Chapter 2
In Search of a Legend(s)
"Are you sure that's what the car said, Lisa?"
"I'm not blind. I distinctly saw what that car said and what store it belonged to, and that's why we're here." Lisa and Lorna stood at the front door of Fujiwara Tofu Shop. Taking a deep breath, the two walked in.
They were greeted by a man in his 60's, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Hi eyes were barely visible, and he was moving a fresh batch of tofu. "Can I help you?" he said.
Lisa was not expecting this. She was awating the appearnce of a racer, a man in his late 20's, or at the worst possible situation in her mind that she prayed wasn't the truth, Akito. Lorna, on the other hand, said "We'd like a batch of fried tofu."
"Sure, one second."
"Ehhh?" Lorna's comment brought Lisa out of her confusion. "No! That's not why we're here!" She slammed her palms down on the counter. "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The Hachi Roku! I know it's here!"
Although she couldn't see it, the man raised an eyebrow at this comment. He put some tofu in the fryer. "I don't doubt that the car you're looking for was mine at some point. However, I haven't owned a Hachi-Roku in years, even before the Ai cars came." The old man fished out the tofu and let the oil drain off, then began to put it into a bag. "I can prove it, if you like. That'll be 150 yen." He handed Lorna the bag.
In the short alley just next to the shop the old man pulled back a large white sheet, revealing a silver Subaru WRX Type R STi Version V, or the GC8V. "Wow, looks like my old car," Lisa thought.
The old man lit another cigarette. "I bought this after the Hachi-Roku. I haven't driven it in years, but I don't have the heart to get rid of it. Besides, every now and then the local kida like to come by and sit in it."
Lorna took out a piece of tofu and bit into it. "Do you know where we can find the Hachi-Roku?"
He took a drag on the cigarette. "My son took the car some time ago. He still lives in town. I could give you the address if you'd like."
"That would be great, Mr. Fujiwara."
"No problem. I'll be back."
He dissapeared into the shop, leaving Lisa and Lorna to admire the mint condition GC8. Leaning against the doorframe, Bunta said to himself "So Takumi's started his son now." He looked at the two girls, who had opened the hood of the car. "And those are the new Ex-Drivers. They must be pretty good, for their age."
-Ex-Driver headquarters, garage
Souichi rolled out from under the 7 and was greeted by Nakazato. "Oh, hello sir."
"Hello Souichi. Don't worry about such formalities with me. I never liked them anyway." He sat down on a small stack of tires. "I was wondering why you do your own work on your car. We do have good mechanics here."
"I know, but I feel that I really put my all into this machine." He patted the hood. "I feel that if I put all my work into it, I have a better feel for her."
"I see. Hmm...Perhaps that's what I lacked." He shook his head, almost as if to forget something. "Anyway, down to business. I have an assignment for your team. Tonight at 10:00, there will be a group of kids coming up the mountain. Most likely, they are going to have an AI battle. I need you and your team to stop them."
"AI battle?" Souichi asked.
Nakazato growled. "These kids today, they program their cars with maps of the mountains, and they draw out a racing line based on the past, when the street racers used to get down and do the work themselves. Then, it's all up to the car to follow that line. The kids just sit and take a ride in the cars. It's pathetic, really. Just a bunch of rich kids looking for an easy joyride."
"I see. How do we stop them?"
"Like any runaway car; four concussion blasts to the corner sensors of the car. After that, we'll send a truck to bring them back here to revoke their AI car rights."
"So that's how it's done around here?"
"In theory yes, but our last drivers could never pass the AI cars to hit the front sensors."
-East Akina
Lisa and Lorna both rode in the Europe as they pulled up in front of a nice house in the nicer part of the city.
"Well, this is the place," Lorna said.
Lisa looked out the car windows. "Nice."
They got out and walked to the front door. Lorna knocked on the door. "Well, I'm sure Mr. Fujiwara is as nice as his father."
"It's not him I'm worried about. Somehow I can't shake the feeling that HE will answer the door. I can't stand him!"
"Who?"
"Akito."
"What about me?" Akito stood in the doorway, dressed in a white shirt and jeans. He yawned. "What are you two doing here so early?"
Lorna checked her watch. "Early? It's almost 11:30." This surprised Akito. "Is it? I didn't get much sleep last night, so I guess I slept in. Huh."
"Enough small talk! Hey, is your dad home?"
"No, he's not. He's at work right now."
"Then where is the car?!" Lisa pushed Akito aside and marched into the house.
"Um....come in?" he said. Lorna smiled. "Thank you."
Lorna and Lisa were sitting on a couch, while Akito went to get some drinks. "What are you two doing here, anyway?" he called out from the kitchen.
Lisa snapped at him. "What are YOU doing here?"
"I live here."
Lo leaned over to whisper in Lisa's ear. "You really should calm down a little. I mean, you may not like him, but he isn't that bad of a guy."
"You don't understand!" she whispered back. "I have a feeling about this guy, he's hiding something."
Akito came back with three cups of iced tea. He handed the girls theirs, and sat across from them. There was a long break of silence, as Lisa was too upset to talk, Akito wasn't sure what they wanted, and Lorna didn't want Lisa to burst out.
Lorna started the conversation. "Your grandfather sent us here. We were looking for a car."
"What kind of car? There are cars all over the streets."
"Don't play dumb with us," Lisa said. "We know you have a Hachi-Roku here."
"I do? Why are you counting, anyway?"
"Rrrrg! You have an automobile here! An old style gas guzzling machine, and it's fast, and we need to see your father about it! We need to know if he took it out last night!"
Lorna admired Akito's patience. Not many can deal with an angry Lisa. He leaned back and took a sip of his tea, then said, "First of all, I don't know what you're talking about, with this talk of the Hachi-Roku or whatever." He spoke in a voice that didn't conotate anger, rather one of...being sleepy. "Second, I told you my dad's not home. He went to work at the AI car plant one town over."
"Really? What does he do?" Lorna asked.
"He programs the drive systems. You know, when to acclerate, brake, turn, that kind of thing. He's really good at it too-other companies are trying to get him to work for them, but he always refuses."
"That's great! I'm glad for you and your father."
Lisa got a call on her wristwatch. She clicked a button, and an image of Souichi appeared. "Hey, we've got a job. Can you two come back? We should review a stragety before we go tonight."
Lisa sighed. "Alright." She turned her attention to Akito. "Well, we've got to go, but we'll be back. I'm sure you've got that Hachi-Roku here somewhere."
"Where are you two going?"
Although Lisa could feel the last bits of restrants snapping, Akito was actually interested. Lorna decided to defuse the situation. "We're going back to headquarters. Do you want to come?"
"Sure! Oh, but wait. I've got some things to do around home. I'll be up in a little bit."
"Sure. You know how to get there?"
"I know an AI car that does."
"I thought those make you sick."
"They do, but I'll live."
"Alright, we'll see you up there. Goodbye, Akito. Thank you for the drinks." Lisa and Lorna let themselves out the door. Outside, Lisa said "How could you invite that jerk to headquarters?
"He dosen't seem all that bad. Besides, it'd be nice to make new friends while we're here."
Inside, Akito watched as the Lotus pulled away, then he went to the back of the house. Opening the garage, he saw the spot where his father's AI car would be, as well as the Hachi-Roku.
"Hachi-Roku?" he said to himself. "I always thought it was a Trueno. Oh well."
An hour later, the Hachi-Roku pulled out of the garage and headed toward Mount Akina.
In Search of a Legend(s)
"Are you sure that's what the car said, Lisa?"
"I'm not blind. I distinctly saw what that car said and what store it belonged to, and that's why we're here." Lisa and Lorna stood at the front door of Fujiwara Tofu Shop. Taking a deep breath, the two walked in.
They were greeted by a man in his 60's, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Hi eyes were barely visible, and he was moving a fresh batch of tofu. "Can I help you?" he said.
Lisa was not expecting this. She was awating the appearnce of a racer, a man in his late 20's, or at the worst possible situation in her mind that she prayed wasn't the truth, Akito. Lorna, on the other hand, said "We'd like a batch of fried tofu."
"Sure, one second."
"Ehhh?" Lorna's comment brought Lisa out of her confusion. "No! That's not why we're here!" She slammed her palms down on the counter. "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The Hachi Roku! I know it's here!"
Although she couldn't see it, the man raised an eyebrow at this comment. He put some tofu in the fryer. "I don't doubt that the car you're looking for was mine at some point. However, I haven't owned a Hachi-Roku in years, even before the Ai cars came." The old man fished out the tofu and let the oil drain off, then began to put it into a bag. "I can prove it, if you like. That'll be 150 yen." He handed Lorna the bag.
In the short alley just next to the shop the old man pulled back a large white sheet, revealing a silver Subaru WRX Type R STi Version V, or the GC8V. "Wow, looks like my old car," Lisa thought.
The old man lit another cigarette. "I bought this after the Hachi-Roku. I haven't driven it in years, but I don't have the heart to get rid of it. Besides, every now and then the local kida like to come by and sit in it."
Lorna took out a piece of tofu and bit into it. "Do you know where we can find the Hachi-Roku?"
He took a drag on the cigarette. "My son took the car some time ago. He still lives in town. I could give you the address if you'd like."
"That would be great, Mr. Fujiwara."
"No problem. I'll be back."
He dissapeared into the shop, leaving Lisa and Lorna to admire the mint condition GC8. Leaning against the doorframe, Bunta said to himself "So Takumi's started his son now." He looked at the two girls, who had opened the hood of the car. "And those are the new Ex-Drivers. They must be pretty good, for their age."
-Ex-Driver headquarters, garage
Souichi rolled out from under the 7 and was greeted by Nakazato. "Oh, hello sir."
"Hello Souichi. Don't worry about such formalities with me. I never liked them anyway." He sat down on a small stack of tires. "I was wondering why you do your own work on your car. We do have good mechanics here."
"I know, but I feel that I really put my all into this machine." He patted the hood. "I feel that if I put all my work into it, I have a better feel for her."
"I see. Hmm...Perhaps that's what I lacked." He shook his head, almost as if to forget something. "Anyway, down to business. I have an assignment for your team. Tonight at 10:00, there will be a group of kids coming up the mountain. Most likely, they are going to have an AI battle. I need you and your team to stop them."
"AI battle?" Souichi asked.
Nakazato growled. "These kids today, they program their cars with maps of the mountains, and they draw out a racing line based on the past, when the street racers used to get down and do the work themselves. Then, it's all up to the car to follow that line. The kids just sit and take a ride in the cars. It's pathetic, really. Just a bunch of rich kids looking for an easy joyride."
"I see. How do we stop them?"
"Like any runaway car; four concussion blasts to the corner sensors of the car. After that, we'll send a truck to bring them back here to revoke their AI car rights."
"So that's how it's done around here?"
"In theory yes, but our last drivers could never pass the AI cars to hit the front sensors."
-East Akina
Lisa and Lorna both rode in the Europe as they pulled up in front of a nice house in the nicer part of the city.
"Well, this is the place," Lorna said.
Lisa looked out the car windows. "Nice."
They got out and walked to the front door. Lorna knocked on the door. "Well, I'm sure Mr. Fujiwara is as nice as his father."
"It's not him I'm worried about. Somehow I can't shake the feeling that HE will answer the door. I can't stand him!"
"Who?"
"Akito."
"What about me?" Akito stood in the doorway, dressed in a white shirt and jeans. He yawned. "What are you two doing here so early?"
Lorna checked her watch. "Early? It's almost 11:30." This surprised Akito. "Is it? I didn't get much sleep last night, so I guess I slept in. Huh."
"Enough small talk! Hey, is your dad home?"
"No, he's not. He's at work right now."
"Then where is the car?!" Lisa pushed Akito aside and marched into the house.
"Um....come in?" he said. Lorna smiled. "Thank you."
Lorna and Lisa were sitting on a couch, while Akito went to get some drinks. "What are you two doing here, anyway?" he called out from the kitchen.
Lisa snapped at him. "What are YOU doing here?"
"I live here."
Lo leaned over to whisper in Lisa's ear. "You really should calm down a little. I mean, you may not like him, but he isn't that bad of a guy."
"You don't understand!" she whispered back. "I have a feeling about this guy, he's hiding something."
Akito came back with three cups of iced tea. He handed the girls theirs, and sat across from them. There was a long break of silence, as Lisa was too upset to talk, Akito wasn't sure what they wanted, and Lorna didn't want Lisa to burst out.
Lorna started the conversation. "Your grandfather sent us here. We were looking for a car."
"What kind of car? There are cars all over the streets."
"Don't play dumb with us," Lisa said. "We know you have a Hachi-Roku here."
"I do? Why are you counting, anyway?"
"Rrrrg! You have an automobile here! An old style gas guzzling machine, and it's fast, and we need to see your father about it! We need to know if he took it out last night!"
Lorna admired Akito's patience. Not many can deal with an angry Lisa. He leaned back and took a sip of his tea, then said, "First of all, I don't know what you're talking about, with this talk of the Hachi-Roku or whatever." He spoke in a voice that didn't conotate anger, rather one of...being sleepy. "Second, I told you my dad's not home. He went to work at the AI car plant one town over."
"Really? What does he do?" Lorna asked.
"He programs the drive systems. You know, when to acclerate, brake, turn, that kind of thing. He's really good at it too-other companies are trying to get him to work for them, but he always refuses."
"That's great! I'm glad for you and your father."
Lisa got a call on her wristwatch. She clicked a button, and an image of Souichi appeared. "Hey, we've got a job. Can you two come back? We should review a stragety before we go tonight."
Lisa sighed. "Alright." She turned her attention to Akito. "Well, we've got to go, but we'll be back. I'm sure you've got that Hachi-Roku here somewhere."
"Where are you two going?"
Although Lisa could feel the last bits of restrants snapping, Akito was actually interested. Lorna decided to defuse the situation. "We're going back to headquarters. Do you want to come?"
"Sure! Oh, but wait. I've got some things to do around home. I'll be up in a little bit."
"Sure. You know how to get there?"
"I know an AI car that does."
"I thought those make you sick."
"They do, but I'll live."
"Alright, we'll see you up there. Goodbye, Akito. Thank you for the drinks." Lisa and Lorna let themselves out the door. Outside, Lisa said "How could you invite that jerk to headquarters?
"He dosen't seem all that bad. Besides, it'd be nice to make new friends while we're here."
Inside, Akito watched as the Lotus pulled away, then he went to the back of the house. Opening the garage, he saw the spot where his father's AI car would be, as well as the Hachi-Roku.
"Hachi-Roku?" he said to himself. "I always thought it was a Trueno. Oh well."
An hour later, the Hachi-Roku pulled out of the garage and headed toward Mount Akina.
