It took Nick for a while to find a Blacklister racing around. He knew he couldn't count on Jack to set them up for a race, so he sought them out himself. After going back to Jack's garage (And resisting the temptation to take the Agera for the race) He went to his own garage and sat in his own car. Jack might get furious for ignoring his suggestion but who cares? He also would be furious if I 'Changed teams' and suddenly started chasing him for a living. Nick did feel a bit guilty too, but at this point, he became so skilled in suppressing that feeling, to the point that he barely noticed it.
Finally at almost 1 am he found what he was looking for. A Pwudi le mans quattro. Its Red-Black livery became known Zootopia-wide. Add on top of that 3 burning 'claw marks' and you have a sight that you won't easily forget
The panther at first just stared at Nick, looking up and down at him. "You want to race against my crew huh?" Clarence Clawrehen was the only illegal racer who didn't mind revealing his full name and face to everyone. They were the only mammals that the police knew everything about. Wanted criminals in 6 countries, and the destroyer of many police vehicles. Every officer would pay a fortune to just have a 'Chat' with him without consequences in a dark room, "Hmm… no." He shrugged it off.
"Oh scared I would beat you?" Nick gave his trademark sly grin, which seemed to pick a nerve for the wanted racer.
"Look, I don't know what your deal is. You might fool that rabbit, but you won't fool me. Something is going on with you and you bet I'll figure it out, Foxy!"
"The only thing going on here is my unbeatable win streak!" Nick answered, revving the Mustang's engine. "Not believing me? Prove me wrong!"
"Hmmm… You just don't give up, do you? You know what? I have just the track for you. I feel like you're gonna LOVE it."
"Now we're talking! So betting the car?"
"Not yet." The simple answer came. "You need to prove yourself before I would offer you an invitation letter. Knowing how low the rabbit puts the bar with skill, my crew will smoke you to the ground."
"Oh come on! Less talk, more race!"
"Soon. Be ready. Stay here and I will give you the experience you want. I just need to set a few things. Let's see what you are made out of, Fox!"
After the Pwudi left, Nick drove to a close, hidden corner and waited. He didn't fully trust them and hoped he wouldn't get screwed over. So he patiently waited, and when he heard a few cars approaching, he started the car again.
The three Blacklister crewmembers arrived. One With his plain black Merkcedes SLR McLaren and the other one with its green-yellow Aardwolf Martin DB9.
Looking at his rivals, he would have guessed they meant danger. It will be most likely a harder race. Not Jack's setup, so no arrows this time.
Come at me, guys. Nick grinned. It won't be easy to take me down.
Only the Panther got out of his car, his goons stayed in theirs with the motor running.
"Alright listen up fox, because I'll only tell you once." The panther said with an ugly grin "First of all. 30 grand. That's our entry fee. If you think that's too much you better drive off n…"
Before the panther could finish, Nick had already shown up the money. At this point, he always had an unreasonable amount of cash with himself in the car. "Is this enough? Look, guys. Just add the invitation in the mix, I'll put up my car and you are off the hook. Don't waste each other's time."
"You wish." He took Nick's money with disgust. "I don't race with nobodies. My boys will smoke that clown car and your ego of yours to the ground."
"Alright… sure let's prolong your suffering. But If you won't accept my challenge after I win this… I'll make sure that every one of the racers in this city will know that the Blacklisters are a bunch of cowards."
"Don't worry you'll get your race… If you win." With that, he signaled a hyena to go between the cars to start the race, while he walked towards his Pwudi.
"Hey! Don't you think you should tell me how the track goes?" Nick yelled after the Panther.
"The race ends near Lions Gate. Other than that, just follow one of my guys. If you can keep up, that is." With that, he just sat in his car and drove away.
Nick's attention was diverted to the mammal who was starting the race, who just stood there to his confusion.
What is he waiting for? Nick wondered as another minute passed. Then another and then another
After 5 minutes, he started to get bored. They were planning something, so he had the engine running, and didn't stop it in case the blacklisters played some trick on him by starting the race randomly when he wasn't ready… Are they doing this intentionally?
"GO!" The mammal randomly shouted, which caught Nick a bit off guard, the only thing he wanted to avoid. He was expecting a countdown, to let them know it was time to start. This little thing cost Nick's whole plan. He wanted to get ahead as soon as possible with two nitrous pushes, so there won't be as much possibility for the blacklisters to hold him back. Unfortunately, the other two racers were more prepared.
"You sneaky little…" Nick cursed to himself. Suddenly his race became thousand times harder.
At the first few hundred feet, they were in bumper distance to each other, but the one in first slowly started gaining distance between them.
The car in the second pace didn't go as fast, but still at a speed that's harder to overtake. Nick suddenly felt like he was doing his second race again. One of his rivals pushed the metal to the pedal, while the other one stayed back just to screw with him.
"Playing as a team, I see…" Nick muttered. "Don't worry guys… I will beat you even if you use the power of friendship."
He will be most likely attacked constantly, and some bad injuries were in sight too if he didn't think fast.
I just disappointed my whole species with that start. He chuckled, remembering what Mia said. 'Foxes have one of the best reaction times within mammals.' Nick's reaction time definitely wasn't on top right now, but he had to forget that if he wanted at least some chance.
Check for weak points, make a plan. He almost heard Mia's advice. But he had no idea how much time he had to 'Check for weak points.' He would have given anything to have Mia by his side right now, just to get some car description. Now all he could listen to was his guts
He took a left turn, in the shadow of the other racer. The gap between him and the second place wasn't big. That was most likely planned though. The first place however was a completely different story. The driver was already about 6 seconds ahead within the first minute of the race and growing.
Passing on straight, wasn't likely. At least not on tight roads like this. His car felt capable of overtaking, based on his current experience. He felt like this wasn't the top speed of the car. But the driver ahead wasn't a newbie. He knew how to cut off a takeover attempt. So that left Nick with corners for an opportunity, with nitrous support.
He made a weak try at the next turn. It was a medium left, nothing serious but it was enough to make both drivers slow down for a bit. He exited the corner and pushed the nitrous. Unfortunately, the Aardwolf Martin's driver was well aware and used his boost too. Nick was barely behind the rear bumper but he was in third place.
Slight left, turning into a hard left. Nick tried picturing the road in front of himself. Maybe time for some sliding. He positioned himself the best way he could, but even that try was countered. By the driver in front. He figured out what Nick's plan was, and cut the fox off midturn. He had to corrugate, so he wouldn't slam into his rival. As tempting as it was, it would probably make him lose the race, not to talk about wrecking both cars.
This, however, resulted in an awkward slightly bigger angle than anticipated so Nick would have made a complete 360 turn if it wasn't for the wall that positioned him back on track.
He cringed thinking about how it might look from the outside, but he also kept on pushing. He saw the other driver's open mouth in the corner of his eyes. Even though he didn't hear anything, Nick was sure he was laughing really hard right now.
The first place in the meantime gained even more space, now more than 10 seconds.
"Yeah yeah… laugh all you want. I'm still gonna win this." Nick said and focused even more. So drifting is out of the question too. There is no way I can catch him off guard. They sure made their homework on MY driving style. I guess I should exploit this somehow… What is something I didn't try yet?
As he was wondering the next corner came. I can try a bit more cautious way of sliding… but that's stupid. The main reason for drifting is to cut a bit of time, by taking a bit of risk with your momentum. If you don't do it perfectly you might just lose time, or… do something like I did back there. He still cringed thinking back at his half crash with the wall.
"I need something new… but what?" Nick kept on wondering while taking the corner at a 'comfortable' 60 miles per hour. Would the 'scaring' maneuver work with this guy? Back at one of the races I baited the Torabi owner into going into a bad position. Would that work here?
Another drifting material corner came. So that gave Nick an idea.
The same baiting most likely wouldn't work here. The Torrabi owner was new, he didn't know how to deal with the situation properly. But I can still bait this guy… He knows my tactics, he will most likely try to counter them. So… if he thinks I'll drift, he will abandon the ideal lane just to screw with me…
Nick gave a half smile. "Let's see what you do now…" He positioned himself the way he usually does with these corners. Ready to pull the pawbrake, and almost doing so. But this time he just waited for the moment. The moment of no return for the other racer. Momentum is annoying at races. That's the reason you don't have too many free choices while in the corner. Before that, sure you can think of how to enter and how to exit. But inside you are left with that idea. Other than stepping on the brake or praying you would get lucky, you have that idea to play out.
He saw the car ahead already moving to the side in the corner. That's when Nick stepped on the brake to lose some speed. If you slide, you count on the force of your car, dragging you through. But when you corner the old-fashioned way, you need to negate the centrifugal force as much as possible. Or at least as much as the tires could keep up with the grip. You fly into a corner with 200 and the grip flies away too.
The other racer realized this trick a bit too late, and Nick was already next to him, gaining speed after exiting the corner.
This little scene reminded Nick of a truck overtaking another one. When they both go within the speed limit, one driver decides to start the overtake, so they occupy both lanes for minutes. This was the same, but with high speed. Even though their acceleration was roughly the same their top speed wasn't. Nick slowly inched past the Aardwolf Martin.
He thought some action movie scene would play out when the bad guy rams the side of the good guy's car, windows shatter, metal bends, but nothing like that played out. And knowing that these guys are not afraid of knocking you, he knew that something was up… Or this maneuver got the other driver off guard that much to forget to hold him off?
However, his uncertainty was quickly answered by a hit on the rear right side. Of course. Nick thought. Why hit the side when you could spin the other racer out easily by nudging somewhere on the back
"No, you don't." Nick pushed the nitrous, which separated the two cars easily. However, his car became unstable. He had to steer a bit to the left to counter the push from the right. When this push from the back disappeared the car turned left, the way it should when the wheel is turned. The nitrous was an additional push to the already existing one and so Nick turned the wheel right to left, left to right until he gained back the control.
"Hahaa!" Nick glanced to the back, and saw that he was already leading by seconds, and… the other racer was slowing down? Sure, I overtook him but why is he giving up…
And then a quiet rumbling sound hit his ears, which was followed by a loud air horn in the distance
A train! Nick's ears leaned back in realization. It was there, about half a mile ahead. The unmistakable red light signaled for any car planning on going through to stop. The racer in the first place already crossed, now it was his turn to do so… if he could.
The same feeling caught him when he took the oncoming lane on the highway. His mind told him to stop, but it was pushed away by a simple thought. I could win this if I speed up…
Without a second thought, he floored the gas pedal and used up one of his nitrous pushes. From here, he didn't see if he would be the first to pass or the train, but it would be close.
As soon as the first push ended, he already used a second one. Did 10 seconds pass already? He heard the air horn louder and louder as he got closer. It was probably directed to him now, as the train driver most likely already saw the car speeding towards them.
It was time for a third push. It was still unclear who would pass first, but the point of no return was already behind. No use in stepping on the brakes now.
Nick kept on swapping his stare between the road and the train. Was it a stupid idea? The quick thought passed his mind that he fended off pretty easily. The crossroad came closer. Train-road-train-road-train…
"AAAAAAAHHHHH" Nick shouted as he passed the rails. Other than a slight push from the wind that the train made, nothing happened to his car.
Hah, I did it! Nick thought to himself while a smile was forming on his face. I actually did it! HAH Well… the race is still going but I just passed in front of a train, I deserve some pat on the back.
He tried focusing on the road again. The other racer was about 8 seconds away. Doable… but no mistakes from now on… As he glanced at the speedometer, he was surprised that the max speed wasn't the usual 198, but 221, without any nitrous push.
Mia… you made a monster. Nick chuckled under his nose and pushed the nitrous again just for good measure, which topped the speed to 235. Not bad… he nodded in appreciation. Not half bad. Whatever that vixen made with the car, worked like wonder. She sure knew what she was doing when it came to working on an engine.
Well, let me show you what I can do if nobody crosses my plans.
Suddenly Nick felt even more confident than before. The race was far from over but he guessed that he wasn't supposed to get this far. The owner of that Merkcedes might be good, but probably won't be that big of an opponent as the Aardwolf Martin.
Nick made a record time on corners, getting closer bit by bit. Mia's help with the car made a huge difference too. He didn't get left behind on long straights, it was even advantageous to have a part where he could go with top speed for a long time.
Without anyone holding him back, Nick worked down the 8 seconds gap and he was already in bumper distance within 1 mile after the rails. It was weird to be faster than the car ahead. Most of the time he had to work hard to keep up. Here it wasn't the case at all.
The Merkcedes dictated a set pace Nick was able to keep up with. For now, no tricks seemed to be up the other racer's sleeve but you never know with these guys.
Nick shadowed his rival looking for any opportunity to pass by. His heart rate was probably in the sky, not only because he almost got hit by a train, but because he knew how much depended on this.
He finally managed to pull next to the other car after a well-timed corner. Now it was time to put his car on the test.
While the Merkcedes left the corner with a bit of an advantage, it didn't manage to cut back in front of the mustang in time, so Nick managed to inch closer and closer to take the lead. Every gear shift was an emotional rollercoaster as sometimes Nick gained a bit, later lost some space.
Third… Fourth… Fifth and finally sixth. Seems like they planned a really long straight to the finish line because not long after Nick saw Jack standing next to the finish line with a smaller group gathered on the sidewalk.
Seems like this race got quite the hype around it because Nick never saw any welcoming party at the end of the races. The car finally reached its top speed, while still a few inches behind the front of the other car.
This will be a close one… Nick thought to himself and pushed the already flat pedal with even more strength like it could give him a few more horsepower. The finish came closer and closer, so Nick pushed his last boost of the nitrous. However, the other racer had something similar in mind, because even though the car sped past its top speed, it didn't speed past the other racer.
100 feet… 60… 30… And… They finally got past the line, and…
"Okay… who won?" Nick muttered, while slowing down and looking behind himself he was so focused on the road that he didn't see who finished first. He saw most of the gathered spectators cheering, which didn't mean anything. They might be happy for the blacklister winning. As he finally came to a lower speed, he turned around, just as the Merkcedes.
Arriving back to the crowd, Nick searched for the one face that could tell him the results. At first, he didn't spot Jack so he started to think he had lost and the rabbit was too disappointed or angry and left. But soon after he finally saw two signs too. Jack was grinning and what's more important, the Blacklister wasn't.
"I won." He said to himself as an ear-to-ear smile started appearing on his face.
When he finally stopped at the side of the road, a huge ovation greeted him, and received gratulations from everywhere, with a lot of crew offers, which he kindly declined saying he already has a crew.
Fighting through the crowd he finally saw his crewmate, and to his surprise, he didn't get shouted off for ignoring his request "Well done Big Mouth! I didn't think you had it in you."
"Come on! A little bit more trust could be great here." Nick chuckled. "Was the crowd your idea?"
"Heh no. It's actually the other way around. I got to see the finish because your race had this big hype around it. You have quite the fan base here." Jack pointed around.
"Fanbase?" Nick furrowed and glanced around.
"Did you really think nobody kept up with your runs?" Jack shook his head. "You are a crowd favorite at this point. And beating the blacklisters only grows this number I suppose."
"And what about that 'Important thing' you dealt with?"
"Eh…" Jack shrugged "It can wait. My crewmate beating another crew to the ground sounded more interesting."
As they were talking, another conversation hit Nick's ears.
The Merkcedes owner, a Bull, tried to talk to his crew leader "Look, he shadowed me. I couldn't…"
"Shut up!" The panther interrupted his crewmate while pointing at him. He turned towards Nick and Jack, baring his teeth for a second, and then started walking towards them.
"Oh, boy looks like someone's angry." Nick gestured with his head and eyes for Jack.
As the Panther reached them he said with a scowl. "You got lucky there, pal. Barely won by a few inches."
"So what?" Jack said, seemingly enjoying the panther's anger a bit too much. "It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning."
"Not talking to you, rabbit!" He gave a killing glance at Jack, then looked back at Nick.
"Well…" Nick started, staring deeply into the panther's eyes. "If you think I got lucky, feel free to challenge me yourself." Suddenly everyone became silent, waiting for the blacklister's response, who seemed to get a bit pressured, after taking a barely visible look around.
"No." He shook his head. "I'm not racing with dirty rats who work for the paws of the cops."
This accusation just bounced off Nick, as he started genuinely laughing, even though it was technically true. "Oh really? What gave you the impression that I'm working for the cops huh?"
The Blacklister stepped even closer. "You might fool everyone else but can't fool me. Your races are suspiciously cop free. Why's that?"
"That might have to do with me." Jack joined in again. "I try setting up races without cops."
"Oh, yes I know about your methods." The panther waved off Jack while still staring at Nick. "But I watched this fellow's races and he shakes off its sirening tail easily whenever cops do show up. How?"
Nick kept calm. It was obvious that the Panther knew nothing and just came up with some wild accusations. "Well in contrast with you, I don't enjoy being chased. Sure I know that it's the whole image of the Blacklisters that they love messing with the cops, I watch the news too. But I'd rather get home as soon as possible and not waste my time, thank you."
"I still don't trust you, fox! How about showing me you aren't the police's pet?"
"And how exactly should I show that?" Nick rolled his eyes
"Go into a chase. Wreck a few cars. When smoke is coming out of the hood of the police cars, that's when you know you did well."
Unintentionally, Nick hesitated a bit. These guys made a lot of officers mad. Not only because they made a fool out of the ZDP with every opportunity they were given, but it became personal when someone's partner got to the hospital because of their cat-mouse game.
"No." He answered, and as a wide grin appeared on the panther's face, Nick explained. "I know the cops are on the other side, but I'm not a mass murderer. If that means that I'm on their side, so be it. Officer Bigglesworth at your service!"
"Alright drama queen, you don't need to wreck their cars. Just trade paint with a few… Do a little bit of property damage, make them throw everything at you, and when they take you seriously, that's when you escape. So? What do you say, officer?"
"That's doable." Nick shrugged like it was nothing, but in reality, he still took a big risk for doing that. He wasn't sure if he crossed the line with this, but the chief will 100% make him pay for the damage. It's debatable if he will pay with his badge too.
"Alright then. Show me that you mean it." With that, the panther took out his phone and dialed a number, "Yeah, give me the police… We've got a couple of punks up to no good, doing donuts with their cars near the shipyard. Please send a few fast units as soon as possible… Yeah… Thank you." When he finished the call, he leaned closer to Nick. "Better get ready, fox. They said a few units will be here in 5 minutes. Let's see if you crack under the pressure, fresh meat."
Nick smiled and waved for the panther to lean closer. When he did, Nick whispered. "Meanwhile you should prepare for our race. Because just like everyone else here." He pointed around "I'm expecting you to fail." As the grin disappeared from the panther's face, turning into a scowl, Nick stepped back, and reached out with his paw "Oh! And I would like to take my earnings, thank you."
With a head shake, the feline dropped a pile of cash into Nick's paw. "Enjoy it while your luck lasts, Fox, because you are going to run out of that eventually."
"If you say so…" Nick shrugged and headed to his car, to set things straight in himself. He needed some time alone, separated from everyone before his bold move.
When finally inside, he made sure nobody hears him, and let out a quiet 'Dammit' with a straight face. Should I inform the chief? No… A phone call would be suspicious, I can't fuel that guy's accusations when he was so close. Plus what would the chief say anyway? 'Don't you dare make even a slight dent in one patrol car, Wilde or you're done for! Get away from there and bring the car back to the station. RIGHT NOW!'
Part of him knew he shouldn't take this risk. At this point, his whole undercover job could do more harm than good. But deep down he knew it wasn't for the job anymore, no matter how much he tried telling himself otherwise. Maybe the chef will oversee this… Months of paperwork, desk duty, and thousands of dollars fine for the damage, but hopefully he will…
Knock knock knock.
Someone outside startled Nick, making him flinch. Spotting Jack, he sighed and lowered the windows. "What's up?"
"Here to give you a present." He said, and in his paw, there was the radio. He thought about it for a second but then he landed it to Nick. "Try not to get caught, Big Mouth, I expect this back tomorrow." He gave an encouraging nod too.
"Oh… I… Don't know what to say…"
"A simple 'thank you' would be great," Jack said and patted Nick's shoulder. "Us Quickshifters should stick together. Amiright?"
Nick forced a smile and thanked the little gift he got. As Jack left again, he started to think about the 1 million dollar prize the Big 12 winner would get. That would help a lot… He wondered. With the payment I get from being a police officer I would gather 1 million in about… little bit more than 20 years "Holy..." He started… I will be a 50+ year old fox by the time I gather this much money.
Until now he didn't give it much thought but now that he finally did, that was the only thing going on in his head. I have a chance of winning in the big 12 that's for sure… The best of the best are there, but I have a chance… All I need now is the invitation card, which is almost within an arm's reach. But to get it… I would need to betray the whole police force… And what's more important, betray Judy. The only mammal who was willing to give me a chance.
Just by thinking about it, his stomach felt like it shrunk to the size of a pea. I have to clear my head. He thought to himself and turned on the engine. So you said donuts… I'll give the spectators donuts.
As he knocked the rear of the car out of balance and started sliding in circles, some smoke started coming up from the tires. Funny enough, it rather cleared his mind if anything. Again, it was only him and his car. Occasionally some cheering would get to him from the crowd, but he just ignored it.
I'm not betraying anyone. Just play some cat-mouse game with the guys, maybe bump a few cars to be safe from accusations and I'm up for a race with the blacklister. Getting the full map of the big 12 and infiltrating it, would be a huge HELP for the police. They should be thanking me!
He had no idea how long he had been circling in the smoke when suddenly, a loudspeaker disturbed him
"Alright buddy, the show's over. Stop, and get out of the car!"
"Nick did two more circles, then stopped, ready to bolt.
"I know what you're thinking but stop thinking it." The same voice advised Nick from the loudspeaker "Make it easier for both of us, get out of the car and you'll get off with a fine and a warning. I promise. Or you can goof around for a bit more, but don't try to escape. I would be the one that owes you!"
Nick chuckled as he revved up the engine "Jackson, you jokester."
"Alright fine, just the warning. That's my last offer!"
He revved up the engine again and before releasing the clutch he said "Catch me if you can, guys," with that he bolted, while the sirens started loudly ringing behind him.