Author's Note: This is my favorite chapter of the story and one of my favorite chapters of anything I've ever written. I eagerly await your reactions.
Chapter 14
13 Years Ago
Taiyang and Summer loved the Mountain Glenn Grand Prix. It was a big hit among the drivers in general. For one, it was the richest purse on the calendar by a wide margin. The scenery also happened to be beautiful. Perched atop a hill overlooking a lake, the Mountain Glenn Grand Prix Course was set in a clearing surrounded by trees. With the race held at the beginning of Fall, the trees were full of color as the leaves began to change. But what really interested Taiyang and Summer was the wine. Mountain Glenn was not as well know a wine-producing region as Vytal but in their estimation it was even better. Dozens of wineries dotted the hills all around the track. The pair arrived a week before the race and spent the time drinking and taking in the scenery. It was a rare opportunity to spend time together without having to worry about racing or the kids.
As much fun as they had, once it was time to race they were all business. It was the final race of the season and the pair were first and second in points. Taiyang had a one point advantage but a tiebreaker would go to Summer. They qualified first and second and when the race started they pulled out a sizable gap over the rest of the runners. Taiyang wanted it badly. He had dominated the previous season, winning twice as many races as any other driver, but lost out on the title to Summer due to several DNFs. This year it was closer, but he felt owed.
At the halfway mark it looked like it was all over. Heading uphill through the esses, just after the pits, Taiyang's engine cut out. He coasted to a stop and it refused to refire. It hardly mattered anyway, he was so far behind that he would never catch up even if it did. He got out of the car, leaving it on the side of the track, and returned to the pits. Summer was not one to gloat, but just knowing he had lost out to her again was unbearable.
A few laps later Summer made an unscheduled pit stop. The look on her face said it all. Her race was over too. The engine was audibly missing and it would only be a matter of time before it failed completely. She got out of the car and hugged Taiyang. "Congrats champ." She said.
"It's a shame I had to win this way." Taiyang said. "I was looking forward to battling it out on track."
"It would have been nice." Summer said. "I guess we can't win them all."
"I guess." Taiyang said. "It's been a hell of a year. You were amazing."
"You were pretty good yourself." Summer said. "I'll get you next year though."
"I won't just lay down and let you have it." Taiyang said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Summer said.
The next year Taiyang would be champion again, but there would be no joy.
Present Day
The track at Mountain Glenn was a drastic shift from those that preceded it on the schedule. They had been all about power and speed but Mountain Glenn put a premium on handling as well. It was still fast but not nearly as fast as Forever Fall or Emerald Forest, or even Menagerie. The drivers were relieved by the change. After a string of terrible accidents they were eager to race at a thoroughly modern circuit that did not have kilometers long straights and insane speed.
The track was also something of an unknown. Formula 1 had been going to Mountain Glenn for years, but the track was newly and completely remodeled. Even the start/finish line and the pit straight had been moved. What the drivers certainly liked was that the circuit was surrounded by a robust armco barrier, a far cry from the dirt banks and thin ribbons of metal common elsewhere. A few of the corners even had real runoff area, a chance to slow down before slamming into something. Mistral this was not.
"We've got to win this race." Weiss said. "If we're going to have any shot at the title we need this one. We can't go to Atlas and let Schnee Automotive have the lead and homefield advantage."
"This track is ideal for us." Yang said. "If we can keep Pyrrha behind us, one of us will win. I don't think the track suits the Schnee cars either."
"As long as it doesn't rain, I'm not too worried about Pyrrha." Blake said. "This track is still fast enough that we should have a solid advantage on her."
"Any thoughts Ruby?" Yang asked.
"This track is really pretty." Ruby said. "I can see why dad loved it so much."
"And I can see why uncle Qrow loved it so much." Yang said. She pointed to a box in the corner of the room. "Normally the winner is the only one to get free booze."
"Can we please focus?" Blake cut in. "We need a strategy here. The easiest way to lose this race is to get in each other's' way. You two are almost tied in points. How are we going to work this?"
"I would say let us race and find out, but you make a good point." Yang said. "The last thing we need is to wreck each other or destroy the equipment by pushing too hard fighting one another."
"First into turn 1 then?" Weiss suggested.
"It might be a bit presumptuous to be strategizing like this before we've even had a practice session, but I can support that." Yang said.
Friday's practices went about the way Beacon GP expected. Yang led Weiss in the first session and Weiss led Yang in the second. Pyrrha was a close third in both with Penny not far behind. After that it was a chaotic mix of Coffee Inc., Phase Two, Haven Racing Team and Ciel. It was not out of the question that Penny could fall out of the points if she had the slightest bad luck. Beacon GP, and Pyrrha for that matter, needed to take the fight to her and now was their chance.
After a long day at the track, most of the drivers headed to the Lake Lodge. It's main purpose was as a hotel made up of a series of quaint log cabins, but that was not why the drivers were interested. They were there for the bar. The walls and even the ceiling of the bar were covered in memorabilia from races past and every year the drivers added to what was becoming a museum of the sport. It was a chance to unwind most of the drivers sorely needed.
Unfortunately, as was always the case, a few unwound a little too much. Weiss stood at the bar, getting drinks for she and Yang. Yang got her usual Strawberry Sunrise and Weiss got a glass of wine. Cardin approached, visibly drunk. "How about you and me go somewhere and have some fun?" He slurred.
"Leave me alone." Weiss said without even looking at him.
"Huh, I guess you really are the Ice Queen." Cardin laughed.
"Excuse me?" Weiss demanded.
"Only someone with a frozen heart could leave her sister and her teammate to burn on the side of the road." Cardin hissed. Weiss turned and slapped him. "You bitch!"
Cardin reared back to throw a punch but was too drunk to do it quickly. Weiss ducked as Cardin stumbled forward. With her head between his legs she stood up, flipping him over, back-first onto the bar. He bounced off and slid down behind it. Sky, also drunk, lunged at Weiss from the side. Yang arrived just in time, planting her shoulder in his gut and driving him into the bar. Yang followed up with an uppercut, then a punch to the stomach. Sky doubled over and Yang grabbed him by the back of his collar and his belt, spun him around and slammed his head into the bar. Cardin staggered to his feet and attempted to get back in the fight but Weiss grabbed him by the head with both hands and slammed his face into the top of the bar. He fell to the ground, joining his teammate in unconsciousness.
Weiss and Yang hi-fived. "Takin' out the trash." Yang said.
The bartender, and older balding man, glared at them. "I think we're in trouble." Weiss said.
Suddenly the bartender's expression changed. "You really showed those assholes." The bartender said with a big smile. "Your drinks are on me tonight." He looked around. "Now could somebody drag these idiots outside?!" He shouted. A pair of locals took the task, being extra rough. "I love it when you drivers show up. No only do you give the best tips, you never fail to put on a show."
Saturday morning's practice went much like the previous two, this time with Yang in front. Even so it was too close to call. It would all come down to time trials. In qualifying, the excitement usually came in the final minutes of the session when the track was at its fastest and the drivers routinely laid down faster and faster times. This time the excitement came much earlier on and for a much different reason.
Pyrrha rounded turn 11 and powered onto the start/finish straight. She crossed the line to begin her fast lap, a clear track in front of her. She upshifted and it all went wrong. The sudden surge in power snapped her defective left half-shaft and her car veered left into the armco that lined the track, shedding wheels and body panels as it scraped along. Just behind her, Jaune slowed to avoid the crash but Flynt Coal did not and plowed into the back of him. Jaune's car spun into the concrete wall that separated the track from the pits, throwing more debris up as it slid along. Flynt's steering was broken by the impact with Jaune and his car continued on. He locked up the brakes but the car smacked the right-side wall, shearing that side off the car.
Penny was next to the scene of the carnage. She blindly drove into the cloud of smoke and debris and shot out the other side. For a moment it looked as if she had gotten through unscathed but her car hooked left and hit the armco. The throttle was hung wide-open and the car ground along the barrier. The left-side fuel tank was almost immediately punctured, and with the car generating sparks from its metal-on-metal contact with the armco, it burst into flames. Penny's car continued on, trailing a wall of flames as it went. With only one working drive wheel and the friction with the armco, it slowed considerably before making gentle contact with the barrier at the far end of turn 1. The engine screamed, still revving to maximum RPMs as the car sat stationary until it finally tore itself apart seconds later.
The session was red flagged immediately. The crews and pit safety workers rushed across the track to fight the fire that had caught the grass on both sides of the armco, threatening the spectators just beyond. The fuel tank had drained before Penny's car reached its resting point, so her car was not engulfed. As a result, the workers ignored it. Not Ruby. She could see that while the other drivers had gotten out in a hurry, Penny had remained slumped against the steering wheel. Ruby rushed to Penny's side. Her helmet was cracked with an ominous black mark right above the brim on the right side. A piece of debris, apparently a tire, had struck her.
Blood was gushing from a wound on Penny's forehead. It was deep and wide enough to see her skull. The fact that blood was still pumping was a good sign at least. Ruby pulled her back off the steering wheel and was able to see that she was breathing too. Penny's eyes fluttered then opened.
"Penny?" Ruby said nervously. Penny let out a blood-curdling scream. Looking at the blood on her hands and all around the cockpit she kept screaming. "Penny, calm down, I'm here." Ruby implored.
Penny stopped screaming but kept hyperventilating, a look of sheer terror on her face. "Ru...Ru...Ru...Ru...Ru…" She kept saying frantically.
"Penny, you're going to be alright." Ruby said. "We need to get you out of the car."
"I...I don't...I...I don't want to die." Penny stammered. She seemed entirely unable to help herself out and Ruby was not strong enough to do it for her. "He...help...me."
Ruby looked around and there was no one near them. The safety workers and crews were still fighting the fire and even the fans had fled the flames. Ruby was desperate. She reached down and undid Penny's belts. Putting her arms under Penny's, Ruby tried to lift her from the car but she was not strong enough. She stood again. "Someone help us!" She screamed. "Someone please!"
Pyrrha was sitting on the pit wall, trying to gather herself after what had been a hard impact. She heard yelling over the general din and looked down toward the first turn. Why was Penny still in her car? Ruby was beside her, yelling and gesturing frantically. Something was obviously wrong. Still a little unsteady on her feet, Pyrrha rushed to the scene as fast as she could manage. Ruby had blood on her hands and overalls. Penny she was soaked in blood. Pyrrha understood the situation immediately, even if Ruby was too frantic to explain it. She jumped over Penny's car to driver's left and grabbed Penny under one of her shoulders. "Ruby, lift her with me." Pyrrha commanded. Ruby took Penny's other shoulder and together the pair lifted her out. Once free of the car, Pyrrha pulled Penny over, laying her down in the grass beyond a convenient gap in the barrier. Penny still looked terrified, like she did not know what was happening.
Blake spotted Pyrrha sprinting to Penny's car. Ruby was already there and Penny was still inside. Blake knew she must have been injured. She gave up fighting the fire and ran up the track. An ambulance was waiting near where the initial impact had taken place. She got their attention and directed the medics down the track.
Ruby tried to comfort Penny but she would not calm down. Her precision driving could make her seem robotic at times, but Penny was very much flesh and blood. The ambulance arrived, and Penny was loaded onto a stretcher. That only seemed to increase her anxiety and she began babbling incoherently. "I need to go with her." Ruby said to Pyrrha. "Tell my team." She followed Penny into the ambulance and it headed straight for the hospital.
"Ruby went to the hospital with Penny." Pyrrha said. No one at Beacon GP looked all that surprised. "I hope it doesn't ruin qualifying for you if they restart the session."
"It's not a problem." Yang said. "The cars are good and Blake can make any minor adjustments we need." Something in Pyrrha's facial expression had Yang concerned. "Pyrrha, are you going to be alright?"
"I'm fine." Pyrrha said.
"You're not." Weiss said. "And you're a bad liar."
"I feel like this whole thing is my fault." Pyrrha said. "If I could have reacted quicker and kept the car out of the armco, none of this would have happened. If Penny di...if she doesn't make it, I don't think I could live with myself."
"Don't be stupid." Blake said. Pyrrha was taken aback. "It's obvious that your car broke. There are some things you can't control. Don't go blaming yourself for something that obviously wasn't your fault."
"Yeah, and as quick as you are, I doubt it would've been humanly possible to react any faster." Yang said. "And you never could have predicted that Jaune and Flynt would crash too. That definitely wasn't your fault."
"I guess you're right, but I still feel terrible." Pyrrha sighed. "I wish there was something I could do."
"Get back in the car and race." Weiss said. "Then when Penny recovers buy her dinner or something. Stop worrying about it. You can still win the title and if you lose because of this Penny's going to feel guilty about it."
"Thanks." Pyrrha said. She managed a faint smile. "I should get back to my team. I'm sure they could use my help with the repairs."
After almost an hour of track clearing and armco repairs, time trials got back underway. Schnee Automotive withdrew from the race leaving just 16 cars. With the three others taken out in the crash, the remaining field was down to 13 for the remainder of the session. As the clock ticked down Yang headed the session from Weiss. Pyrrha's time was third but she would not be improving it, nor would Penny's in fourth mean anything. How things would shake out behind them was still to be decided however.
Yang knew Weiss was not going to just accept second place. She would have to improve her time on her last run or risk losing the pole. She powered out of turn 11, crossed under the pedestrian bridge and flashed across the line to start her lap. The end of the straight was steeply downhill, leading into a sharp, right-angle right-hander that was slightly banked to the drivers' advantage. Yang slid the car through the turn and onto the short straight that had once been the start/finish straight. The track climbed uphill, growing more steep as Yang slung the car through the right-left-right of the esses, turns 2-4. She was nearly flat-out and rocketed onto the back straight.
The long uphill run of the back straight leveled off and Yang braked for turn 5, a sweeping, downhill, banked right-hander. The car oversteered but Yang held it and powered downhill toward the new section of the track, known as The Boot. The first corner, turn 6, was best described as the shin when using the boot analogy, a tight downhill left. She powered down the straightaway that led to the toe of The Boot, a sharp, uphill and banked right-hander. She spun the tires on exit as the car scrambled uphill. She crested the rise and waited a few moments before braking for the heel, the tightest corner in the section. It was a sharp right that was off-chamber. The car oversteered badly but she saved it. Then it was steeply downhill and back up into turn 9 where the new addition rejoined the old track. She slid the car wide, using all the track on exit and was almost immediately in turn 10. She swept through the left-hander and out onto the short straight before 11. Turn 11 was a slightly banked right-hander and Yang got it exactly right, roaring onto the start/finish straight and across the line to complete her lap.
Weiss did indeed improve her time but Yang did as well, taking the pole. Coco took third and Pyrrha's time was good for fourth. Sun qualified fifth, followed by Neptune, Mercury, Emerald and Yatsuhashi. Yang and Weiss had prime position on the grid but the run down into turn 1 would be long. A lot could happen by the time they arrived. Still, it was better than being in the back.
Race day was sunny and cool. Ruby had returned to the track that morning. Penny was alive but not out of the woods yet. Though her blood loss had been alarming it was a problem easily fixed. Her severe head injuries were another story. The doctors had put her in an induced coma to prevent brain damage. There was no time table for her recovery or any idea how complete it might be. Her skull had been fractured and the doctors were unable to properly assess the damage beneath. Her right orbital was also broken and her eye only just missed being crushed. Ruby had wanted to stay with her, but since Penny was unconscious there was really no point. In any case, Ironwood and Ciel took over at her bedside and insisted Ruby return to the track.
The cars rolled around for their parade lap and took their spots on the grid. The starter, positioned in an elevated platform rather than on the track as was traditional, raised the green flag and the drivers revved their engines. The flag was waved and they were off. Yang was a split-second off on the start, giving Weiss the chance to match her as they ran down the straight. They had agreed that the first to turn 1 would have the lead, but they had not anticipated a tie. They were going to race for it.
Weiss drove her car as deep into turn 1 as she dared and Yang did the same to her left. Weiss had the inside line but too much speed. She slid wide, forcing Yang out into the grass at corner exit. Weiss' bad angle meant she got a bad exit and held up Coco on the outside. Pyrrha had taken a more traditional line through the corner, dove to the inside and floored it. Coco braked and moved right to avoid Weiss, allowing Yang to get in behind her teammate. Weiss and Pyrrha ran side-by-side toward the Esses, but Pyrrha had the preferred line and Weiss had to yield. She slotted into second with Yang just behind.
The red mist descended. Yang was furious. Even if they had reached the corner at the same time, as the pole sitter it should have been hers. Then Weiss ran her off the track. She checked her mirrors. Coco's evasive maneuvers had held up the rest of the field considerably. She was right on Weiss' tail as they climbed the hill. Now was the perfect time to make a pass. Yang dove to the right at the last second, much to Weiss' surprise. Weiss had to let Yang through but Yang had misjudged the corner. She slid to the outside of the track and Weiss dove back past on the inside. There would not be another realistic passing opportunity until the heel of The Boot, so Yang fell in line and bided her time.
Weiss protected the inside line in the next two corners, though Yang made no attempt to pass. Taking poor lines allowed Pyrrha to build her lead. Weiss blocked the inside in the heel as well so Yang tried to go around the outside. Weiss had not expected the move, and certainly never dreamed it could work, but the two exited the corner side-by-side. Weiss had to take a much tighter line than she wanted and oversteered badly. Yang slid too wide and dipped her left-rear into the grass and almost spun. The net result was that Weiss held onto the position and Pyrrha drove away. Now Coco and the rest were right on the back of Yang. She decided it was time to settle down and pull a gap before trying to pass again.
Pyrrha had built a big lead on that first lap as Yang and Weiss battled, and over the next few circuits it held. Weiss and Yang were easily able to pull away from Coco and the others but Pyrrha was laying down times just as fast as they were. It was incredibly frustrating. It was not all sunshine and rainbows for Pyrrha though. As the laps ticked off it was becoming clear to her that she was pushing too hard to maintain the gap. Her tires were wearing and the brakes started to feel soft. If she was going to finish, she would have to slow down.
Heading down the back straight on lap 27 of 60, Sun got a good run on Coco. He pulled to the right and the two braked for turn 5 side-by-side. Sun completed the pass and with Coco forced to the outside, Neptune slipped by too. Coco got back in line behind them but the Haven Racing Team pair was fast. They were not fast enough to catch Weiss and Yang, but fast enough to pull away from the rest. Meanwhile, at the front, Weiss and Yang were beginning to eat into Pyrrha's lead. It was only fractions of a second per lap but they were gaining and would catch up soon.
Then Yang's anger got the best of her. She was still fuming about Weiss' turn 1 move and not about to let her finish ahead. On lap 37 Yang hung back to get a run off of turn 11. The cars roared down into turn 1 and Yang dove to the inside. She could easily have completed the move cleanly but ran extra wide to make a point. Weiss had to slam on her brakes to avoid being run off the track. Now Weiss was angry too. She followed Yang through the Esses and up the back straight. She closed around turn 5 and into The Boot. On entry to the heel Weiss was almost touching the back of Yang's car. When Yang braked for the corner, Weiss was. The two cars made light contact but it was enough to upset both. Yang ran wide, taking a wild slide through the grass before skidding back onto the track perpendicular to the direction of travel. Weiss did a complete spin in the middle of the corner and kept going. After sitting still for a second, Yang got going again as well. They had not lost any positions but they had lost a ton of time. The only way they would be able to catch Pyrrha was if she had some sort of problem.
Pyrrha did not have a problem. On worn tires and failing brakes she nursed the car home to victory. Weiss finished second, followed by Yang, both a considerable distance back. The points paying positions were filled out by Sun, Neptune and Coco. The race was over but the drama was just beginning. Yang and Weiss said nothing to each other on their way to the podium. After the national anthems of Mistral and Vale were played for the winning driver and team respectively, the top three finishers were handed their trophies and bottles of champagne. Pyrrha opened her bottle calmly and took a swig before raising it and her trophy over her head in triumph. Yang shook up her bottle, fired the cork just wide of Weiss' head, then proceeded to spray her teammate in the face until there was nothing left to spray. After overcoming the initial shock, Weiss placed her trophy and champagne on the ground. She took a deep breath, then screamed and charged at Yang, tackling her to the ground. The pair grappled with each other, rolling around on the podium platform, until Pyrrha and Glynda separated them.
Ozpin arrived in moments to escort his enraged drivers back to their garage. He was careful to keep himself between them as they walked. "You tried to run me off the track!" Weiss shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm your teammate!"
"You did run me off the track!" Yang countered. "I won the pole so I was supposed to have turn 1, but you put me in the grass! They you intentionally tried to wreck me!"
Ozpin had heard enough. "You should both be ashamed!" He admonished. "The immaturity you both displayed today is entirely unacceptable. You're lucky I'm the one running the team because most owners would fire you both after a display like that. You should have come out of this race first and second in the championship, but now you're both behind because you couldn't play nice."
"I...she!" Weiss tried to protest.
"I'm sorry." Yang said. "I was an idiot. I should know better."
Weiss sighed. "Me too." She said.
"Don't apologize to me." Ozpin said. "Apologize to each other." They were just arriving at the garage. "And apologize to the crew. You cost them the race."
"I'm sorry Weiss, I shouldn't have forced you wide." Yang said.
"And I'm sorry for retaliating." Weiss said. "On the first lap, I promise, I didn't do that on purpose. I just got the corner wrong."
"I know." Yang said. "And I'm sorry to Ruby and Blake and everyone who works on the cars. Drinks are on me tonight."
"And the food's on me." Weiss added.
"So you went from trying to claw each other's eyes out to being friends again and buying everyone dinner in the time it took to walk her from the podium?" Ruby asked. "What did Ozpin say to you?"
"He just pointed out how stupid we both were." Weiss said. "I'm so embarrassed."
"I really didn't think we'd make it this far into the season without you two killing each other." Blake said. "I guess miracles happen."
Standings after eight races:
1st - Pyrrha Nikos - 33
2nd - Weiss Schnee - 29
3rd - Yang Xiao-Long - 28
4th - Penny Polendina - 27
5th - Winter Schnee - 24
6th - Coco Adel - 15
7th - Sun Wukong - 11
7th - Yatsuhashi Daichi - 11
9th - Ciel Soleil - 8
10th - Mercury Black - 6
11th - Neptune Vasilias - 5
12th - Emerald Sustrai - 3
Inspirations
- Mountain Glenn is based on Watkins Glen.
- The Lake Lodge is based on the Seneca Lodge.
- Penny's accident is based on any number of open wheel accidents over the years. I suppose it's most closely based on Felipe Massa's incident at the Hungaroring in 2009.
- Yang and Weiss' podium fight is based on the fight between Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers after the 1979 Daytona 500. Cale and Donnie Allison had cost each other the race, but they still finished 4th and 5th.
Inaccuracies and Anachronisms
- The flashback layout of the track is accurate, but the Present Day (1966) one is not. The track did not take on the described configuration until 1971. I know the newer circuit much better and have actually driven it.
- I'm not aware of any bar fights involving F1 drivers. I would not rule it out though.
- I'm not aware of any podium fights involving F1 drivers. I would rule it out though.