Charley pulled up in front of the nondescript old building Uncle M had left her. It had an abandoned feel to it, and the building radiated extreme weariness. Paint was peeling and cracked on the outside, and the windows boarded over broken window panes. The building next to it was abandoned, the others not so happy looking either. Turning her motorcycle off, Charley stood up to survey her new acquisition.
"Well, it's not that bad." She finally spoke, and winced as the old garage sign above her came crashing down. "Seriously? Come one!" She groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance. The old sign, faded and broken, had splintered into pieces and littered the front door of her new garage. "Well, it would've had to come down anyway." She sighed, taking life's lemons and making lemonade.
Pulling the key out of her pocket, Charley shouldered open the old wooden door and pushed her way in. The garage was dark and quiet, shrouded in shadows and decay. Sunlight poured in from the doorway, just adding emphasis to how bad the garage had become. Charley leaned against the door frame with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hm." She murmured, tapping her cheek meditatively. It could become a great garage, it just needs a few tweaks. She smiled to herself, heading back to her bike outside the shop. Walking her bike in, she pulled a crowbar out from one of her bags. Never leave home without it. She thought with a grin, and went to pry the boards off the windows.
Light began to pour in as the windows let in sunshine, and Charley began the painstaking remodel of Last Chance Garage II. Dust was swept out, cobwebs kicked out, and decaying materials thrown away. Charley let out her tenth sneeze shaking her head. How did it get so bad here? Last Chance Garage I never got this bad before! Heading into the actual garage part of Uncle M's shop, she grunted as she pulled the metal door for vehicles open. The gears groaned as the door made its painstaking journey to the ceiling, and Charley nodded happily, her hands on her hips. It's coming along nicely! She grinned, watching vehicles pass her buy.
Looking to her left, she saw one of the many 'parks' of NYC. This one had been around so long it had been forgotten, a lot like this whole neighborhood actually, and it was overgrown with tall pines. Charley's heart let out a longing for home. She had 'forests' like this back in Chicago, and the sight made her sad she had left her home behind. It's not forever, Char, you'll go back one day. She scolded herself, and went back to cleaning. It was nice to be getting her hands dirty again, she thought pleasantly as she watched her tank top and hands become spotted with oil and dirt. She didn't mind, she was a grease monkey after all, and this simple piece of normalcy made Charley forget about her homesickness as she got to work.
"Hello? Is this the Garage Depot? Yeah? Awesome, I was wondering if I could order two car lifts, one bike lift- Oh, sorry, my name's Charley Davidson, I just moved into the area- Mmhm, that's a pronto delivery." She told the sales guy on the other end of the line. Do they teach these guys any customer service? She wondered to herself, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying, I need two car lifts, one bike lift, two air compressors- Did you just put me on hold?" She demanded from the waiting music. "Ugh."
The first week passed slowly, with Charley moving into the small loft in the shop's tiny second floor. It was enough for a bedroom, and Charley loved the quaintness to it. Especially since the shop was literally right under her feet! She turned the garage into a home, a make shift one, but a new home none-the-less. She sat on her small bed, looking at the photo she had pulled out. There was the bros, all grinning into the camera, Charley shaking her head in the picture with a smile and an eye roll. It had been shot almost a year ago, but she still remembered all the craziness that that day had entailed. A full bike reconfiguration along with a minor adjustment on Throttle's motorcycle, and then she got kidnapped. It had been a great day, all in all. She mused happily to herself, before setting it on the table beside her bed.
"Hello?" A voice called out below her feet. "Anyone here?" The voice called again, and Charley brightened. A customer!
"Coming!" She replied, heading down the small spiral staircase and coming to stand behind the shop's counter. "How are ya today?" She smiled brightly, brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.
"Oh I'm great, since when was there a garage around here?" The red headed woman before her asked, a smile on her pale face.
"I just moved in, I finally got the sign up yesterday. Whatdaya think?" She asked, motioning to the room.
"It's amazing! I have some friends down the street and I always pass this place by. It used to be so depressing, but when I saw it today..wow!" The woman gushed, and Charley smiled proudly. She had repainted the front: reds, whites, some green and black, and had turned the whole outside wall into a masterpiece of artistry. Bikes and cars decorated the outside wall, with the garage's name written daintily in fancy cursive script between two motorcycles, one above it, the other below, one bike facing east, the other facing west.
"Thanks, I've been pretty busy. I'm Charley by the way." She said, sticking out her hand.
"April O'Neil, nice to meet you. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, I was still in shock!" The red head grinned, and Charley nodded back. She had a feeling she was going to like this woman. "Oh, I have my car out front, do you think you could change the oil? And I just popped my spare tire, do you have any back ups? And, I kinda don't know what type they are..." April laughed nervously, but Charley was already heading outside.
"No sweat, just pull into the garage and we can get started." She smiled, pulling on a pair of mechanic jumpsuits, a nice blue one with 'Charley' written in cursive across the left shoulder.
"Thanks, Charley, having this shop is a life saver." April breathed in relief. "I didn't want to have to drive all the way back to my house, only to have to call a tow truck! The things we have to do." She grumbled, getting into her car and pulling into the back of the garage. April got back out and tossed Charley her keys.
"Thanks, why don'tcha head back over into the shop? I'll be done in a jiffy." She smiled, jacking the car up to check the flat tire first. It was a basic performance tire, and an easy fix. Charley set the car back down and headed to the engine. Oil change! She thought with mock glee. She had changed so many oils in her life, she was done in less than ten minutes. Wiping her hands clean, she headed over to April who was reading a magazine, absorbed in whatever it was. "April?" She spoke, had to repeat herself twice before the ditzy red head looked up.
"Oh, you're done? Already? Wow you're fast!" She exclaimed surprised.
"What can I say? It's in my blood." Charley shrugged with her usual smile, handing the keys back to their owner.
"Thank you so much, how much do I owe you?" April asked, pulling out her wallet.
"Thirty five bucks."
"Thirty five? All you did was change the tire and the oil!" April yelped in shock.
"I did you one better, I changed the oil and the tire, and added a new tire as a spare for like 65% off. That not reasonable?" Charley said with a patient voice.
"Oh, that's great thanks." April said, surprised again. She handed over the money and waited for her receipt.
"Thanks for coming to Last Chance Garage II, hope to see ya again April." She told the woman before her.
"Don't worry, I'll be back." April smiled with warmth, and with a wave was gone. April did one better than just coming back, she went and told all her friends about Last Chance Garage II. Charley was busy fixing cars the rest of the day, wondering how the heck did April O'Neil spread the word so fast? The answer revealed itself when Charley overheard a conversation about said red head, how she was a reporter at a local news station. That could explain a lot. Charley thought, wiping some grease off her cheek. "Thanks for visiting Last Chance Garage II, see ya again!" She told the last customer of the day before locking up shop and landing on a chair with a weary huff. The sun had set on a successful day, and Charley was happy with how well everything had gone that day. And I made lots of money too! She giggled inwardly, before she let out a pained grunt. "I really need to hire more people." She groaned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. To much work, to little time. She sighed, and then she heard the door open with a clang. Charley spun around, grabbing a wrench tacked on the wall behind her. How'd he pick the lock? She wondered angrily, gripping the wrench tightly.
"Well, well, well. What'da we have here?" A voice asked lowly, and Charley felt she should know the voice. He stepped into the room, shadows keeping her from seeing his face. He was big and hulking, and seemed to encompass the whole room. "Yer that runt who's Uncle used to work here, such a shame about him." The guy continued. "He didn't pay tribute to the Dragons, and look where he is now. Wouldn't want the niece to go the same way as well, would we?" The voice continued smoothly, and he stepped closer. Charley dropped her wrench in shock as she saw her intruder. "So, you gonna pay tribute to the Dragons?"
"H?" She demanded shocked. "Hun? Is that you?"
"Charley?" He gasped shocked.
