Acceleracers Nexus
Chapter Four: Revival and Reunion
Author: Chase Wheeler
Disclaimer: Same as before.
Summary: Chase has rushed Dawn to Vert's med-bay with the large trucker tagging along. While Chase worries over Dawn, Vert's in for one hell of a reunion.
Acceleracers Nexus.
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Rageous sat idling in a large garage, the car's driver having rushed out so fast to carry a teenage girl into the house and to the med-bay. Chase gently laid Dawn on one of the hospital beds and reached to press a button on a console mounted to the wall. "Mom! Mom! I need your help!" He called into the microphone on the intercom. The large trucker that had been following Chase, looked around at the large med-bay. It was nostalgic, reminding him of days in his own youth. He was on a bed like that one once, having nightmares about giant fish.
The trucker was broken away from his memories by the sliding door opening. But as soon as he saw the woman that rushed in, his memories flared again. "Jasmine?" he whispered. The woman seemed to hear though, as she locked eyes with his for a mere moment, before rushing to Chase's side and to Dawn's aid. Hurriedly checking Dawn over she turned to Chase, "What happened? Who is this girl?"
Chase cracked. He lunged forward and hugged the woman tightly. "Oh mom!" he cried into her shoulder like he used to when he was younger. The large trucker almost spit up the coffee he was drinking. 'Did he say mom?'
Chase's mother rubbed her son's back gently. "Chase, listen to me Chase. I need to know what happened, so I can help her. Please, son."
Chase let his mother out of his embrace. In one instant, he was calm and rational again. A stone, just like always. "She hit a telephone pole." Chase pointed to the truck driver. "That man helped me get her out of her car."
The trucker was smiling, proud of himself until Chase's mothers eyes fixed on him. "Trying to make up for past sins, Deezel?" She practically spit at him with vehemence. Fear shone through Deezel Riggs's eyes for only the third or fourth time in his life. He sunk against the wall, anything to get away from the small black haired woman wearing the white lab coat.
"Jasmine?"
The woman turned away from him and started to concentrate solely on the injured girl on the bed. "Chase, take Deezel to see your father. I need to change the girl's clothes to check for broken bones or spinal problems."
Chase had a million questions running through his mind at the moment. Only one of which he asked. "Where's dad?"
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The years had been nice to Vert Wheeler. He was the youngest looking 38 year old in Bayview. His blonde hair still bright and messy on his head, unlike all the other guys he knew that were his age who were losing their hair pretty quickly. If one didn't know better they would say Vert was only 28 years old of so.
The world's fastest racer turned the wrench tightening the last bolt on the body of the white car in front of him. Primal fury, Power Rage's new born brother was completed. With a body based on an older 2005 Ford Mustang the car looked retro yet modern. Three golden circles were painted on the cars hood, each looking to revolve as the viewer moved around the car. The golden circles had small designs painted to look as they were embedded in the circles sides. The design meant so much to Vert, memories of companionship and betrayal. Few knew where the design came from but all racing fans knew it as the logo of the famous Vert Wheeler, The World's Fastest Racer.
Blue and Orange graffiti text spelled out "Vert" on each side of the vehicle. Those colors too meant a great deal to the racer. Just looking at them brought him a sense of pride as he remembered old teammates. "Teku" he whispered to himself.
"Metal maniacs." A gruff sounding voice said from behind him. Vert spun quickly ready for anything, except of course what he saw.
"Porkchop?" Vert was seriously thinking this was a hallucination caused by working on Fury for so long without rest. But if that was so why Porkchop?
The large man rushed Vert, making Chase think that he was about to attack his father. He was taken by just as much surprise as his father when the man called Porkchop lifted the startled Vert into the air and hugged him tightly. "Vert. Even if you were a stinku, Its great to see you!"
Chase felt so confused. 'Did he call dad a stinku? What the?' Walking closer to the large man, he saw that his dad's face was turning blue. "Mr Chop. You're suffocating him!" He yelled at the older man. Porkchop immediately released Vert and looked sheepishly at the ground. "Sorry, Wheeler."
After catching up his lost breath, Vert patted his shoulders. "It's ok, PorkChop. I'm glad to see an old friend myself."
Chase had had it with being confused and was going to make it known, loudly. "Who the hell is this guy, Dad? And why did he call you a stinku?" Just from the past few minutes, Chase didn't like this Porkchop guy that much.
Vert laughed loudly. "Son, This is Deezel 'Porkchop' Riggs. He raced on an opposing team back when I was a street racer. And Stinku was his nickname for the Teku."
Chase caught on quickly and turned to Porkchop. "So you were a Metal Maniac?"
Porkchop nodded, then realized just who this young man was. 'That's Vert's son?' He thought. Looking him over quickly, Deezel realized that the young man did take after Vert a lot, but also had a healthy mix of Jasmine's features, like her raven hair. Deciding not to fight the urge, the large man hauled Chase up and hugged him just as tightly as he had his father.
Chase's eyes went wide as he was forcefully lifted into the sweaty arms of the very large trucker. The force in the behemoth's embrace reminded him of watching the guy tear Heaven Sent's doors off the hinges. Once his breathing started to become shallow, he fought against the larger man, resulting in finally being released. After which he stood bent over huffing.
"Mighty fine kid you got there, Wheeler." Porkchop said to Vert.
Vert smiled proudly and patted his son on the back gently. "Yeah. He is. What about your son, Porkchop?"
Deezel Riggs looked down at the ground sadly. "He died. He joined the marines and died on assignment in Europe."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Deezel. He was a good kid." Vert said sadly.
"Yeah. I couldn't have asked for better. They say he died fighting. I'm proud of that."
Chase knew when it was time to change subjects and this was one of them. Looking around for something, anything to talk about, his eyes found Primal Fury. 'Bingo.' Chase thought. Running to the car he started looking it all over. "Wow, dad. You finished Fury. It looks awesome." Sure enough Chase's strategy worked like a charm and all the guys in the garage started to talk about cars and motors.
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Dawn came to slowly to find herself in a completely white room and wearing a hospital gown on a reclining bed. For a few seconds she couldn't remember how she got to where she was, but like a flood it all came back. The race, the crowd's reaction, and the wreck. It all hit her like a punch to the stomach and she started to cry sitting up with her legs around her arms.
A warm hand touched her shoulder and Dawn looked up to see a beautiful raven haired woman in front of her. The woman looked to be in her late twenties and was wearing a doctor's lab coat. She had the most caring blue eyes that Dawn had seen. It was strange that she could look so beautiful and young yet seem so motherly all at once.
The woman's smile had forced Dawn to stop crying as she felt warmth spread through every inch of her body. "It's all right. You're going to be fine." The woman said. "May I ask your name, dear?"
"Dawn, Dawn Ambers."
"Well, Ms. Ambers, You're fine. No broken bones, no cuts, and no scrapes. Clean bill of health all the way."
Dawn nodded. "Thank you, miss..?"
The woman laughed a little. "Sorry. My name's Jasmine Wheeler. But you can call me Jazz."
Dawn's eyes almost literally popped out of her head. "Wheeler? Like in Vert's Wheeler's wife?"
Being accustomed to this response, Jazz just nodded. "Yep. And the only one that can beat him in a race." She giggled. "He kinda lets me win."
Dawn smiled. She'd never felt so comfortable in the presence of a stranger. No one except... "Where's Chase?" Dawn asked quickly. "The guy who brought me here, where is he?"
Jazz smiled. "He's currently talking to his father and the truck driver that helped him free you from the car." She looked at Dawn curiously. "You were completely unconscious the whole time, how did you know it was Chase that brought you in?"
Dawn blushed as deep red as Rageous's body. "I just kinda...felt him, ya know?" The embarrassed girl looked at the sheets of the hospital bed to hide her face and didn't see the warm happy smile on the woman's face.
"You can go see him, if you want. But afterwards I suggest you get some rest. No hanky panky understood?"
"Chase doesn't think of me that way. But I would like to see him." Dawn blushed again.
Jazz gave the young girl her clothes and called a butler to escort her to the garage to see Chase. After the girl had left Jazz pulled a book from her desk titled 1000 baby names. 'Someone's got to start thinking about these things' she thought as she opened the book and started to look through names circling any she thought would be good for her grandchildren.
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Chase was the only one in the garage when the door to the house opened and Dawn stepped out. His father and PorkChop had decided to go for a drive in Primal Fury, but he had wanted to stay to see if Dawn woke up. He was working on one of the cars, OverLoad, when soft warm hands covered his eyes and a soft feminine voice asked him "Guess who?"
Rageous's driver resisted the urge to shake his head, thinking this was another of his boyish dreams about the lovely female racer. "Dawn." he said simply. When the hands were removed he turned and stared into her blue eyes before catching himself. "You're okay!" he said happily.
Dawn smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Mrs. Wheeler gave me the okay to go home." She looked at the garage then at him. "So you work for Vert Wheeler? That's amazing."
Chase shook his head. "Sorta."
"When are you going home? I mean I'm sorry to ask but could you give me a ride?"
Chase smiled. "I can give you a ride, no problem. But me going home, that is."
Dawn looked into his eyes, confused. "Why?"
"I can't go home when I'm already there, Dawn."
Dawn's eyes lit up. "You mean you live with Vert Wheeler? OH MY GOD! That is so cool. He lets you live here while you work on his cars!"
Chase shook his head again. "You're just not getting it, Dawn. This car isn't his. Its mine. And I don't work for Vert. Half the cars in this garage are mine. Half are dad's."
Dawn was starting to piece it together but what she suspected was too out there to be true. "Dad?"
Chase nodded. "You wanted to know my last name, right Dawn?" She nodded. "Its Wheeler. My full name is Brian Chase Wheeler."
The world exploded around Dawn. It was too much for her after her wreck. As things got black she realized one thing before all faded. 'He's holding me up in his arms.'
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Chase paced the room worriedly. 'It was stupid of me to tell her my name right after her wreck.' With typical Chase Wheeler fury he hit his head almost hard enough to knock him out as well. "don't do that." Dawn's soft voice spoke from the large king sized bed in the room. Turning sharply and seeing her lying on his bed, Chase quickly moved to her side.
"I'm so sorry, Dawn. I didn't think before I told you that Vert is my dad." He was shushed by the trembling finger that came to his lips.
Dawn surprised herself in her forwardness. She'd never have had the guts to do that before. To actually touch his lips. "I'm alright, Chase. Please don't feel sorry."
Chase was violently knocked out of his surprise, when he looked behind her head. There posted on the wall was a large photo of Dawn that Chase had paid Kash to take. It was of her washing her car after a race they had been in on dirt roads outside Bayview. She was leaning over with a rag in her hand wiping at the hood of Heaven Sent lovingly, wearing a bright blue tank since she had removed her white jacket. 'Out of all the rooms to bring her to in this house, I choose the one that's a psychotic stalker's shrine to her.' Deciding that it was late and he needed to get her home, fast, Chase tried to help Dawn up out of his bed. "I think it'd be best if I took you home before your parents start to worry."
Dawn shook her head. "My parents aren't even in town. They're in Europe on a business trip." Her voice was sad as she told him this and it made Chase want to hold her tightly.
"We have guest rooms." Chase said without thinking. 'What the? That's lame' he thought to himself.
"Huh?" Poor Dawn was confused yet again.
"I mean.. you can stay here if you like." Chase offered. "We have plenty of guest rooms and its really late.
"You sure your parents wont mind?" Dawn asked.
He laughed in his head. "Mind? My mom would be so happy that I finally brought a girl home that she might insist you stay in my room and sleep in my bed.' he thought to himself. "Nah, They wont mind."
After she nodded he helped her from his bed and guided her across the hall one of the guest rooms. "I'm right across the hall if you need something, Dawn. Just knock." He watched her nod before he turned around and went back inside his room.
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Dawn was extremely happy. It wasn't just because she knew who Chase was now, or that she was sleeping in the room across from him. Or the fact that he had seemed so worried about her and was nice to her. No. What made Dawn happy was the fact that Chase had a mirror directly in front of his bed. To many that wouldn't mean anything. But that mirror let you see the wall behind the bed, and the certain large poster sized picture that was attached to said wall. 'I might just stand a chance after all.' She thought as sleep over took her.
Hoped you enjoyed Chapter four. It was fun just to write it, so I hope you have fun reading it. Just have to see where things move from here. And I promise action will pick up soon. So don't worry.
To my beloved reviewers:
Wings of Speed: Thanks for the review. I'm having fun bringing in the old cast for a few scenes here and there. They will be a major part of the story but that won't be for a little while now.
Yeah, I love Bayview from NFS Underground 2. Most Wanted is also an awesome game.
Did you even suspect that PorkChop and Vert would act the way they did. PorkChop is a big softy now, especially after his son died.
And sorry, but I didn't get your message about Trin and Shirako's daughter, could you please send it again? Can't wait to see an update on your story. Thanks.
Moriko: All the old cast will return at one point or another. But if you really like the Wylde brothers then please stick around for my prequel to Neo titled Disguises can't fool the heart. They play a major part in it. Thanks for the review.