Top Girls: Five

The Stig had a replacement Tesla, and in the second half of the show was taking it around the track. In the studio Misato noted seriously, "The Stig is really having to wrestle this car through the turns, but she's managing well!"

The Tesla skidded around the corner, the Stig grimly working the wheel.

"As expected, the extra weight of the massive batteries in the middle of the car is a issue, but she's coping nicely. Down the straight away, and into the Michael Schumaker memorial turn!" Misato narrated excitedly.

The car nearly fishtailed, again. Worse the car slid sideways a lot, nearly going right off the track before the Stig recovered.

"Did the Stig intentionally drift?" Misato yelped. "Or was that a accident?" Misato asked her fellow hosts excitedly.

"We may never know," Ritsuko noted dryly.

"On to the straight, heading to Gambon-2... then across the line!" Misato declared.

Cutting back to the studio, the three hosts were by the lap times board. None looked terribly thrilled as Misato held up the paper with the results and noted, "Well, that was disappointing."

"Misato!" Maya scolded.

"Well, it did do... rather badly," Ritsuko reluctantly admitted, despite her fondness for the electric cars in general.

Misato walked over and slapped the time up, "One minute fifteen, sadly enough. Puts it in the bottom third of times."

"And considering that was the Stig who was driving it, you may not get a better time," Maya conceded. "Tho Misato drives crazier."

"Hey!" Misato pouted, looking offended

"Don't forget that poor Toyota test model you overheated so badly the engine exploded," Ritsuko teased mercilessly.

"Anyway... we left off on our race across Tokyo with Ritsuko's porche breaking down. Again," Misato said dryly.

"Hey!" Ritsuko pouted.

"And surprisingly Maya was doing pretty well with the Beetle, and MY car was doing wonderfully," Misato beamed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Won't start?" Maya asked as Misato bent over the open hood and peered at the engine. They were 'parked' in a deserted, wrecked street, with chunks of pavement buckled upwards.

"Yeah, I must have knocked something out when I went over that curb back there," Misato grumbled as she fiddled with the engine. "Rits! Turn the key!" she called.

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde grumbled as Ritsuko did so. The engine coughed a few times, but didn't start up.

"You know, the traditional Top Gear thing to do would be for us to just leave you behind," Maya teased Misato, "and continue the route. You'd either restart it and catch up, or you'd be rescued by the crew and have to take the punishment car."

"Do you want someone to tow your Beetle out of holes, again?" Misato pointed out.

"Okay, point," Maya conceded.

"What IS the punishment, this time?" Ritsuko wondered.

"Doing this on a motorbike," Misato said sourly.

The trio, along with a small film crew, had already made it about a third through their route through old Tokyo. The researchers, not being as insane as Gendo, had mapped out the route to be passable but difficult. However, they forgot to take into account the piece of crap cars the three hosts had picked out.

The BMW had proven to be a heavy car, and had crashed and banged it's way along the route. The Porche had been trouble almost from the start, conking out roughly a mile from where they started. Ironically the hated Beetle had held up best so far, not having any major mechanical problems other than getting stuck occasionally.

"May I?" Maya finally asked.

"You're going to make me look really stupid, aren't you?" Misato asked her wryly as she stepped back and let Maya at it.

"Probably," Maya agreed cheerfully. She tinkered a few minutes then called, "Senpai, please turn it over."

"Right," Ritsuko did as the engine roared back to life.

"I hate you," Misato sighed. Then added grudgingly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Maya laughed.

"So," Ritsuko asked as she got out, "are we moving on?"

"Assuming your wheel doesn't come off," Misato smirked.

"Yuck it up," Ritsuko sighed.

Ritsuko was quickly deciding the Porche had been a bad, BAD idea. She was now quite certain that it hadn't been rebuilt properly, and the shaking, rattling and such she was hearing as she drove filled her with worry. Misato had claimed to see the one wheel actually wobbling, and she was worried she wasn't lying.

And before them was Tokyo, filled with wrecked roads, various degrees of flooding and other dangers. Misato's voice came over the radio, "We'll try to run till nightfall, barring anything going wrong, and we have a camp planned in one of the old car parks."

"Do we need that long?" Maya asked, surprised.

Ritsuko noted, "We're on Top Gear. Things HAPPEN."

"Point," Maya admitted.

"Let's go," Misato said, starting her car and leading the way across the wreckage.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Oh gods I am going to DIE," Ritsuko moaned as they reached the camp as the sun was going down behind the ruined towers of the city.

"That was scary," Maya whimpered.

"It wasn't THAT bad," Misato noted as she slammed her door. As it hit, the mirror mounted on the door wobbled, then fell off. "Crap."

Ritsuko got out, stretching as she moaned in pain. "I think the suspension is shot too," she admitted reluctantly.

Maya had also gotten out, and was looking at Ritsuko with some concern. "You're standing at a odd angle, senpai," she noted gently.

"Back hurts," Ritsuko admitted reluctantly.

"Well get some dinner going, then I'll try rubbing your back," Maya offered gently.

"Thankfully Top Gear Headquarters sent someone to cook dinner." Misato noted, smiling as a familiar young man worked over the camp stove.

"I started before you got here," Shinji noted, wearing a white lab coat for a costume, "should be done fairly soon."

"Oh thank goodness," Ritsuko sighed, "I was worried we'd have to eat whatever Misato caught and cooked up."

"I don't think anyone at headquarters is THAT cruel," Maya noted dryly.

"Oh, yuck it up," Misato said dryly. She looked over at Maya, "You okay? I know the wild dogs scared you."

Maya grimaced. It had happened at a bathroom break, of all things. They found some green area, the crew checked it was safe, then the women had... done their business. All as usual, pretty much. But Maya had apparently picked somewhere near where some wild dogs were denning.

It had been both hilarious and scary as Maya burst from the bushes, pantless, chased by wild dogs. She scrambled into her car as the crew got guns out, firing shots to scare the animals away.

"I'm fine," Maya sighed. "Deeply humiliated, but fine."

"WE can ask Gendo about editing that bit out," Ritsuko offered.

Maya looked at her incredulously, "You're kidding. Even I can see that would be comedy gold."

"Well, yes," Misato admitted.

"Exactlt," Maya sighed. Reflectively she looked off in the distance and added, "Maybe in a few years I'll look back at this and laugh."

"I hope so," Ritsuko patted her arm.

Dinner was called, and the three women collected their food, thanking Shinji politely. They ate around a camp fire, even as the ruins of the city loomed up around them.

"It's kind of spooky," Maya shivered.

Ritsuko scooted a bit closer and put a arm over Maya's shoulders. "We won't be out here too much longer," she offered.

"She's right, we should be able to finish the route tomorrow," Misato said optimistically. Assuming nothing else went wrong, of course...

To be continued...