Part 1: East Coast Chill
Chapter 1-1: Why am I...

"Yawn..."
Darrel yawned loudly, as if no one in the house could hear him. But he didn't care much, of course. No one's at home at this hour - 3:00AM, to be precise - except the maids, and they're going to be quite a distance away from him even if he wanted to call for them immediately. His better conscience told him not to, for the maids need their rest really badly. Especially after a huge cleanup.

"Looks like I can just take my RX-8 for a spin now. Not like I can do much during vacation time..."

He peered over his glass of Vicodin, as if in a trance. "Of all the money I had, I'm still feeling empty. Not even discotheques and pubs interest me anymore. I'm definitely sick, I need an antidote for it..."

Shaking his head in depression, he picked up one of his many car keys and headed off into the garage.

Meanwhile...

"Are you going to bring my Sw ift onto the roads tonight?"
"Ergh, I got caught."
"Well, I wouldn't stop you now since you're 18 already. Do be careful about turning through the last East Coast exit. Keep your gear to 2 if necessary, I don't wanna ruin my meal ticket for your pleasure."
"OK..."

3:50AM - Near the Pier...

The RX-8 trudged down the Bayside slowly. It was 3:51AM, and nothing was in sight. Well, not except the occasional morning cargo, which usually heads towards Changi Airport to bring supplies. That much he knew from years of driving down the road.

But it has been years since the "hei-bang" called him up for a challenge. He knew best why: None of the drivers were able to beat him on the Kembangan drag races, a surprise considering that most of the "hei-bang" specialises in drag. Of course, with money you can convert just about any trash into monsters. Darrel recalled having beaten an RX-7 3 years ago with a factory -body '93 Corolla with several engine swaps and nitrous injection. That poor fella nearly died of shock.

Of course, though, highway racing was a different matter altogether. There aren't many people who like to challenge the highways. Not that it was bad to drive on, or anything, but it doesn't seem like anyone liked the narrow exits that characterises the East Coast Parkway and the Ayer Rajah Expressway, two linked highways that span the southern coasts of the tiny island.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by something from behind. Two really bright lights were blinding his rearview mirror, yet he didn't know what.

"That seemed like stock headlights from the LanEvo... WHAT?"

That ejaculation came as the car came into perfect view, even if it's only for half a second.

"That... a freaking Suzuki Swift? What kind of speed..."

Darrel felt something churning inside his body, something that is beginning to pump his whole being up like never before. He knew the feeling of this... something he had lost and nearly forgotten since several years ago...

Both cars came out of the Marina Bay area where their encounter occurred and were headed for the Sheares Bridge.

"170... 180... why am I not catching up...? 200..."

Darrel was thoroughly confused. He only knew of Swifts that could run up to 160kmh in a drag, but the car was going beyond that. Waaaay beyond. Totally absurd and unreal.

"I can't lose sight of him now!" Darrel gritted his teeth like he never did, obviously infuriated at such insolence. He had never been beaten, and he will not be beaten!

The RX-8 began to spout green flames of rage as Darrel tries to catch up with the Swift on an extreme boost of furious nitrous...

-----

4:05AM
"250... 260... 270..."

Darrel felt dizzy; it had been a long time since he raced at such speed. Still, he continued to chase after the Swift with full determination, and which is in full view right in front of his eyes.

"I think I should be gaining ground on him... the ECP is a long stretch of straightaways so a Swift should't be..."

They made a final rush through the raintrees that indicates the end of the ECP - any further and this will alert the traffic controllers at the airport.

As they approached the final exit on the ECP, Darrel swore he had never seen anything like it anywhere else...

"What in the name of..."

Darrel instinctively stepped on his brakes hard because, according to common sense, approaching that particular exit at above 130kmh would be definite suicide. Or so he thought. As he looked ahead, his mouth opened up big time. There are a few significant insights into this bizarre reaction: One, it didn't exactly help his nausea, and two, he just saw something he would swore nonstop for 4 days at.

The Swift began to turn at 45 degrees to the sharp bend and sped off in front of him as it turns sideways and slide with grace, with smoke coming out of the asphalt as though the car was trying to rip the road apart. Compensating the turn, the car went straight again and, with a beautiful touch of the gas pedal, it sped off leaving its more powerful adversary behind like so much metal.

"What on earth...! Power-sliding down that sharp exit at near 150kmh! What on earth...!"

Even in absolute astonishment, Darrel knew he was already at his limit - his body couldn't take it any further. He steered his vehicle to the road shoulders right after the exit, and started to regurgitate what was left of his Vicodin and some steak.

"Damned it... Why am I... Losing! I shouldn't be losing to a Swift of all cars!"

-------

"Oh, gee... This set of wheels are going bare. I think I'll need to send the car to Uncle Tan's garage first before I return it to Mum first thing in the morning... I think I must have forgotten to set it down to 2 when I turn, now the gearbox is acting funnily..."
-------

"I'll find that Swift if it's going to take all my fortune... I can't forgive him..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Glossary:

ECP: An expressway, a long stretch along the south-east part of Singapore along the East Coast beach area, hence its name. It runs from the Telok Blangah Pier (where the ports are) to Changi Airport. The final exit is connected to another expressway, the Pan-Island Expressway, but that shall be explained later.
AYE: The western connection of the ECP, it stretches from the high-concentration factory/plants area of Tuas in the extreme-far west, down to the pier, passing by two local universities on the way.
"Hei-bang": The yakuza of Singapore, though these organisations are few and far between. Usually acts as moneylenders and illegal CD Sellers in the heartlands of Singapore.