Just as Nick got home he got a phone call from Mia, asking if he could make some adjustments to Nick's car. The answer was of course "Yes", since that vixen knew more about cars than anyone so if she thought one setting was better than the other, you can be 100% sure she is right. As Nick didn't want to drive it to Mia's garage, for obvious reasons, they had to solve things from his hiding place, which was doable but a bit harder.
When he opened the wooden door, he already saw his mechanic arriving, with the necessary tools she would use.
"You could have called me earlier, you know. " Nick said while popping open the mustang's hood. "I Just arrived home when you called me. Did you fall asleep? Or what? I didn't see you at the pickup location."
"Yeah I was really tired, so I overslept. Plus I hope I can trust you with the money." Mia shrugged and placed down her little toolbox on the old wooden shelf the garage had. She took a quick look at the engine and took a wrench from her box. "I think I will start with the nitrous. You'll need shorter duration pushes while achieving better acceleration. We're talking about a drag race after all."
This comment was an innocent one but for some reason, it made Nick curious "I never mentioned it will be a drag race." He said while leaning against the garage wall and crossing his arms "How did you know?"
The wrench stopped in Mia's paw for a second, almost like realizing she said too much, but she managed to snap back into her neutral tone and kept on unscrewing the bolt she started with. "Jack told me. He really does keep your fate at heart, doesn't he?"
"So it would seem…" Nick nodded with still crossed arms. One thing was sure, Mia can give a straight poker face, but still gives off the feeling that something is off.
"Anyway, 3 more races like the yesterday one, and we are done." She claimed without looking up
"Done?" Nick asked, "What do you mean?"
"Sorry, you might have misunderstood me." She looked up for a split second and turned back to her work "3 more won races and your earnings will be all yours. I'll have the money to start the repair shop."
"Wait, Really? That's great!" Nick finally leaned forward and a smile appeared slowly on his face. He helped another mammal reach their dream job. No big deal.
"Yeah. Plus you know what that means. In case you get into the Big 12 AND on the slight chance that you actually win, you get to keep your 1 million."
"Well… That's great too." At least it would be if I was sure the Chief didn't confiscate it as soon as I got back to work.
"You don't seem too enthusiastic about it," Mia commented, giving a questioning look towards Nick.
"Well, you said it yourself. It's only a slight chance I would get into the Big 12 and actually win it. I don't like pondering the question 'What if I had 1 million dollars'. No reason to sing yourself in false hopes." It was a lie of course. He had a few ideas about what he would do with 1 million but he stopped himself every time in the thought process.
Mia however just gave a chuckle and finally turned her back on the engine to take a better look at Nick "I don't think that's the truth. I mean come on, you live off an ice cream stand just like me and still don't care about a hundred or a thousand dollars? But I know better not to poke around. You might be a millionaire or even better, the Sponsor himself." She finally turned back to her work "You kept your part of the deal, and that's enough for me. I couldn't care less what you would do with the money once you get every bit of it."
"Well…" Now it was Nick's turn for a grin "If I had as low prices as you do, I would probably care more about my money here. Plus… pay no taxes."
This last thing left Mia dumbstruck "You… Don't pay your taxes?"
Nick leaned back again and shrugged "Ehh paying taxes is overrated."
"Isn't that… illegal?" Mia completely stopped her movement, staring at Nick.
Chuckling under his nose, Nick said "Don't tell me you care about what is legal and what isn't. Because I might not be a cop, but I'm pretty sure street racing is illegal. Well, either that, or the sirening cars behind us are fans, and they are just cheering us on."
"B-but… The last time I slipped with my taxes…"
"You gotta do it the clever way darling." Nick interrupted. "Oh, you are so innocent… Some parts of me are questioning if you are actually a fox, or turned into a rabbit halfway through."
"Watch your mouth, because I am the one messing with your engine!" Mia said while pointing threateningly with the wrench at Nick.
Smiling on his victory Nick shrugged and headed outside of his garage "Well… Call me when it's done, or if you need something."
In the evening, Nick tried out his altered car. There were subtle changes but it was enough to feel that the car was grippier, and was better at accelerating. At corners, it felt harder to steer but with a drag race, he won't have to take care about cornering. The nitrous was also changed, just like Mia said. It gave a shorter boost but with more power. Definitely drag race settings. Evading his colleagues would be a bit harder, so driving to the meeting point was more nerve-wracking than usual. After half an hour and flinching to siren sounds, he finally arrived.
The car he will have to race against seemed oddly familiar for him. Red Pwudi… R8... As he tried to remember where he had seen that car before, Jack stopped him in his thought process by knocking on the Mustang's window.
"So you actually came, huh?" He asked with a grin. "You grabbed the Quickshifter's attention, let me tell you that much. Their leader would like to talk to you after the race."
"Oh wow. Am I that famous already?" Nick asked and unintentionally took a look around to see if someone else was watching too.
"Something like that. I have a feeling that you will get a serious offer if you win this race."
"Serious offer?" Nick raised his eyebrows "Will I get into the big 12?"
"Who knows?" Jack shrugged. "If you keep this up, you might. Alright… Let's start this thing. I can't keep the cops away for too long. They will eventually wonder this way and the race will be ruined."
"Okay. So best of 5?" Nick asked.
"Best of 5." Jack nodded "Give your best." He walked to the other car too and started talking to him too.
Nick turned to Mia who was about to get out of the car.
"What is it? Don't want to sit here for this race?"
"Not a big fan of drag races." She shrugged, "I'll wait this one out, outside. I just don't respect drag races, that's all. Like 'oh look at me, I'm going in a straight line, while occasionally shifting up.' That's not a race. That's just a showoff. Drags are for those who don't trust their own skills with real races."
"So no fancy advice?"
Mia looked up, opened her mouth, and took a breath while spreading her arms. "Push the gas, time your shifts perfectly, win the race 3 times. Good enough? I can't give real advice on a race that isn't a race."
"I'll keep this in mind. Car details?"
Taking a glance at the red Pwudi she shrugged "Shouldn't be too hard of an opponent with the changes I made. It does have its strengths, but those cars are only for show. Looks great, but nothing under the hood. Now on the other paw…"
"Yeah, I go against a professional. Don't underestimate him." Nick said like it was a learned sentence "I know, I know."
She nodded and smiled. "Looks like you learned something Big Mouth, huh? Well, see you after the race. Don't disappoint." She closed the door and walked to Jack, who started talking to her with an ear-to-ear dumb smile. Something was up with their interaction. Nick had no idea what Jack had told Mia but based on the Vixen's reaction it was the most hilarious thing in the world. Either that or...
"Alright get ready!" Jack shouted and hopped between the two racers. Raising his paw in the air, he counted down. "3… 2… 1...Go!"
Nick had a really bad start. The wheels spun out before getting their grip back, resulting in falling behind, half a second. It might seem a small difference but on a quarter mile, it could be a race ender.
As he pushed the nitrous, it was a bit better but he didn't count on having to shift earlier, so it was another mistake. The gap grew even larger to the point where he couldn't salvage the situation anymore. It wasn't a surprise that he had lost the first round by a horrible margin.
"0-1" He whispered, as they took a 180 Turn. Going at a comfortable speed, back to the starting line. As he looked at the car next to him, suddenly everything became clear. Red Pwudi… R8... It was there at his first race. Same car, same driver.
Wow. Looks like I've already beaten a Quickshifter once. He chuckled at the thought. Now it was 100% they had let him win on that first race. And that was the reason he was able to shake off the cops that easily. Everyone targeted that guy.
Now the only question was, why would he let him win? Was it a bait race or something else?
He lined up again with the red Pwudi and tried to keep the grip after getting the go signal from Jack. It was a better start than before, he was almost head to head with his opponent.
Nick was on top right now with all his shifts, becoming victorious after each gear. His ears were constantly listening to the roaring sound of the engine since the car always lets you know when it's the best time to shift. All you need to do is listen.
He pushed the little nitrous button and managed to get ahead of the Pwudi even more, topping off his perfect gear shifts. Before the finish line, it seemed he would get passed but before that could have happened, it reached its top speed sooner than the mustang, so Nick just rolled through the finish line.
"And here we go with the 1-1." He said and did another 180 turn. These little way back tours were awkward. Almost like an elevator ride between two final fights in an action movie. Drag is stupid.
As they lined up again, he saw Jack and Mia still talking to each other. They both seemed to have a good time while doing so.
"Interesting." He said and raised a smile. All the clues slowly started to add up. Neither Jack nor Mia showed up in the morning, Jack was away for some 'Personal reason' and Mia said she 'overslept', but she knew about this drag race quickly. Unless it was Jack's first thing to do in the morning, it was really unlikely she would have known about this. And now they were talking to each other like two lovebirds. "Told you I'd figure it out, you predator," He whispered while still smiling and diverted his attention back to the race.
He got better and better each time with the starts. Good grip on the tires, well-timed gear shifts. He actually got used to the track too. Almost like a circuit race, but with annoying in-between parts that nobody wants. He started to get the hang of things. He timed his shifts to the nitrous boost, and it seemed to work out just perfect. However, the other car was good at keeping up the pace.
It will be another close finish. Nick thought to himself while looking at the Pwudi slowly getting next to him and suddenly whooshed by, leaving Nick confused. He didn't miss a gear or any mistake that would have made him lose the race.
"Oh… Nitro." He said with a theoretical facepalm and pushed the button again. It was probably installed into the other car too. Not like it was limited to his car only. Anyone could get their paw on one canister if they know where to look for it. And putting it into your car was just a matter of knowledge. Big crews most likely all have Nitrous installed in their car.
Now it was his turn to keep up. The Mustang's top speed seemed to be better. It was an assumption based on the previous runs and this one. Right before the finish line, he took over and won by a few inches.
Looking good… 2-1 is not bad. Not bad at all. One more win and we are done. Nick thought as they made another turn. I hate drag races… whoever came up with this idea, should be jailed for a lifetime.
He lined up again. The pressure was on. One more race and he could win this whole thing, and confront that Quickshifter leader about how stupid drag races are.
Revved up the engine again, waiting for the go signal, and bolted as soon as the rabbit's paw gave them the opportunity. Now, the Pwudi seemed to have a way better start, probably with a nitrous boost. It gained 1 car length quite easily. However, as soon as Nick was about to push the button too, the door got slammed on him hard
His opponent steered the wheel right in front of him, forcing the fox to slow down a bit. He already saw that this part was lost. He tried his luck, but there was no way he could regain his position, so he didn't use up his nitrous boost. He will have more at the final countdown.
He lost, but it wasn't a surprise. He turned back again, and made a little plan, containing all 3 boosts he had in store. Don't let the Pwudi more than 1 car ahead. It will be a really painful loss if he falls into the same trap again. It was the deciding match. Whoever wins now, wins the whole best of five.
He rolled onto the good old starting line and waited for the signal, with one finger on the nitrous button already. As soon as they got the go signal, he pushed it. The car definitely didn't like it, as the front wheels seemed to lose their grip and the car wanted to steer into one of the directions. With small adjustments, Nick managed to save the situation. It did hurt a bit for his position though. The Pwudi got its advantage of getting 1 car length between them and made the same maneuver as before.
Nick however was prepared for this, and quickly got out of the slipstream, immediately pushing his second shot. He was back in the game, speeding head to head with his opponent. As soon as that boost ended he was already ready with the last one, pushing it as soon as he got the opportunity. He nicely passed the Pwudi, the rest was all up to his car, which didn't fail him. He crossed the finish line and with that, he won the whole race.
"YES! There we go!" He cheered and took one last 180 turn. Well, it was more like a 1260 degrees turn as he did some doughnuts on the road too. Did he enjoy the win a bit too much? Absolutely! Did he care? Absolutely not!
Quickshifter? Get out of the way! Here comes the real champion!
When he was done with the victory circles, he decided to go back to the others. plus he didn't want to draw too much attention with his celebration. Maybe a little bit…
When he arrived, he parked next to the defeated opponent and got out of the car with a smile from ear to ear. "So? How did I do?"
"Better than expected," Jack said and gave an impressed nod.
"Exactly." The wolf, owner of the Pwudi joined the conversation after exiting his car. "It's never a shame to lose against a better racer.
"You gave me quite the headache. That cutting maneuver caught me off guard." Nick admitted
"Yeah, well. I had to come up with something so you wouldn't stomp me in the ground by 3-1." He turned to the rabbit. "And I hope my job here is done. So in case, you don't have any more races for me I'll go back to wifey. I have time for a few more but she will kill me if I go back after 2 again"
"No more races. Have a safe ride home."
"Alright. See you later, Jackie. You too, foxy! I hope I will be able to race by your side next time." He said and after getting into his car, he was already on his way.
"Alright. So, where is that Quickshifter?" Nick asked Jack "I have some really mean things to say about drag races."
Jack looked at his feet while trying to hold his laughter. "Well, I hate to break it to you but… You're standing in front of him."
It took a few seconds for Nick to finally realize what Jack just said. Sure, that rabbit was racing around, and knows other crew leaders... But the fact that he was one of the main crews, didn't pass Nick's mind at all.
"Drag race is stupid." That's all he could say at the moment.
"Yeah, I know, pal. Not my favorite either." Jack laughed and gestured with his head."Come on. Let's talk a bit."
Still unsure if the rabbit was just screwing with him, he followed Jack
"So… It's quite the journey you have behind yourself."
"Yeah, you tell me." Nick kept on looking at the rabbit next to him even while walking.
"You have a lot of races behind you and you only lost one. No one else has this ratio on the streets. Not that I know of at least. I think you already know where I'm going with this."
"Well… To be perfectly honest with you... No… not really..."
"Would you like to be part of a Crew?"
Nick stopped in his tracks. "Part of a… Wait… Is that an invitation?"
Jack stopped too and turned around. "Well, if you want it to be. Look, Quickshifters could use some help right now, and you, my friend, are one talented fellow. There is that guy you just raced. He was actually really great before, but you know... Everyone with their life. He has a wife, kids. He wants to quit and I can't blame him. Won't stop him either. In the crew, there is one more kid, who is good with the cars. Has great talent too, but a little bit too… Naive. So I ended up looking for potential crewmates."
"So this whole 'race organizing' was only to find someone who could join?"
"Pretty much… Yeah. Of course, it's still just an option. If you don't want to join, that's up to you. Not like I could force you to be in my crew. Then the search will continue. I can still organize some races for you."
"Are you kidding me? Of course, I'll join… Uh... Unless... We need to make a blood pact. In that case, I'll pass, sorry." Nick said
"Don't worry, you'll just need to sacrifice your first newborn." Jack joked
"Meh." The fox shrugged, "Alright, that's doable."
"Well then. I see no problem with you joining. Welcome to the Quickshifters."
Nick slowly raised a smile. All his work finally paid off. He was about to race with one of the most famous crews. Why was it such a big deal? Well, when you do something for a certain amount of time, it will feel great to be one of the best in that thing.
"Hey, can I have a question though?" Nick asked
"Sure, what is it?" Jack said.
"My first race… I saw that exact Pwudi I just raced against now. Was that a bait race?"
"A bait race?" Jack chuckled "Not exactly. While he did let you win, the other racers were rookies, just like you. Freddie was just there to see the potential future candidates. I told him to stay in second place. So in one way, I guess we did let you win, but not really. You've still beaten 2 legit racers who were there to win."
"And the second one? Where Mia whooped our asses on the racetrack?"
"That was a bit of a test. Mia stayed behind and gave all in at the last 3 corners. If you win, you are a Quickshifter material, with a bit of help. But you lost and I thought you were a lost cause. What I didn't expect was you making a deal with her and learning how to race. After that you just kept on winning, no matter how tough opponents, I threw your way."
"Well, I had a good teacher."
"Yeah. I hope you won't get upset but Mia was my first candidate for a crewmate. When she declined my offer, I kept on searching. I helped her, getting into copless races, and she helped me setting up a bar to filter out inexperienced racers."
Seeing an opportunity to make everything clear for himself, Nick just brought up the topic he was sure he figured out. "Oh, hey, about Mia…"
"What about her?" Jack asked
"Did you know she has a boyfriend?"
Suddenly Jack raised his head and stared at Nick with upwards pointing ears "She does?"
Oh yes, that expression tells everything. Nick thought to himself. Surprised/scared combo. Always a winner.
"Yeah. As I saw she was really happy with him. To be honest… I'm happy for them."
"Mhmm…" Jack nodded, and seemingly he was somewhere else in his head, probably thinking about what to do next.
Nick considered lengthening this conversation just to mess with the rabbit a bit more but it felt a bit evil. Only a little bit though.
"I saw them talking to each other, looking out of my car. She seemed to like that rabbit."
Jack at first didn't even register what Nick said but slowly his panicked mind pointed him to the right assumption. "Rabbit?" As he saw the fox grinning, he gave a relief/painful sigh.
"I told you I'd figure it out, you little predator." He patted the embarrassed Rabbit in the back "I mean… I let her out of my car for one race and you immediately jump on her? Geez. You had your eye on her for a while now, eh?
"Look, it's not what it looks like." Jack tried saving whatever could be saved.
"Why? What does it look like?" Nick gave an innocent look with two blinks.
"It's… I…" He was waving around with his paw, searching for words.
"Come on, it's obvious! The way she looked at you. And vice versa. You both are into each other… Well quite literally, looking at how things stand."
"Ookay… Look, I know it's not the most accepted thing in Zootopia, and… well it's actually frowned upon everywhere, in Mammalia but…"
"Hey, it's alright!" Nick placed one paw on Jack's shoulder to get the rabbit to look at him "Trust me, I'm not the one to judge. Besides, It's not like you would get decapitated for it. We're thankfully not in the middle ages anymore. And yeah sure it's frowned upon… So what? As long as you two love each other, why should it matter?"
Seemingly Jack was surprised by Nick's monologue. Most likely wasn't expecting any of that supporting mindset, and waited for more of a lecture about how it was a strike to mother nature.
After finally snapping out of the surprised phase Jack finally responded. "Well I.. uh… Thank you… I guess."
Nick couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "I know it might sound weird between two guys but I just can't keep it in. You rabbits do look cute when confused."
"You are not supposed to…"
"Say cute to a rabbit? Believe me, I know. I've heard it a few times." He winked at the confused Jack
"Now hold on for a minute… Not the one to judge… 'heard it a few times'..."
"Oooh, the detective is putting the pieces together?"
"You dirty little…" Now he raised a smile too, and bumped Nick's shoulder with his fist "And how does she take your racing around?"
"Ehh…" Nick shrugged. "She is not a huge fan of the idea. Bit worried I might crash into a tree."
"That just means she cares about you. And yeah, try not to crash into a tree. I don't want to start searching for a crewmate again. Now, that being said… We should celebrate that we've found our newest recruit."
"I hope you don't want to open a bottle of champagne. I still need to drive home and drinking plus driving... Not a great combo."
"Nah, I'll leave that to tomorrow. Now, I want to challenge you to a friendly showdown. You still haven't raced against the leader yet." He spread his arms and kept on walking. Realizing what it meant Nick was a bit more excited.
"Against your car?"
"Only a friendly head-to-head race. No money." As he said that, he opened a garage door, revealing a known car that was everywhere in the news lately. Turns out the driver of that car was Jack.
"The BEW…" Nick muttered while looking at the sports car.
"M3 GTR. Wasn't easy to get one, let me tell you. There are only 10 made in the whole world for civil use. But it was all worth it."
Nick looked amazed at the car, and its blue-silver vinyl. It was beautiful in its own way.
"Come on, get in," Jack said as he sat in the driver's seat. "Well I mean you can walk to your car too if you prefer that. Your choice."
"Oh you know I can't refuse an offer like that," Nick said and hopped inside the car.
The next thing Nick should have done was report back with the information to his beloved boss. It was the less exciting news. He wondered a bit if he shouldn't talk about it but quickly threw that idea away. The thing Bogo hated the most, was when his officers weren't honest with him.
I guess I'll call him tomorrow. Nick thought to himself and tried to just enjoy the ride.
AN: Hello there! And happy holidays for everyone! This thing was a bit of 'Christmas present' for those who are interested in this story. Did I lift the hiatus status? Ehh yes and no. I don't want to get regular with the updates until I have everything written down in front of myself. This update was just a reassuring that I'm not dead and neither is this story. Good news though, I'm almost done with the first draft all the way to the end. So you can expect the updates to get regular in about 2-3 months.
About the drag race: I know that these are usually NOT best to 5's but I wasn't able to make a longer version of just one quarter mile race. So I did what Need for Speed: Payback did and made a drag race that lasts 5 rounds. And yes. Drag race IS stupid. Change my mind.