Chapter 10 Here We Go.
Amanda had parked her Nova in the parking lot of what her family called the Hippie church. It was directly opposite Lake Shore Drive on Route 4 and made for a really good place to check oil, tire pressure and anything else before heading off on a run of Lake Shore. She had just replaced the oil dipstick when she heard the sound of motors coming from the distance. It was the more high strung sound of small displacement motors, but there was some rumble in there. Amanda put the hood down and turned around to search for the sound.
Across the street Amanda spotted the string of headlights coming down Lake Shore. There were more cars there than Amanda was used to seeing for one team, it seemed like all she could remember was teams with four or five drivers, but she counted at least seven sets of headlights. Slowly she moved to the driver's door, not sure why. If it had not been for the street light at the end of the road she would not have been able to see the cars. The first one was a Pantera, followed by a string of Japanese cars, and then a blue Sunbeam Tiger.
Amanda hoped into her car, and fired it up. The 350 V8 erupted to life. Something was going on here, something that she wasn't used to. With the exception of the Pantera and the Tiger none of the cars looked like anything she had seen associated with the local tuner crowd. The tires squealed briefly as Amanda launched her car out of the parking lot. She had to make sure to keep her distance because the person in the last car might be able to recognize her.
With 300 yards between her and Molly Amanda tailed the small group of cars north along Route 4. It wasn't important where they were going, but the fact that this sort of team was out there, it was a new team, a new threat, especially after the debacle with the Galaxie. Just a few miles down the road all their directionals went on indicating a turn to the right. A turn into the airport. Thinking quickly Amanda ducked into the gas station across the street, one of those ones with a convenience store attached to it. She walked in and walked quickly to the drink cooler in back to grab a grape soda, and hurried back to the front to pay.
Outside again Amanda leaned against her car and looked over towards Twitchell's across the very quiet Route 4. Soon, one by one headlights came across the airport. Each car crossed over Route 4 and headed down the road that ran next to the gas station. All the Japanese cars left first followed by the Sunbeam Tiger and then the Pantera that had been in the lead earlier. Once the Pantera had crossed Route 4 Amanda had her Nova fired up in a matter of seconds. She had to go tell Bill what she had just seen.
•••
All the lights were on in the barn as Mike pulled up in his SHO, and that meant that Project D was still tuning their vehicles. He could see Molly standing just inside the barn door, looking out towards the road. As soon as Mike was out of the car Molly was running the short distance from the barn towards him with a wide grin on her face. With just a few feet left she jumped up on top of Mike and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
"Nice to see you too." Mike said. "What's going on in there? I didn't think they would need to tune their cars again?"
"Stevie was able to sneak them off to Twitchell's to get some avgas in the cars because you know, not being able to get 102 like we sell." Molly smiled at Mike.
Mike tossed his bag over his shoulder and walked arm and arm with Molly into the garage. The black and white Corolla was on the lift with a couple of crew members leaning over the fender. Stevie manned the tire machine, and to Mike's left sitting at one of the work benches was Ryosuke, not a hair out of place, not a speck of dirt on his clothes. He sat in front of his laptop, the one clean and civilized spot in Stevie's barn cluttered with tires, wheels, and other assorted car parts.
"Hi Ryosuke." Mike said, "Looks like you guys are busy tonight."
"Yes." Ryosuke responded. "I hadn't planned on being able to find good gas in this area, but now we can step up the tuning. I'm working on the tuning for my brothers car right now, it takes more than Takumi's car."
"Anyway I can help?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, can you work that tire machine so Stevie can use his on the car spin balancer. Fumihiro is good, but he can't use machines that he didn't know existed until just a few hours ago."
"Alright, just let me go get changed and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Mike responded, before turning and heading for the house.
In a few minutes Mike was back in the barn running the tire machine. Together they worked into the night. Each Project D car took its turn on the lift, fresh tires, a check of the suspension, final adjustments and checks and double checks on the engine and engine systems and all the fluids. It was well after midnight when the last car rolled off the lift to be parked outside.
The whole night Ryosuke remained intently focused on his computer screen., running his simulations over and over again. The team needed to succeed, for both Keisuke and Takumi. The team needed to succeed and they needed to grow just a little more. They needed to learn more, but ultimately Project Ds goal had not changed from the previous summer in Japan, it would just be impossible to dominate all of America.
When all was said and done Ryosuke leaned back and rubbed his eyes before closing his laptop. Everything was as good as it could be, the cars were tuned to perfection, he had some of the best mechanics working for the team, not to mention the help of Mike and Stevie. They were as prepared as they could be, the tapes, the nightly practice sessions, they were probably better prepared for each race here in America than they had been each weekend back home.
"It's a good thing your neighbors don't live to close to you or they would be mad at us." Fumihiro commented to Stevie.
"Yeah, but I don't know that anybody would really make a big deal out of it, I'm usually as quiet as a mouse."
•••
Takumi watched as Stevie set to work balancing tires on his car. He paused for a moment to reflect on the fact that he had never seen a contraption like that, which was probably why Stevie was using it and Matsumoto was not.
What Takumi was really focused on was his black and white AE86, the car he had driven thousands of miles since he was 15. The car he had driven countless nights over Mount Akina, in the rain, in the cold and snow. He was going to win tomorrow night, he knew it. It didn't matter what the other team threw at him or how long they had been driving the road, he was going to win, and the 86 was going to take him there.
The young Ace closed his eyes, and he could see the course, flashing by at high speed, trees blurry, houses just brief flashes of light on the side of the road. That peculiar glow that headlights seem to give to the surrounding night. He could almost hear the radical 4AG singing towards it 11,000 RPM redline. G forces tugging at his body, the feel of the steering wheel in his hands. The whole course played through, every angle of attack on every turn, taking not of the best places to pass and the places where it would be a bad idea to pass. He was ready. Ready to prove to Ryosuke, his father, Natsuki, and . . . Mike that he was one of the best in the world.
His jaw clenched a little tighter, nothing was going to stand between him and victory tomorrow night or any other night for that matter. Takumi walked over to the tire machine where Mike was working.
"What's going on kido." Mike said, realizing that he was at most two or three years older than Takumi, who looked at him intensely.
"Why are you helping us so much?" Takumi asked, only trying to hide his emotions the slightest bit.
Mike was taken aback by the edge in the kid's voice.
"I dunno." Mike shrugged, trying to come up with a reason why as he tried to figure out how the kid who seemed like such a space shot just a week or two ago was now so intense.
Takumi continued to stare him down.
"You can stare at me all day Takumi, but it's not going to intimidate me. This is America. I grew up watching Clint Eastwood westerns." Mike joked. Takumi didn't seem to know who, or what he was talking about.
"Why are you helping us?" Takumi reiterated.
"You know why kid." Mike paused, a slight edge in his voice. "Because it's been a long time since I've raced anybody as good as you, and on top of it your whole team has tons of skill. You guys deserve every leg up you can get. I mean come on your six thousand miles away from home, competing against drivers you know nothing about on courses that you get maybe a week to practice on at most." Mike paused again, "And because you gave me one of the best races of my life. You have tons of talent and I can do little things to help. Besides, I can't let just anybody beat you." Mike cocked a smile and chuckled a little.
Takumi lightened up a little bit, he knew Mike wasn't taunting him with the fact that he had lost but because it was something he had done that nobody else in Medway had done. He was just being selfish and sincere.
"I look forward to racing you in the future." Takumi said. "And next time I will win." Suddenly that edge returned to his voice, full of fierce determination.. Somebody with that kind of drive was going to go far.
"Haul ass tomorrow night." Mike said.
•••
Amanda walked into the house and headed straight for Bill's room, he had to know about what she had just seen out on Route 4. The door was closed as it had been since he had come home. He didn't want to deal with Brian or their dad. She knocked softly, hoping that Bill hadn't gone to bed.
"Yeah?" Bill grunted, Amanda opened the door and poked her head into the room. "Oh it's you." Bill said, "What's up?"
"I just saw something out on 4 that I think you should know about."
"What's going on?" Bill asked his younger sister.
"I just saw a group of cars out on 4, a whole bunch of stuff that I've not seen before, a Pantera, and a Tiger, but there were also five Japanese cars, a couple of RX-7s, an old hatchback, and a couple that I don't recognize."
"Oh." Bill said, not sure where his sister was going with this.
"I think it's another team that's come to challenge us." Amanda said.
"Ok." Bill answered, "but they're just a bunch of Japanese cars. Even Brian can stomp all of them, the rest of us won't have any problem."
"Bill, I don't think these are just any bunch of tuners." Amanda persisted.
"Come on this is exactly what we knew was going to happen. Brian loses to that damn Galaxie and every asshole who has delusions of being a real driver comes out to challenge us because we're top dog that whimpered. I bet that damn Chris and his team show up tomorrow night too." Bill sighed. "Don't worry about it Amanda, we've practiced forever, we'll still come out on top. Now we should get some sleep, goodnight."
"'Night Bill." Amanda sighed as she headed for her room. He was ignoring her again.
•••
"Shit." Keisuke hissed under his breath as he put the cap back on the empty deodorant stick and flung it in the direction of the trash basket. He grabbed the keys to his FD and began twirling them on his finger as he walked through the house.
"Keisuke? Where are you going?" Keisuke stopped and turned to look at his older brother.
"I just have to run to the store and grab some deodorant." Keisuke said matter-of-factly.
"Were you planning on walking? Or did you forget that you're not supposed to drive your car until tonight?" The older Takahashi looked sternly at his younger brother.
"Shit, the gas." Keisuke said. "Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow." He shrugged.
"I can take you." Molly volunteered. "I don't have to worry about the gas in the Tiger since I won't be racing." She snatched her keys off of the kitchen table and headed for the door. "Come on."
"Alright." Keisuke shrugged and followed her to her car.
"Maybe you can give me another lesson in drifting while we're out." Molly said as she climbed into her dark metallic blue Tiger.
Keisuke climbed in as well, glad that the small car was a convertible, he might not have fit if the top were up. It was an awful close fit, and unlike most of the cars he was used to there was no center console to at least create the illusion of space between the passenger and driver, just a shifter coming straight through the center tunnel.
Molly pressed the gas and waited a second before turning the key. The venerable Ford small block erupted into life and took its time settling down to its normal warm idling speed. God this thing is weird. Keisuke thought to himself. The motor was so strange to him. It was loud at idle, it rumbled, it vibrated, it did what his FD didn't, it was a totally different world from the quiet smoothness of the Mazda rotary engine. No doubt Molly's car had power, it was practically dripping it. The car seemed to grab him by the throat and throw him around until he begged for mercy, but somehow Keisuke wanted to know, wanted to grab the Tiger by the tale and tame it.
Everything from the exhaust note to the smell of unburned high octane fuel to the open air to the way the top of the door was just the right height to make a good armrest. It was all intoxicating, and he wasn't even driving.
Molly snicked the shifter into reverse and skillfully, gently backed out into the road and headed towards downtown Auburn.
At the end of Lake Shore Drive Molly notched the shifter into first gear, looking for her opportunity to get onto Route 4. Keisuke was amazed at how well Molly manipulated the gas and clutch to launch the car onto Route 4. She didn't launch it like it was a race but it wasn't lazy either. Keisuke's mouth almost dropped open at the acceleration, the car pinned him back quickly and forcefully, in a way that the FD didn't. His car was very quick off the line, but the Tiger was a whole other animal.
"You like that." Molly smirked as she shifted from third to fourth.
"It's impressive." Keisuke said, trying to hide his surprise, and the smile that was threatening to spread across his face.
"It's the torque from the V8." Molly said as the wonderful sound of the V8 engulfed the two. It wasn't long before the two had arrived at the local Wal-Mart. A few minutes later they walked out again, Keisuke carrying a blue and white Wal-Mart bag.
"That was all you needed to get." Molly chided.
"You knew that before you volunteered to drive me here." Keisuke fired back.
"I don't know if my car can handle all the extra weight. It's going to upset the balance." Molly complained.
"Ha ha." Keisuke retorted as he sat down in the car. "Keep it up and I won't teach you how to drift." Keisuke threatened.
Molly made a face like a puppy dog. "But I want to learn." She said.
"Well what place could we do it today. It doesn't seem like there an empty parking lot anywhere."
"Of course there is. No school on Saturday." Molly responded, and took off in the direction of the local high school.
•••
Mike stood on the porch, watching the last minute preparations of Project D, he stood there knowing that he could hop into Molly's Tiger just before they all headed for Roy's, the cruise night, and the showdown with the Bow Tie Boys. Soon enough everybody was headed for their cars. Mike vaulted from the porch and headed for the Tiger where Molly was waiting. In the brief span of half a minute all motors were fired up and ready to go, more than 1400 horsepower between five cars, just waiting to be unleashed on the unsuspecting public.
Ten minutes later the multinational convoy pulled into Roy's. There were only a few vehicles in the parking lot for the cruise night that early. Ryosuke insisted they be early to make sure they had first shot at the Bow Tie Boys. The team followed Ryosuke's lead and parked on the fringed of the lot, knowing that they did not fill the age requirement of cars being 25 years or older, and that they clearly did not meet the unspoken requirement of driving anything but Japanese cars. Some people didn't pay any attention, others scowled from a distance, sure that the dominant force of Project D was nothing more than tuner kids who thought they could play in the big leagues.
Project D, along with Mike, Molly, and Stevie made their way around the few cars that were in the parking lot that early in the evening. Soon more classic cars and trucks began to show up. Eventually another team showed up, driving Japanese cars, like Project D they entered the parking lot quietly, not wanting to offend anybody beyond their presence. Ryosuke watched from a distance, sizing them up. In a few seconds his supercomputer brain reached the logical conclusion. They were there for the same reason as Project D. To Challenge the Bow Tie Boys. The four drivers made a bee-line for the Project D cars, paying particular attention to Nakazato's GT-R, and Keisuke's bright yellow FD.
In a few more minutes the sound of high performance V8s was heard. Leading the way into the parking lot was Bill in his Corvette, followed by Andy, Brian, and Amanda. Brian revved the Rat motor in his Chevelle, immediately drawing the attention of everybody in the parking lot that wasn't already looking in their direction. People started walking in the direction of the four Chevy's, drawn by the thumping and burbling V8s like moths to a porch flood light.
"Fumihiro." Ryosuke nodded in the direction of the Bow Tie Boys.
"On it boss." Fumihiro responded, and began to make his way towards the front of the group that had gathered around the cars.
"Excuse me." Fumihiro said a little bit louder than other people in the crowd.
"Yeah?" Bill said as he opened the hood of his Corvette.
"I represent Project D, from Japan, and we would like to challenge you to a race tonight." The crowd crew silent surprised at the revelation of a team from Japan.
"Funny, we're here for the same thing."
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Sorry about the long wait, school was crazy and it's been difficult for me to find the time to work on this, but don't worry, there will be more to come soon. Thanks for reading and be sure to leave me some reviews and let me know what you think, especially all you folks from around the world.
Thanks Margave.