able to hold up against me. The white-haired girl made a sharp left into a street curving right. The rear-view revealed the Miata and the Camero slowly approaching her. I just have to wait for the perfect opportunity.
A few turns later, Weiss found herself on such a straightaway. She squeezed the wheel. Here we go! The indicator on the dashboard shot up as she shifted gears and closed the distance between Myrtenaster and the Cooper. The small brown car roared as it tried to pick up the pace, but one more gear shift brought Weiss to Velvet's side. Okay, next turn is… right, I think. She glanced at the rear-view. Yatsu's currently having trouble with Nadir… May and Scarlet are still gaining on me. It's a tight right turn, too. Me or Velvet: one of us has to give if we don't want to crash.
And my car's going to be the one to make it! She janked on the emergency brake, making a sudden right turn and swinging the back of Myrtenaster into Velvet. A honk blared from the Mini Cooper as it was forced to slow down. Yes! The car started getting traction again as the white-haired girl released the emergency brake, clearing the next turn.
Here's the hardest part, Weiss thought as she envisioned the path in her mind. We're probably going to make a series of quick, sharp turns. I'm going to have to clear them perfectly, otherwise Velvet can pass me. The road started curving to the left. She glanced back. And the rest of the pack's finally catching up. I need to increase my lead. May and Scarlet did pretty well chasing us in the straightaway without nitrous. And there's going to be two more straightaways after this… That would be their moment to catch up.
Weiss jerked the wheel to the right, clearing the first corner without a problem. But so did the Mini Cooper, Camaro, and Miata. She gritted her teeth. There's gotta be a way to lose them! Yet they kept creeping up. Every corner she took couldn't shake them off. Three corners later, Weiss stared at another straightaway, this time with the red and brown cars in pursuit. Scarlet's car came dangerously close to trading paint with her. The girl growled as she shifted up a couple more gears. Come on, you can make it—
The Camaro roared as it jerked to the left, speeding up all of a sudden. Weiss' eyes widened. He drafted me! The little— And May as well? The girl in the beanie let an unusual smirk, staying right behind Scarlet as the two red cars passed her. Oh, no you don't! Two can play at that game!
Just as May started making her move, Weiss shifted down, getting right behind the Miata just as she got the burst of speed needed to speed past Scarlet. The white-haired girl immediately shifted back up, also overtaking the frustrated man.
Both the Miata and Myrtenaster rounded the corner. This is it, Weiss thought as she watched the front car carefully. The longest straightaway. Play it safe, Weiss. She glanced behind her to check on the progress of everyone else. It's impressive that the Miata can slice through an open road at such a pace.
But Myrtenaster can do this better! Weiss moved right— only for May to follow suit. Another jerk left lead to the same result. So she expected me to try something like this, huh? She could feel a vein pulsing close to her skin as May mirrored every one of Weiss's moves. Calm down… You can still make the best of it. You're just going to have to set this up more carefully. She spun a knob with some restraint before flicking the switch to a gas canister. Like a controlled burst of energy to escape.
She slammed the two buttons on her wheel right as she made a turn, sending a limited amount of nitrous into the car and shooting her right out from behind May. There was nothing the Miata could do as Weiss blazed past, putting her firmly in the lead. Weiss smirked as she rounded a corner moments later. And like that, I'm right back where I should be. But just in case… she spun the knob to the nitrous all the way.
Weiss drifted through the last corner, bringing her to the homestretch. Already she can make out the line of partygoers roaring in delight at the sight of Myrtenaster. Let's make one last impression on these guys. She slammed on the nitrous, which shot her speeding past the watchers and through the finish line.
"And the Falcon XR6 Turbo passes the line, making newcomer Weiss the winner of this race!" Everyone roared as Weiss started to slow down her car. "What a spectacular debut! I think you all should keep an eye on her. Then in second place is— Oh! Velvet in the Mini Cooper just managed to snatch second from May, who is now in third! And what a surprise! Yatsu managed to take fourth from Scarlet after being stuck in the back of the pack!" The rest of the cars slowed down to a stop close to hers. "And finally Nadir comes in sixth, ending the race! Give these racers a round of applause!"
The white-haired girl sighed as everyone cheered. That should get their attention. She climbed out of the car, took out a cigarette, and stuffed it in her mouth, reveling in all of the people cheering on all of the racers.
Somebody flicked a lighter. Weiss gave a glance, spotting a blonde girl with a smile on her face and a lit flame in her hands. "Congrats on your win, Ice Queen. Have a light, on me."
"Thanks," she muttered, leaning over and allowing the stick to burn. "But my name's not Ice Queen, it's Weiss."
"It's Ice Queen as far as I care." The blonde tucked the lighter back into her pocket. "Nicknames tend to come easily to me, especially when talking to strangers."
"I bet." Weiss pulled out another cigarette and offered it to the friendly girl. "Want one?"
"No thanks, don't smoke."
"So why bother having a lighter?"
"Convenient flashlight, and a great way to start a conversation." She patted the hood of Myrtenaster. "You don't mind if I sit, right?"
A frown formed across Weiss. "I do."
"Woo, geez. Named you right that time. I getcha, though." The blonde stayed standing. "But you're a good racer. And you know, we've been looking for somebody like that—"
"We?" Weiss bit on the end of the cigarette. Is this it? I managed to find them, huh? "What do you mean by 'we'?"
"That's my little secret." The blonde gave her a wink. "But we need a team of racers willing to do anything to reach the top. And I'm impressed with your skills." She looked around her. "But let's not talk about that here. The team's going to be meeting up soon, where we'll talk about goals and plans and whatnot. It's going to be a lot of money. You interested?"
Weiss pulled the cigarette out and blew a cloud of smoke to the side. "Maybe… alright."
The girl beamed. "Great! Just give me your contact info, and I'll tell you when and where to meet." She gave Weiss a giant grin. "You won't regret it!"
Yeah, I won't, the white-haired girl thought as the blonde was walking away. Her eyes widened a moment later. "Wait a minute." The giant girl stopped. Weiss let out a cough. "What's your name? I have to call you something."
"Oh, yeah." She tapped the side of her cheek. "Hmm… call me Little Dragon. A simple code name should suffice. Anyways, buh bye!"
Weiss' phone rang a few moments later after Little Dragon left. Weiss brought it up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Weiss." The voice behind the phone was sharp and cold. "How are you doing?"
"Just fine, Winter," the girl responded. "I've been out going to that party you were talking about."
"Oh?"
"Made a friend there. Says she'll call me when the time is right."
"That's great. Keep a watch over her." The voice became more cordial. "I've been getting rumors of a situation like this, but if you're right, this might prove it exists. The underground's planning something big, and we need to make sure we figure out what. Find out what they're doing and note everything. I'd rather not have an incident happen in this city, got it?"
"Got it." Weiss ended the call. Don't worry about me, Captain. She continued staring staring at the celebration. Some people were coming towards her as well. It's the VPD motto to keep the peace, no matter what it takes. I'll take them down. I'll make sure of that.
Chapter End