A "Warm" Paradise Welcome

Greg moaned as he carefully got in. Ashton looked on, reminiscing his rookie days. His cell phone went off, and he answered it.

"Hey, Greg, I've got to go. My work's calling me back." He turned to the junkyard foreman. "Marty, put the P12 back. I need the Citizen."

Again, Marty called to the crane operator. The magnet swung low and picked up the P12. Once the P12 had carefully been put back in place, the magnet attached to an unseen vehicle and began to rise again. This cars silhouette was very different. The vehicle began its fall to earth shortly after, landing right next to the Calvary. It was a police interceptor. There wasn't a single scratch on the black and white paint. Greg was surprised.

"You work for the police department?"

"Yes, the PCPD employs almost every driver in Paradise. Oh, before I go, you'll need this." he tossed a small Bluetooth device to Greg. "Use it to keep in touch. Once you get that Calvary fixed up, call me."

"Where's the nearest auto repair?"

"Just make a right at the intersection, and it should be on your left on South Bay Expressway."

He jumped in and roared off back towards the police station. Greg closed the mangled door of his "new" car and tried to turn the engine over. It coughed and wheezed before slowly coming to life. Black smoke spewed from the tailpipe as he drove off. Cautiously, Greg drove to the auto repair around the corner.

"Oh, what'd you do to that Calvary, man? Take through a Road Rage? Marked Man?" the mechanic asked as Greg got out. The others got to work on the Cavalry.

"I just got it today."

"OK. 'ey Tony, give this guy the 'fruit basket'."

"'Fruit basket'? Is that going to cost extra?"

"You really are new to Paradise, aren't you? Every repair job is free for licensed drivers."

Greg was surprised.

"So, what's the 'fruit basket'?"

"GPS, radio communications, and satellite radio. Keeps you moving through the city."

"Yo, boss," Called Tony, "we're done, man."

Greg was now taken aback as he looked at his new car. Everything was fixed. The fenders were smooth, and their paint shone. More shocking yet, it had only been less than a minute. The manager came up and talked to him.

"Here you go, man. Get going and bring us some better cars to fix up, dig?"

"Uh, yea."

Greg got in his newly repaired Calvary and fired up the engine. The exhaust was clear as day and the engine smoothly revved. He rolled slowly out onto South Bay Expressway, joining the traffic flow. Soon after, the cars radio beeped. It was Ashton.

"I see the auto repair still gives out 'fruit baskets'. I've been given speed trap duties on I-88."

"So... what? Aren't you going to help me around town?"

"What? No. Get moving, man. Explore the city, learn the hidden routes. Oh, and tune to 101. Got to go."

The radio went silent once again as Greg continued over the South Bay Expressway bridge. He decided to get some music going and tuned to 101. The final chords of "Epic" played as he made a left onto South Mountain Drive. The song ended and the D.J. began to speak.

"Hey, D.J. Atomica here with announcement to make: there's another driver among us, people. He's making his way north on South Mountain, so why don't you stop by and give him a good, warm, Paradise City welcome? This is Atomica, here at Crash F.M."

The music began to play again while Greg was passing through the intersection of North Mountain Drive, South Mountain Drive, and Hans Way. Hearing another growling engine behind him, he took a look in his rear view mirror. He looked away from the gleaming chrome grill of the 4x4 behind him, shocked knowing that it was the only visible portion of the vehicle.

The driver of the monstrous vehicle pulled up next to Greg as his passenger leaned far outside to catch a glimpse of Paradise's newest driver. Before the rowdy man could say anything, the truck collided with a sedan, causing it to flip. Greg tried to hold the road while the three-ton truck smashed its way down the road, somehow keeping up with him. As it finally began to slow, Greg thought he heard one of the men calling out to him.

"Welcome to Paradise, dude!"