Chapter 7 – Getting Real
Eliot could barely hear himself as he shouted, trying to keep the rising fear out of his voice…"Whoa! Slow down Ayane – geeze! It's coming right up! You're GONNA miss it – !? Shit. You missed - Why didn't you - You just MISSED it! Can you even HEAR me?! You just passed it! THAT was the exit for the Tecmo building! I thought that was where we needed to go to get help?!"
As he tried to make himself heard over what could only be described as the sound of planets colliding, Eliot was a mixture of confusion and deep concern for his own personal safety, as Ayane pushed her Ferrari 250 GTO's Borletti/Veglia tachometer to the 9,000rpm red line.
Like a chorus of wild demons freed from the depths of Hade's molten kingdom of rage, 12 furious cylinders screamed and churned hurling the glossy red comet along the nearly empty Tokyo freeway.
Ayane's boot was flat on the floor her right hand firmly planted on the two o'clock position of the slim, wooden Nardi Blackline steering wheel. Her black gloved left hand resting on the large, brushed metal shifter. This was music and she was listening to her favorite song as she speed shifted up to 4th gear. When the flywheel reengaged, the howling of the engine dropped to a gravely roar of acceptance as the acceleration surged and pressed them both back into the hard, unyielding, leather embrace of a machine built for only one thing: speed.
"THAT was incredible Omo!" shouted Ayane over the shrieking and growling of the engines, "Sing to me!" Swooping across all four lanes in the space of one of Eliot's single terrified heartbeats, Ayane merged onto the main motorway and somehow squeezed even more power out of the remarkable car speeding away from the Tecmo building at an incredible rate.
"Ohhhh mmmmy ghuhhhh…" Eliot turned grey and melted into his seat his white hands gripping the door's harsh steel tube frame.
Ayane glanced over her left shoulder at Eliot and watched the blood drain from his delicate little face for a while. "There's no brakes on that side you know..."
Not realizing his foot had been reflexively stabbing away at invisible brakes, he checked himself and shouted back over the noise: "Ayane – you're going to kill us! Slow the hell down – there's no need for -"
"Do you think for a second that I would endanger my lovely Omo?! Well the answer is no – you dummy. You are perfectly safe!"
The confidence in her voice relaxed him somewhat. He reminded himself that she was, after all, a superbly trained warrior with almost superhuman reflexe – "OH GOD! Ayane – SHIT!"
A huge 18 wheeled tractor trailer merged onto the motorway. It came out of nowhere. The truck was so close to Eliot's window he could see the paint peeling around the screws that held the straps to the load bed. Green flecks revealing primer grey below… and a little rust. One of the straps was slightly frayed and he could see the individual fibers blowing in the cold morning air. Then blocking all light, the truck swallowed his world. Eliot's tired, anxious mind snapped back into the horrified reality of the situation.
Ayane only laughed like a delighted child getting her favorite candy ever, and gunned the car directly at and under the truck passing beneath it in one smooth motion. As they shot out the other side like a torpedo, she speed shifted up to 5th and the cacophonous roar dipped a whole octave. In seconds, the truck disappeared in the mists behind them and Ayane's sweet Omo had devoured another challenger. As they gained speed the deep churning rumble grew into a rich, complexly layered sound of a magnificent engine contentedly doing what it was made for.
Eliot took his first breath… "I hate you. And WHY are you even wearing sun glasses?! It's the middle of the night!"
Ayane looked directly at Eliot regarding him closely. Straight blond hair, soft like a little cherub. Wide staring blue eyes peeping out from under his snuggy sky-blue hoodie. Sure he was fit enough and knew that silly Kung-Fu stuff… but still. Smooth soft hands and that innocent baby face. Handsome, in a cutesy sort of way. He had a manner of moving that indicated some skill... But ultimately, she was disappointed to see his fear so manifest.
They'll eat him alive… He's a good kid – but innocent… not ready.
Eliot could see his pale, grey/green face staring back at him reflected in her glasses.
"They're night vision, Eliot. I can see better then you can. I could see better than you even if they were sunglasses."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an exit and with no warning she downshifted and spun the wheel hard, taking the steep hairpin in one long floating, nauseating, drift, all the while keeping her gaze fixed directly on Eliot.
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Shit shit shit shit! God - Okay! You're awesome – you are bad ass! Your car is cool… what the fuck do I need to say to you to make this stop?!"
Ayane crammed both feet squarely on the brake and crossed up the wheel making the car spin and smoke like a flaming propeller coming to a perfect stand still, nine inches from the curb between a parked street sweeper and a dumpster.
In one sinuous, fluid motion, Ayane turned in her seat, took off her glasses and looked at Eliot. It was a hard look.
"Why are you such a sissy?" It was a serious question.
"I'm not a sissy – I know you don't think highly of me. But there are many ways to be stro-"
"You don't know what strong is. Strong is SPEED. Strong is power. Not fancy words. In MY world you are either strong or dead. Dead! I'm telling you this because you are about to enter that world and will die on this mission if you try to rely on high principled ideals and silly talk!"
"You forget, I've been trained by the venerable master, Gen Fu who wields the secret of the legendary Iron fis-"
"HA! Gen Fu?! So-fucking what?! I could pour milk on Gen Fu and eat him for breakfast! Besides - do YOU even have the secret of the Iron Fist?! DO YOU?!"
Eliot looked down at his hands folded in his lap. They looked small to him... Ayane, continued –
"I'll tell you – NO! You don't!"
"But he trained me!"
"I don't care! You don't have his skill – and even if you did? So what?! ONE lousy punch! That's it! I could dodge that dopey punch all day long – Eliot – " Ayane paused then went on – "When this shit with the Spider Clan goes down – you will listen to what I tell you and you will obey me. This isn't the DOATEC Tournament."
Her voice got quiet. "They use Yakuza…Eliot, those people are animals… This is real. The ninja are only the tip of the iceberg and if you fuck up here, there is no walking away from this. You are dead. Forever… Got it?"
Suddenly, Ayane grabbed Eliot by the arm. It seemed to him as if her hand simply appeared there. Though her grip was firm it was also surprisingly gentle. He could feel enormous energy behind it, manifesting like a profound warmth. It had a calming effect and Eliot began to feel… safe and secure.
"Eliot, I want you to promise me that you'll -" Her voice cracked with emotion. It was only slight, but she stopped immediately, the shame creeping into her cheeks.
Eliot, finally pulled his eyes away from his hands and looked at Ayane. She was a terrible, beautiful vision. A dark sparkling angel with a deep, vast, reservoir of seething power barely held in check. This was no joke.
"Got it." He meant it.
"Good." She said quietly, evenly.
Putting the car in gear, she rolled it out into the street, found the on ramp, and let it grumble up onto the motorway. She replaced her night glasses and as she did, was grateful that Eliot would not see her foolish tears.
