DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOT WHEELS
The Storm Realm had officially become a free-for-all fighting zone as thunder laughed down at the racing combatants and spewed lightning down at all of them. Several free-floating pillars absorbed stray blasts of lightning and amped up the charge into a raging sphere of electric force. When the force of the electric charge became too much for the pillar to hold, it released the current and it soared directly down to connect with the track's lightning rods just as several of the Drones passed followed by Taro. The metal maniac shifted gears as he sped towards the rear Drone and his front fender slammed into the back fender of the Drone's car. The vehicle lurched forward, scraping into the two lead cars and causing them to skid left and right.
Just as the Drones regrouped, the struck rod discharged the sphere of electricity along the track and the deadly projectile nearly connected with the middle Drone. It was not meant to be as the RD-02 swerved to the left and the highly-charged torpedo made contact with Taro instead. It surged loose energy everywhere; encasing the Road Runner in a physical aura of lightning. The charge had enough momentum to send the vehicle tumbling end over end across the track. As the tumult came to an end, the last thing Taro saw was a glimpse of the disappearing Drones before he passed out against the seat. The engine of the Plymouth car died and the instruments spun erratically as the lightning continued to scramble every possible circuit until everything was nothing but molten slag beneath both dash and hood.
On a different portion of the track, raced a lone RD-S1 being pursued by Karma in the Chicane. The Drone spotted Karma not far back and the automaton unleashed a flurry of Anti-vehicle mines that encased themselves in the road and primed for detonation in case the sensor was tripped. Acting quickly the brunette Teku member twisted the steering wheel accordingly and with precise turns, avoided every single mine. She had just passed the very last one when the Drone activated them and a cluster of explosions shook the frame of the Chicane. The blast of the mines was enough to send Karma spinning out of control and into a nearby lightning rod. Just as she regained her settings, Larissa and Kurt sped by and Kurt radioed her in haste.
"Karma, are you alright?" he commed.
"Yeah…go win the race," Karma responded, slightly disoriented.
The SpineBuster shot across the track, engine burning brightly next to the pair of Metal Maniacs it carried for passengers. Monkey watched the road slip by in unease and every time lightning flashed, he would hunker down behind the seat slightly, grateful for Wylde being behind the wheel because it seemed as if nothing could faze this hard core driver. Up ahead, the frame of a vehicle could be seen and as the pair got closer, it became obvious that it was in fact Taro and his Road Runner. Monkey, fully expecting Wylde to stop, gasped slightly when the drove right on past.
"Wylde, we've gotta help Taro," Monkey pronounced.
"I've got to win this race," Markey replied curtly.
Exasperated by Wylde's stubbornness, Monkey looked about in a hurry for some way to stop the SpineBuster and his eyes came to rest on the lever for the emergency brake. Nodding to himself, the mechanic slipped a determined hand around it and tugged the lever sharply. Underneath the SpineBuster's chassis, a metal blade unlocked and dug into the track, creating sharp grooves in the road. The sudden stop in momentum brought the car to a halt and caused Monkey to slam into the back of the driver's seat. An angry snarl could be heard as Wylde turned around, his face livid with rage.
"Don't ever touch my car!" he seethed.
"Taro's a Metal Maniac, Wylde. We're welded," the mechanic answered, his fear of Wylde being overridden by his loyalty to the Maniacs.
Not wanting to admit that the mechanic was right, Markey huffed and backed up the SpineBuster so that Monkey could climb out and attach a tow cable to the front of the Plymouth car. As soon as everyone was situated, the disconcerted Wylde poured on the gas and sped away with the unconscious Taro in tow.
Vert Wheeler sped along the track, trying to make up for lost time since his run in with RD-L1. The blonde couldn't help but feel aggravated as he thought back to Kadeem. Ever since they lost contact with the Dune Ratz leader, everyone had written off Kadeem as dead, but Vert still clung to hope that his friend was alive and just needed help. He couldn't dwell on this thought for much longer as the track he was on leveled out onto another and far ahead were the pack of Drones. Vert was soon joined by the Slingshot and Skyliner as they came from the previous direction of the Drones.
The pack of Drones were driving right into a spinning coliseum composed of lightning itself that twisted and writhed in a flashing dance of charged light. Vert pulled up alongside the Slingshot and the Skyliner took up the rear between their fenders. The blonde watched the Drones as they became green specks in the distance and he decided to open up the radio and let Kurt and Larissa in on his plan.
"I'm making my move as soon as the Drones are inside that thing," he explained and pulled ahead slightly, "The lightning should distract them."
"Just make sure you stay focused. Keep your eyes on your line," Kurt advised.
"I can handle it," Very responded, irritated slightly.
"Do your thing Vert, we got your back," Larissa chimed in.
RD-L1 was rapidly approaching the trio of drivers from behind. Vert offered a warning to the other drivers and the group formed a three-way block. The Drone lieutenant hurtled into the rear fenders of the Deora 2 and Skyliner. Vert lunged forward, nearly smacking into the steering wheel. Scowling, the blonde looked back to see if the Drone had fallen behind, but wasn't surprised to see the robot still on their tracks. Larissa pressed on the brakes slightly to form up a triangular blockade, but she stopped as a green light filled her rearview mirror. Suddenly, the hulking form of the SUV disappeared and was replaced by a glowing 2D version. The thinned out vehicle slipped through the drivers' defense easily and became 3-Dimensional once again as soon as it was past.
"How did he do that?" Larissa exclaimed.
"No time to find out, they're going in!" Kurt shouted, spotting the Drones as they entered the sphere.
Knowing fully well that they were near the end of the racing realm, all three drivers floored it and quickly made ground on the Drones. The flashing orb's barrier gave way and revealed the track inside. The road split into two different sections and ran upwards and around the length of the orb; the paths crossing at different points. The Drones had already broken off and were headed up the track that ran to the left. Vert, Kurt, and Larissa took the path to the right and the cars began to make a quick ascent.
"If we're gonna catch these guys, use the nitrox!" Vert hollered.
The Deora 2 and Slingshot rocketed forward leaving behind a trail of opalescent blue flames. Larissa followed in their stead and slammed back into the seat as the Skyliner copied the results of the Teku members. The three roared across the convoluted pathways of the road and at certain times, almost caused them to crash into the Drones that would slip by narrowly with each loop. Lightning flashed and rained down deadly strikes on the track and one in particular struck directly in front of the Deora 2. Panic surged through Vert as he pushed on the brakes to swerve out of the way. As Vert's car went into a madcap spin, one of the RD-S1's bumpers collided with his and sent the Drone spinning as well.
Another RD-S1 drove straight into the previous one and both careened across the track, loosing parts and wheels. By the time they stopped rolling, the RD-02 cars were nothing but scrap metal and spare parts. Kurt came ripping out of the orb just in time to slam bumper first into one of the chassis' of the cars and the Slingshot flipped end over ended before landing bottom-side up. Larissa gripped the wheel and turned and swerved, but ended up clipping the tail-end of the Deora 2 and came to a crunching halt against the carcass of the other Drone vehicle. Far off in the distance, RD-L1's SUV's interior was filled in a shining light as he passed through the end of the Storm Realm and back into the Drones' HQ. RD-L1 rose triumphantly from the SUV; in his servo rested the Storm Realm Accelecharger.
"I can't believe it!" Larissa quipped as she stood outside the Skyliner, "My front axle-track is cracked through. It looks like the entire thing needs to be replaced…"
Kicking at the tire in frustration, Larissa popped the door and climbed back in. Kurt, on the other hand wasn't quite as lucky, as he hauled himself out of the Slingshot's wreckage. A dull pain shot up his leg as he lay back against the track. The only one who wasn't damaged was Vert and his vehicle. The blonde surfer merely sat in silence as he watched the life and atmosphere of the Storm Realm die as its one purpose of living was stolen from it by the Drone. An engine rumbled loudly as it approached the crashed trio of cars. The SpineBuster shot through all of them and disappeared through the portal. Karma in the Chicane wasn't far behind as she slowed to a stop opposite the Slingshot.
"It's over, Vert," she verbalized before regarding the limping form of Kurt, "Get in."
"Hey Karma, can I get you to tow back the Skyliner?" Larissa called.
The two girls got out of their cars and hooked up the Skyliner to the Chicane. As soon as everything was prepped, Karma looked to Kurt as he limped into the Chicane's passenger's seat while Larissa hopped back into the Skyliner. The brunette turned around in her seat to peer out through the rear windshield to the still Deora 2.
"You coming, or what Vert?" Larissa asked.
"I'm going back for Kadeem," he stated and threw his vehicle into drive and peeled away back down the track.
"Suit yourself, but be careful," Larissa radioed before she felt the lurch of the vehicle as Karma pulled away towards the portal and back to their own HQ.
The cars disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared back inside the safety of the Acceledrome. As the Chicane came to a stop, Larissa stepped out of the Skyliner to see Monkey sprinting towards the passed out Taro in his Road Runner. High above the racers in a small observatory, Lani watched in hushed dread as she received the feed from Vert's onboard camera. Near her, an enlarged timer displayed one minute total before the Racing Realm was due to close.
"Vert, you can't go after Kadeem," Lani warned.
"Oh, yeah? Watch me," his voice filtered in over the comm. link.
"Vert…the portal only stays open for an hour. You only have a minute left. You have to come through, now!"
"Wait, wait! What? Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Vert exclaimed.
"Well, uh, I…"
"Dr. Tezla felt it might distract you from your driving," Gig interrupted, earning a disgusted glare from Lani.
Vert eyed the track before him in exasperation as his options were laid before him. Ultimately deciding, the blonde slammed his fist against the dash as he turned the Deora 2 around. He pressed down on the gas as low as it would go and he scowled in frustration as the portal came into his sight with the clocking ticking just below thirty seconds. Lani held her breath as the timer counted down and she silently prayed that Vert would make it out in time. Vert neared the crash site of the RD-02 and Slingshot. Much to his horror, Vert saw the Drone driver stand up at its full height and it appeared to be preparing to make a lunge for his car. The blonde swerve slightly and believed he had clipped the robot instead as a metallic scrape screeched outside his window. Unbeknownst to him, the Drone clung to the tail-end of the Deora 2 and was quickly climbing along the chassis to reach the human inside.
Back in the Acceledrome, Lani's eyes flew wide as the siren wailed for the closing of the portal, but relief soared through her as half of the Deora 2 shot out of the closing portal. The front end connected with the stone floor harshly and sparks flew as it screeched across the ground. When the chunk of the car finally stopped, Vert looked on in shock at the twisting hologram of the Wheel of Power before defeat seeped in with the shock. With a heavy heart, Vert unbuckled the harness of the driver's seat and shrugged if off as he sat there for a moment, just trying to comprehend the possible loss of Kadeem.
The Drone that had locked onto Vert's car, as both went through the portal, had its lower half severed off completely and therefore only half of it was present as it set its sights on the 18 year old seated inside what was left of the Deora 2. A massive metallic fist smashed through the windshield, spraying Vert with shards of glass. Instinctively, his hand flew up to guard against the glass, but the small defense was just knocked out of the way as the Drone slammed the same servo against Vert's collarbone and right shoulder. Vert gasped in pain as he was pushed against the seat with amazing force and all he could do was hit the release button and the front end of the vehicle shot open, sending the Drone flying across the Acceledrome.
Massaging his shoulder, Vert watched in stunned silence as the Drone connected with the ground in a crumpled heap. He winced slightly as he got out of the driver's seat and fear gripped his face as the Drone began to pick itself up off the ground and started to crawl his way. Vert shook his head in disbelief as he retreated away from the advancing automation. The Drone growled as it locked onto the racer and pursued him, only to be cut off by the Chicane. Karma pinned RD-S1 against the Acceledrome's cavern wall and floored the gas until the Drone ceased to function.
Vert stood off to the side still watching as Larissa jogged up to his side. She tried to see if he was okay, but he only shrugged off her attempts, claiming his shoulder was fine. Lani pulled up beside the Road Runner in her Nomad that had gone from race car to ambulance. The female mechanic jumped out of the driver's seat to direct the others towards the infirmary. She stopped short as Vert stepped in her way, saying that they needed to go back and find Kadeem. Larissa watched Vert in dismay, but her attention was drawn to Markey who chose right then to insert his own snide comment.
"You can't even find half your car," he sneered.
"Hey! Back off, Markey," Vert growled.
"The name is Wylde! Get it right, surf rat!" Markey chided and walked up to the Teku member, fist raised.
"Hey, hey, hey! Relax!" Larissa intervened, stepping in between Vert and Wylde.
Markey eyed Vert dangerously before stepping back slightly, allowing Larissa some breathing room. The brunette watched him closely, not backing off herself, but she couldn't help but shake her head in Markey's direction. Several others watched in growing anticipation of a fight, but it never came and soon the comments were forgotten as Gig floated down to their level. The robot explained that it was impossible to reopen the Storm Realm and that only the Wheel of Power decided when and what realm would open. Vert listened in a despondent manner and his shoulder fell as he came to terms that there was no going back for Kadeem.
"Great because one realm's enough for me," Monkey griped, rubbing his wrist out of pain; probably having pulled a muscle when he gripped onto the SpineBuster's door.
"Typical Metal Maniac. Teku aren't afraid to try-"
"Scrap the Teku! Metal Maniac's do whatever we want! Right, Wylde?"
"Nobody scares Wylde away from a race," Markey responded, looking at Larissa when he said it. She only offered him a scowl and turned back to Vert.
"What? You wanna go back in there?" Monkey demanded, "Look at what those Drones dudes did to us!"
"Look what they did to me..."
The sudden interruption caused several of the racers to jump in surprise as an unannounced Dr. Tezla appeared above them on a nearby catwalk. Vert blinked multiple times, taking in the metal-frame body suit that Tezla sported and all he could do was mutter a stupefied whoa. Dr. Tezla regarded each racer coldly before saying, "We have work to do…"