Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!
A/N: Hey, everyone, Nightwillow here :) Just writing this author's note to answer a few questions I found in the reviews:
To "Cue": Dan Dresden and Alec wood will not make any cameos in my story, except I will explain more on how they ended up with the Drones. Also, Banjee shall be making an appearance, but it will be brief because the makers of Acceleracers only show Banjee for a split-second in one of the volumes. However, my appearance of him shall be much longer to explain what happened to him fully as I think it might have panned out. Perhaps it shall be along the lines of what happened to Kadeem or even that he never made it past the human-to-Drone process. I'll decide later as the story progresses.
Chapter 13
The inside of the Power Rage, despite the cushioned seats, was not to appealing as the chassis of the car slipped and bobbed across the moss-covered track. Every sharp turn sent Larissa slamming into the door to the point she was sure she had bruises. The duo had managed to put some fair distance between them and the Drone lieutenant, but at that point, he was the least of their problems. Ever since Vert had spotted the end of the track, it was like the Swamp Realm had come to life with some berserk defense system. Vines flew out of the deepest trenches of the jungle, green tendrils seeking some form of purchase about the form of the Teku vehicle. Vert swerved yet again as a vine shot past, barely clipping the side door mirror. The plants just kept coming and every time Vert would swerve, the wheels of the Power Rage would lose traction across the slippery muck of moss that plagued the road.
"Mind driving in the middle of the road?" Larissa breathed, pushing against the dash board.
"Kind of hard to with these 'things' coming out of nowhere!" he answered, teeth gripped as a vine slammed against the driver's door.
Larissa rolled her eyes and focused back on the track when her eyes spotted the incoming leafy projectile aimed straight at the windshield. The brunette barely got a word out before a scream was torn from her as the vine came crashing through, shattering the only defense the driver's had against the possessed plants. The leafy creeper snaked its way through the Power Rage and smashed through the rear window. Having successfully wrapped around the vehicle, the vine hoisted the car to dizzying heights. Vert and Larissa held on tightly as they were whipped about; the only thing keeping them from becoming rag dolls were the seatbelts. Far below, on the track, it seemed as if RD-L1 had finally made good on his efforts to catch up to the human drivers, except now there was a new setback as the same creeping vines pursued his vehicle instead of tearing apart the humans above. It was a minor setback though, meaning the Drone was free to go about his business of winning as he activated the Monument Realm Accelecharger. Immediately, the Drone SUV flashed into a 2-D image of its former glory and ripped it down the track as the vines gave chase.
Back inside the Power Rage, things were a lot messier than they were on the ground. By now, the gripping tendrils had swarmed the chassis and broken through the windows to ensnare the helpless victims inside. Larissa bit back the urge to yell for help as the vines writhed around her, her arms pinned to the seat and one of them reaching for her throat. Vert, trying to free himself, pulled brutally at the vine that had seized his left arm. The strength alone that the vines possessed was startling, but that didn't stop him from finally tugging himself free and activating the Power Rage's built in grappling hook. The hook soared from its port and managed to snag the one moving thing that could save their lives: the RD-08. For a brief chance, the hook held and forced the SUV back into 3-dimensional shape, but with all plans came snags. As soon as the vehicle had regained some solid mass, the unrelenting vines surged about its form and took hold. The vines pulled and took the Drone and grappling hook with them. The force was too great though as the one lifeline of a grappling hook snapped, stranding Vert and Larissa high above the track.
The vines…the vines were everywhere! The swamp realm, furious at the intruders' attempts to win its coveted treasure, struck with a wrath so powerful, no one could surmise an end to it. The realm's grasping arms reached everywhere, seeking to hold and to crush its scattered targets that dared to even try to get past the heart, the head of it all to see the end and to see their home once more. That wasn't going to happen so long as the Realm had anything to say on the matter. The Jackhammer was one such case as Pork Chop twisted the wheel left and right, doing an awkward tango with the vines that sought to destroy the nuisance of the Metal Maniacs. The small mechanic next to Pork Chop watched with horrified eyes as the vines whizzed past his gaze. Nothing could have prepared him for the horrors of this realm and part of the Maniac found himself missing the Storm Realm of a sudden.
"Maybe if we go fast enough, it won't even be able to catch us!" Monkey piped up in trepidated triumph.
"It's no good trying to dodge the vines, Pork Chop," Lani quipped over the comm.
"Drive, drive, drive! Use the Nitrox!" Monkey squeaked, earning a heated glare from his larger companion who swerved yet again.
It seemed that the only thing to quell the mechanic's blathering would be to activate the Nitrox and boost themselves to safety, but that wasn't the happy ending at all. All that managed to happen was the Jackhammer jolting across the track in a fiery aftermath. The increased speeds and little-to-zero traction made the vehicle easy prey as vines wrapped about it hurriedly and pulled the car into a deranged "hug" of ruin. When the world had finally stopped somersaulting, Monkey risked a look about and did not find the view to his liking. All he really did was eye Pork Chop who sat with his hands gripped loosely on the wheel, a pissed of expression making up the rest of his demeanor.
"You did not stay in the groove Pork Chop," Monkey stated blankly only to receive his sentence in a harsh, mocking rebuttal from said Maniac.
The comms sizzled with activity as different racers radioed each other to find out what was happening and only when Lani was heard did the chatter die down. She was seeking out Nolo and Tork and that the only way to make it to the end of the track was for them to draft together. Many of the drivers just sat back in disbelief and waited for some response. It was a response all of them suspected. Tork insulting Nolo and Nolo going off the deep end. Within the Power Rage, despite all the mayhem of her situation, Larissa let out an exasperated growl of annoyance and strain as the vines tried to lock her further into their death grip.
The Synkro roared a throaty snarl as it sped neck and neck with Hollowback. Nolo gripped the steering wheel tightly, the outline of Tone's necklace barely visible in the confines of his fist. The Teku leader was sure he had Tork on the ropes when a collision rocketed through the axel of the Synkro. Nolo braved a glance in his rearview and cursed the sight of Markie in the Spinebuster. It seemed as if nothing could stop the youngest Maniac from running amok with things.
"C'mon, draft with me Torque!" Wylde shouted.
The Metal Maniac leader took pride in his teammate's attitude for once and slammed on the gas and set his mind on ramming Nolo off the road to make room for the Spinebuster and Hollowback to draft. The picture wasn't a pretty one as the Synkro made mad circles across the track, clipping the Spinebuster briefly, and screeching to a halt. Wylde grinned maliciously and lined up his car with Tork's on a path to supposed victory. Their efforts were proven fruitless long before they had even gathered up the optimal speed to outrace the vines because the moss just wouldn't have it. Tires found no favor in traction as soon as they met the slick green pavement; even Tork lost his bearing once or twice. From up above, many of the suspended racers watched in woe as the few drivers ripped up the road down below. Monkey yelped in shock as his door was ripped from its hinges by the vines and managed to catch a glimpse of the sliding form of the Spinebuster.
"Wylde, stay in the middle of the track," the mechanic coached supportively.
"Scrap it, Monkey!"
"It's true! It's stickier. It's got better traction!"
"No one tells Wylde what to do," Markie snarled over the comm.
Suddenly a voice came howling over the comms in a mixture of anger and fear, "Oh, would you just listen for once?"
Larissa seethed down at the window as she watched the Spinebuster shoot by. The events were proving too much for her patience and she wanted to see him and Tork actually make it where the others couldn't. Her sudden outburst had a backfiring conclusion though as Wylde lost focus and his car met green and green met his car all around. A strangled cry of disbelief surged from the brunette as both Wylde and Tork were scooped up by the tangled mess of vines. Even Kurt, who had believed he had a fighting chance, wound up in the arms of the Swamp Realm. The writhing mass of tendrils engulfed the cars, blotting out any chances of escape and again the comm beeped furiously as Lani tried so desperately to implore any information from the drivers.
Vert was the first to answer, defeat sweeping in waves at his voice. He couldn't understand how this had happened and it hurt to tell Lani they had failed. Larissa listened intently to the outside commotion, not trusting the Swamp Realm to give the victims time to breathe, let alone rest. Without warning, it wasn't the vines this time that came barreling through the rest of the windshield, but a Drone's servo. Larissa found herself sprayed with glass and instinct commandeered her body to retreat away, causing her to push heavily against the door. The servo's heavy-alloyed digits gripped about Vert's neck as the blonde cried out in surprise and pain.
"Your head is next human," RD-L1 hummed in a monotone fashion, tightening his grip inch by inch, the automaton being inclined to rip Vert's head from his shoulders.
As if by some cruel sense of irony, the one thing that had been trying to eliminate the racers had come to Vert and Larissa's rescue. One of the Swamp Realm's own forest giants wield the Drone Lt. tightly by his legs and ripped the automaton from the car. A resonating call boomed deep from within the monster's lungs as it shredded the Drone in an eerie drawn and quartering method. From within the Power Rage, Vert exchanged a look of surprise and joy with Larissa as they watched the grisly sight unfold before them. The glee was short-lived as the vines sprung to life, their snaking grip tearing open the passenger side door of the Teku car. Larissa screamed in protest as a few of the vines twisted around her ankle and waist while tugging to pull her free from the seat restraints. Vert lunged for Larissa and managed to lock his hand around hers as the other struggled to free itself from another vine.
The vines just kept pulling and pulling and panic surged through Larissa as she heard a tearing sound. The restraints vanished completely as she was half yanked from the car. Only her grip on the seat and Vert's hold on her kept her tethered to safety. The brunette swore out loud as a raging ache throbbed in her leg, her ankle threatening to be pulled from its socket. Vert managed to unwind his own hand and grabbed for Larissa's arm wrapped about the head rest. As soon as he found it, he wrenched her towards him with as much force as the vines when they hauled back.
This was the final stage of its temper tantrum: all-out warfare. The Swamp Realm swarmed in hateful revenge, unleashing droves of insects, snakes, and vines for the racers to contend with. There was only three competitors left and Nolo was determined that he would be the one to win. As the Synkro pushed its pistons harder to go faster, the Teku leader recalled one of his recent memories with his brother. It was another lecture, of course, but one filled with wisdom. Tone was trying to teach Nolo to take life as a curve and the only way to make it through was to stay in the groove. Those four words were all Nolo needed as he focused on the curve of the road, where track met moss and soon it all made sense. The Synkro seemed to line up perfectly with the middle of the road, reality forgotten as the car rocketed through the curves. The vines couldn't stop the golden dragon that twisted through their forest. Everyone saw what was going to happen and so did the Drone whose meager attempts to prevent it were squelched like mechanical parasites.
In one bright flash of light, it was all over. A thundering growl pierced the sky as the essence of the Swamp Realm was stolen and everything turned from its rich green to mottled blacks and browns. The realm was no more and neither were its vine snares as each arm died and released its prize. First one, then two cars began to fall and each created a cacophony of ringing metal as they met the track. Larissa felt the shock of the fall thrash her entire torso and she couldn't help but moan in agony as she collapsed onto the track in a disheveled heap. Her entire body ached from the pulling and nearly being crushed to death. As she looked back Vert was crawling from the wreckage of the lopsided Power Rage. The car was a literal scrap heap now and how they were going to get back to HQ was beyond her.
"You alright?" Vert questioned, kneeling down next to her.
"I'll live. That was some adventure," Larissa half-laughed, "But, let's not do that again…ever again."
Larissa managed a smile to the blonde and couldn't help but notice a particular set of eyes watching them from the window of his car. I guess he must be steaming from me yelling at him…The brunette frowned as she tried to stand, but had to depend on Vert for a crutch. The question began to eat away at her and eventually she voiced both their thoughts: how would they get back? Vert fell short of an answer and offered a half-hearted shrug. That's when Vert spotted Wylde who was just getting his car to start when he suggested maybe he could give one of them a lift.
"A ride? With Wylde? He'd never go for that and what about you?" Larissa argued, blue eyes focusing on Vert's.
"I'll be fine. Besides, you're the one who needs to get back. I mean, look how banged up you are," he explained nonchalantly.
Larissa exhaled in defeat and agreed to go with Wylde on the grounds of him accepting and Vert finding a ride back. Her last condition was quick to be met as whumping music echoed off of the dead walls around the drivers. Looks like Shirako had finally made it to what was left of the party. The Bassline cruised through the mash-up of cars and rolled to a stop just beside the Spinebuster and the trio of drivers. Vert motioned to Shirako inside and the techno-junkie just bobbed his head to the beat and threw the car into a stop motion. Larissa sighed, knowing very well what she had to do next and talking had to be the most difficult, what with their past and all…
The brunette knocked on the window of the Spinebuster and Markie looked up in response and smirked smartly. Larissa just blanched at how much she was going to owe him for this, but the aching of her muscles was something she didn't feel like arguing with. Upon her unprecedented hello, Wylde climbed out of his car and was face to face with the girl who was at least an inch, maybe two inches shorter than him. He gave her a once over and couldn't help but notice how haggard she really did look; like that's going to stop him from taking advantage of this moment.
"You look like you got run over," he started, leaning against the chassis of his car.
"Something like that…listen…um, if it's not too much trouble, can I get a lift back to the Acceledrome?" Larissa sighed, eyes drifting to the ground.
"Really? You're asking for my help? You want help from a guy who can't seem to listen?"
Larissa jumped at the last remark and she raised her eyes upward, but only met the reflection of them in Markie's shades. She had said that to him…but was there some double meaning to it? She couldn't tell because his face was locked in an amused/annoyed expression and she was too darn exhausted to try. Wylde watched Larissa mull over what he said and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. The Metal Maniac just shrugged and stepped aside, motioning towards the car. A wave of relief washed over Larissa as she took a small step forward and was soon seated in the space behind the driver's seat as Markie took his own position and implored the car forward. Soon, the Spinebuster was off down the road and out of sight.