Kudos to Peldor for Betareading. Great idea man

Chapter 10 Track Time

Kaname exited the changing room wearing a Nomex racing suit and carrying an open face helmet. The suit didn't enhance her figure, but it didn't hide it either. There was no doubt she was female. And a bit peeved. Looking at Sousuke she asked him. "Why do I need to wear this hot thing again?"

She could see the change from his normal look. It wasn't fright or otaku or confusion. She wasn't sure what it was yet, but she was about to find out. It was "Sousuke Sensei". And just like most Sensei's, he didn't take lip from a student. It was a new side of the young man that Kaname learning about. He wasn't rude or abrasive, but he sounded calm, firm and in control. Just like a good Sensei should.

"Miss Chidori, would you play a sport without protective equipment, like softball without a helmet, or work in the lab for chemistry class without goggles and face shields?" He asked in a questioning tone.

"No, and your right, that would be dumb. I understand. It's just this suit is hot and sort of uncomfortable." she grumbled.

"I understand Kaname, the A.S. suit is the same way, but you get used to it." he reached into a bag at his feet pulling out what looked like a scrunchie for a girls hair and handed it to her. "Please use this and put your hair in a low ponytail. Then we car enter the car and get started"

She stared at the scrunchie for a second and had an evil thought cross her mind. She decided that Sousuke needed a bit of teasing. After all it was all in an effort to get him to loosen up. "Sousuke, why do you have something like this in your bag." she asked him mischievously twirling the scrunchie around her finger.

He looked over at her and informed her dryly. "If you allowed it, it was always my intention to train you on the operation of Eleanor, Kaname. Hence the Nomex suit and helmet I had in the trunk in your sizes. And although most of the A.S. pilots in Mithral are males, we have a significant number of female pilots, and the ones with long hair use these when they are in the A.S. suits to keep their hair under control."

Kaname just had a flash just then. She had seen him in his A.S. suit more then once. And the damn thing fit like a second skin. And the thought of some girl, or even worse Tessa, parading around Sousuke dressed like that...grrrrrr.

She got into the drivers side of the car and started to secure the 5-point harness while under Sousukes watchful eyes. He corrected her where needed and proceeded to pull the straps much tighter then before. He then walked around to the other side of the car and securing himself in passenger seat.

The track they were on was a Rally style track with LOTS of turns, a couple of long straights and a change in track surface from asphalt to gravel/dirt. This would allow for better training then the NASCAR style of "Go Fast, Turn Left" tracks common in the U.S. And while the NASCAR tracks allowed a higher top speed that was not what Sousuke was aiming for. He wanted her to have training that would have real world applications. He even had some road routes in mind for more advanced training on the open roads. Right now he wanted to get an idea of Kaname's basic skills and reactions and reflexes, so he had Eleanor keep the cars power levels to 60 percent of max. This gave her the chance to get used to progressively higher horsepower.

"All right Kaname, for now, you will have complete control of the car without any of the handling enhancements in use. Do not get discouraged, as it takes time to gain a new skill." he told her in a calm, firm voice. "Just start out at your fastest speed without losing control. We will work on control and technique first, and then we will worry about going faster. After each lap we will stop for a critique of the previous lap and try to see where you might need to improve and what you were doing right. We have plenty of time and will return as often as we need to. I was going to tracks twice a week for 2 months in order to learn what I needed. Do you have any questions?"

"No." was the quiet response. How could he be so calm? Here she was sitting at the wheel of one of, if not the most powerful car she had ever seen, let alone driven, and she was starting to get nervous. He was just sitting there like it was nothing. He then started to put on the helmet, fastening the chin strap. She got the idea and did the same. Once they had the protective gear in place, Kaname began the start up procedures. The most notable difference for her was the lack of a key. Instead there was a master power switch and a starter button located to the right of the steering column.

When asked about the lack of a key Sousuke pointed out that keys are a security measure. These were unnecessary because any time the car was started in any way Eleanor came online and if there was not an authorized user to bypass the alarms, there was a fuel cutoff switch that would kill the engine. Eleanor then would use the built in GPS and onboard communications to access the cell network and call for help giving the location of the car. As a last resort there was a self-destruct system that would reduce the car to a pile of melted composite and metal. Naturally he didn't mention that little tidbit of info to her as she would probably lose it with him for riding her around in possible bomb.

She got the car started and kept the clutch disengaged. Sousuke then told her to put the transmission in neutral and had her press the accelerator gently a few times to get use to the throttle response. The engine went close to redline a few times rocking the car a bit when she did. He then had her press the clutch and put it into 1st gear and ease out on the clutch. The car had enough torque that she didn't even need to press the accelerator to prevent stalling. She started out on a long straightaway just working the gears up then back down, just getting used to the way it shifted. Sousuke then directed her to the maneuver portion of the track and she entered her first set of turns. Sousuke merely watched her movements, quietly observing her reactions and reflexes. How she drove, where she looked, trying to see what she noticed about the driving surface. Anything and everything about her driving technique.

As she rounded the last of the turns heading into the straightaway she was moving faster than she ever had before, at least while she was in control of the vehicle. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could practically feel the adrenalin flowing in her veins. One hand on the wheel and the other on the shifter, eyes darting across the road, looking for the best route to take, she heard Sousuke direct her to into the pits and felt a pang of disappointment.

Once they had stopped and removed the helmets, Sousuke had Eleanor pull up a route map of the track. Using the touch screen, with Eleanors help, he highlighted most of the track using a three color scheme. Red, yellow and green. He told her that green was the places she did well, yellow neutral and red bad. What he actually said was "needs improvement", but she translated it as bad. Most of the track was highlighted in yellow and red, naturally.

This didn't sit well with her, but unbeknownst to her Sousuke had already decided to be bluntly honest in his appraisal of her driving. In his mind this fell under the domain of "Protect Kaname" and he was already in Sousuke Sensei mode. Meaning he wasn't going to take any crap. He was slowly starting to see and recognize the warning signs Kaname gave off before the K-bomb blew up. He could see her eyebrow start twitching, and after being on Kaname watch for so long, he knew the timer was ticking.

Being able to adapt was the hallmark of good Solider. And he wasn't just a Soldier, he was a Specialist. Several responses flashed through his mind in an effort to prevent the incoming round. Boldness had served him well so far, so he decided to continue in that fashion. He stopped talking and looked her right in the eye not saying a word, just looking at her intently. After a moment or two she started to feel her face grow warmer and she knew she had to derail the thoughts seeping into her head. "What?" she asked.

"Kaname, would you get upset at Kagurazaka Sensei for giving you an honest grade." He asked her quietly. And in a flash she realized what had been happening. She had been getting upset at him for being honest, because she was so used to him being clueless. Usually he would blurt out anything that popped into his head with little or no regard for how the words might affect those around him. And yet here, while he was being honest, he wasn't being cruel. He seemed to think about what he said and tried to stick to constructive criticism. She felt ashamed of her self for reactions. It was like they were hard wired into her physique. Well it was time to change that. She swore to herself then and there that she would start to think before reacting. How successful she would be was anybodies guess.

But she would, by the KAMIS, try Dammit. Even with his faults Sousuke was one of the kindest souls she had ever met. Sure he had a tendency to blow things up, but he always had good intentions at heart when he did. The problem she realized earlier that week was his childhood. When the slightest hesitation, faltering or failure to take something seriously could lead to your death, you tended to react immediately and take EVERYTHING seriously. Whether it was the possibility of someone hiding a trap within your shoe locker, or you see a flash of light that could be the light reflecting off of a snipers sight, or what looks like a laser pointed at your teacher. (He had finally gotten the chance to explain what happened after they returned from Hong Kong). He also had the problem of guarding her to keep in mind as well.

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "No Sousuke I wouldn't and you're right. So why don't you explain what I need to do, OK?" Nodding he directed her back onto the track.

The next three hours were some of the most grueling she had ever endured. He would have her go down a straightaway coaching her on the best ways to get the most out of the massive amount of horsepower built into the car. When to shift, when to hold the engine at RPMs, when to downshift. One of the strangest things for her was being in 4th or 5th gear while cruising at 55-60 kph(34-37mph) or faster and dropping into 2nd. He would send her into a curve repeatedly directing her on the best line to follow to be able to maintain speed through the curve. The hardest thing she tried to do was using power oversteer in the sharp curves that littered the Rally track. She would either apply too much power and spin out or she didn't use enough and wound up in the grass lining the track. In typical Chidori Kaname fashion the more she failed the more she tried and the madder she got. Luckily for her 'Sensei' she realized that it was not his fault and wasn't getting mad at him.

Through it all Sousuke calmly talked her through the techniques gently guiding her into the proper lane, telling her when to shift, walking her step by step through the motions. She learned fast that he was a gentle teacher. Never berating her, yet at the same time he didn't hold back on constructive criticism. It was always, 'here is what you need to do to get it right'. When they finished one procedure or technique he gave her an honest appraisal of how she did.

One time she just about really lost her temper saying that it was impossible to do what he was asking of her. He just calmly asked he to stop the car, they switched places, and he hammered through the course at nearly double her best speed. Once they reached the pits he looked over at her and explained to her. "Kaname, how long did it take you to learn to play Softball?" he asked. "To be able to properly swing, throw and catch? Then gain the skill to use what you learned?"

She sighed and said "I dunno, 2, 3 years I guess. It's just so frustrating. I see you doing this and it looks so easy."

"Kaname, I informed you before, I was coming to the track to hone my driving skills at least twice a week for months. I have also been to a driver training course for security and protective service personnel. It is only natural that I have these skills. Just like it took me a long time to learn to pilot an A.S. You have done much better then I expected you to do with as little training as you have. You have most of the techniques you need. You merely need to practice the skills. It takes time, do not get discouraged. Once you have the driving skills mastered then I will start training you to use the onboard weapons systems. We have all the time we need. It's not a problem."

Sousuke didn't realize just how wrong he was.