Morning, the next day.
In Las Vegas, when one says it's a fairly warm day, what they really meant was so boiling hot that you could probably cook your breakfast on the side walk. That's the think about building a city in the middle of a desert. Alex got a little too used to the atmosphere in Miami, where the term 'hot' could mean a number of different things, with some meanings used more often than the others. He thought it was funny that he used to live in this state and he actually lost familiarity with it. He didn't know whether that was natural or something else that made him wanna forget.
Alex drove down along the famous Las Vegas Strip in his Silvia S15. There were barely any cars on the road that morning. Despite the heat, Alex managed just fine with the AC still turned off and the windows rolled down. It was still a relatively cool morning and he wouldn't really need the AC until around the lunch hours. He tried to distract himself from the heat by playing some of his favorite tunes on the CD player.
When he came to a stop light he stopped at the white line right next to a dark, navy blue Ferrari F355 Spyder. Alex looked to his side to admire the car. Despite being a tuner by trade, Alex also had a soft spot for exotic performance cars. He looked up to see who the two people in the car were. The driver was the typical rich dude with the 90 dollar silk shirt and Ray Bans and the passenger was a girl ripped right out of the Victoria's Secret catalogue, thought Alex.
The driver of the Ferrari, took a bit to notice that Alex was stopped next to him. When he did, he seemed to freeze completely from the sight of the car. His girlfriend (Alex assumed she was his girlfriend) seemed to have a similar reaction. When Alex noticed that they were staring at his car, he started to feel a little awkward so he decided to break the ice a bit.
"Hey, dude. What's the retail on one of those?" said Alex.
To his surprise, the driver of the screamed "Not again!" while he shifted his car in reverse then floored the gas. The car blazed a trail going backwards and kept going. The Ferrari almost hit another car while going backwards but it eventually disappeared in the distance, its transmission, screaming in pain and protest.
Alex was left there at the stop light with a raised eyebrow and a need to scratch his head. "The hell was that all about?" he asked himself. He decided to just shrug it off and forget about it and resume his drive as the light turned green. He still had a meeting to go to.
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Meanwhile, somewhere.
For Suki, you've seen one casino, you've seen them all. No matter how big or small a casino is compared to the next one. Every single one of them is a money vacuum cleaner designed to empty the pockets of the overly hopeful and downright delusional (which is quite abundant in the country, she hated to admit. Little wonder Vegas is still in business after all these years)
So it was a wonder for Suki why she actually liked strolling lazily down the halls of the MGM Grand like an ordinary tourist and every now and then tossing a couple of quarters in the slot machines. Well, she had plenty of time and spare change to spare anyway so no harm there. The rest of the gang was still up in their rooms. Not exactly a bunch of morning people she should say. And with Alex gone on a meeting with their...benefactor, she was pretty much alone this morning. She wondered around the casino floor, just trying to find something interesting to look at.
What caught her eye though was the grand prize at the promo set of slot machines. Get the jackpot and you win a brand new 2009 Cadillac CTS-V.
Essentially, the CTS-V was Detroit's answer to Germany's BMW M5 and Mercedes S-class AMG: high performance technology in a practical and comfortable four-door saloon package. Suki admired the cars elegant yet masculine body shape with its flared wheel arches, wheel vents and back-end spoiler. Finally, something worth betting on, she thought.
Though her taste wasn't really in muscle, she could appreciate the appeal of such cars. She could appreciate the amount of musicality a big muscle V8 brings (hey, even women need testosterone every now and then. Ask a doctor!).
A tuner's appeal lies in its driver's pursuit of the perfect setting. Every part of a tuner car has to be adjustable for the driver to get his ideal setting right down to the smallest degree. Many tuner's spend days on end at an empty strip of road, doing turns, quarter-mile runs, circuits, and anything else to continuously test the car only to find something not quite right and then adjust it.
A muscle car however has the same basic appeal as holding a giant sledge hammer to a piece of concrete. You can spend the whole day just bashing away at the piece of concrete till your arms go numb and you'd still end up feeling like a million dollars at the end of the day.
She stood there in front of the display and thought long about whether she should risk the prospect of losing around twenty dollars worth of quarters to try and win this thing. She tried to think of a few things she could do as an alternative which were in her interest. Unfortunately, the only things that come to mind were Penn & Teller, Carrot top, and the Circ de Soleil. She really needed to come here more often, Suki thought.
Eventually, Suki just shrugged and decided to just go for it. She looked for an empty seat and found one near the end of the corner of the display. She made her way to it and was about to sit down when a familiar voice greeted her from behind. The voice, though familiar, was something she never expected of hearing again.
"Never really pegged you to be the type who's into muscle, Suki," said Brian O'Conner.
Suki whipped her head around so fast it almost snapped. He face was awash with a myriad of expressions; surprise, curiosity, dumbfound among them, maybe even a little joy at seeing an old friend.
Brian on the other hand looked like he wanted answers.
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Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city.
A tourist spot was not the ideal meeting spot for Alex. Although he could see why Virgil picked it.
In the city, he would usually pick some random floor on a random parking lot but in Vegas, where car theft was quite prominent, parking lots have tight security that makes meeting there impractical. Also, Alex suspected Virgil was still trying to keep that "we're all friends here so let's work together" attitude between them so he picked a spot where Alex might feel relaxed.
And a scenic hill-top outlook overlooking Lake Mead, the largest freshwater reservoir in the United States, would certainly be relaxing to anyone.
Personally he would've preferred a nice, well-tooled garage with a car in it worth fixing but that was beside the point. He drove up the short steep road to the top of the overlook. He immediately spotted Virgil there standing next to his M5. Two of his lackeys were there as well, standing next to the Tacoma.
Alex ignored them. Virgil had them on a short leash. He parked a few meters away from the M5. Normally, he would let the car run idle for a minute before turning it off but fortunately he installed a new HKS turbo-timer to do that for him as to avoid wrecking his precious engine. He stepped out of his car and calmly walked towards the other group. He noticed the lackeys twitch a bit with their hands under their jackets (don't they get hot in those? Thought Alex) undoubtedly grabbing their firearms.
Alex continued to ignore them completely. He knew that would annoy them.
"I'm guessing the reason you called me here is 'cause Sinclair knows," asked Alex.
"Were you expecting anything less from that man?"
"Nope. I guess I wasn't."
"At least I know you can still keep your wits about you."
"Ignoring that. But it's not like he can do something about it. We are competing in Ultimate Street legitimately. If he tries anything funny it would look bad for him. And besides, he's not in-charge of the completion. King is."
"That doesn't mean he doesn't have ways to get in our way. He has his own team in the completion as well."
Alex looked curious now. "Really?"
"Yes. And that's why I called you here. We found information on them. More than what you'd get on the network they set up.
"Cool. Let's see it then."
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MGM Grand.
It's funny how life just throws random crap at you, thought Suki at that moment. She and Brian were sitting together at a table next to one of the MGM Grand's five outdoor pools. They each had a drink in front of them, tropical fruit juice fresh off the mixer. Brian continued to give that intense questioning impression which made Suki a little nervous but she did well to hide it.
"Never thought I'd be seeing you again," said Suki. "Least here of all places."
"I could say the same to you," he replied with a friendly tone that felt a little forced. "So, are you here on business? Or just on vacation, Suki?"
Suki could already tell by the tone of the voice that wasn't so much as a casual question but more of an interrogation. Brian wanted to know something badly but he was still trying hard not to sound rude. Whether that's because he and Suki are old friends or him trying to remain inconspicuous was still unknown to her. She decided to go along with it first.
"Oh, a little bit a both," she said, sipping on her fruit juice.
"What do you mean?"
"It's the perfect time of the year to go to, Vegas. Also, I heard there are some pretty good drivers here."
"Hard to believe you came all the way out here just to race."
"I could say the same thing about you."
Brian continued his deadpan expression but Suki wasn't buying it. She knew he was up to something.
"Brian, you leave Miami to go back to being a cop. That's cool with me and all. Then after a year, you suddenly jump to the upper bracket of the FBI's most wanted list along with that infamous smuggler from LA. Last we heard of you, you were hiding out in Japan or something."
Brian gave the slightest of smirks. "Well, I heard they did some crazy shit in Tokyo."
"Damn straight," replied Suki. "And it's also the best place to get lost in when you don't wanna be found."
"Exactly."
"Then why are you here?"
Brian went deadpan again. He was putting on a shield to try and defend the things he wasn't willing to say. Suki saw right through it.
"You're here for Ultimate Street aren't you? That much is obvious. But there's a reason behind you participating in it. There has to be. It can't be just about the money."
"…You're right. I have…shall we say…unfinished business here. Business that I need to take care before I go back to Japan.
"I see." Suki knew that that was the most information she will get out of him at the moment. He was still reluctant to talk but at least he seemed to respect their old friendship. He only wanted to keep her out of the loop because he wanted to protect her or something like that, she thought.
"You're also here for Ultimate Street too, aren't you?" asked Brian.
Suki flushed a bit. "…Yeah. We are."
"Is it also because of unfinished business."
"Well…it was supposed to be finished business. But I guess some people can really hold a grudge."
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Back at Lake Mead.
"So these are the guys he sent after us?" said Alex looking into Virgil's laptop screen.
"They are a professional racing team," said Virgil. "Each one of these guys have spent over a thousand hours on the track. Their cars are tuned to GT3 specs."
"They don't seem that impressive."
"That's what everyone thinks of you but you never fail to surprise."
"That's not much to worry about. We've both raced pro drivers in the past and we both beat them hands down. Why are you getting worked up now?"
"Because these are the guys Sinclair picked by hand. They've got plenty of confidence to spare. And besides. We never said anything about having only to worry about things on the track"
Alex became extra alert now. The implications of that simple phrase stabbed him like a knife.
"You think he'll send someone after us, off the track?"
Virgil gave him a condescending grin. "You know, my friend, you are quite skilled, I'll admit. But I'll also admit that you have one glaring weakness I've observed this whole time I've known you."
Virgil took a few steps towards him so that they'd end up less than three feet from each other. Alex didn't move and stared back at his old rival with slight apprehension.
"You are ridiculously optimistic."
Virgil started walking away from him now. Alex just stood there with a stern expression but couldn't say anything back at Virgil. Mostly because he was right.
"What Sinclair did to me was bad," continued Virgil. "What he did to you was much worse. I lost a lot of money and what reputation I had. You lost someone that was practically family."
Again. Alex tensed up. His hands involuntarily curled their fingers to form tight fists.
Virgil turned back to him and noticed all this. He was getting to him, just like he wanted. "When you left Nevada, you did so knowing that you couldn't take on Sinclair on your own. You needed help. That's the only reason you agreed to working with. And that's the same for me. We were both cheated by that man's greed."
"What's your point?" Alex asked firmly, obviously wanting Virgil to shut up.
Virgil didn't grin this time. "My point is that as long as you and I are working towards the same goal You can rest assured that I will not double-cross you. I want that man to go down as much as you do. You just worry about our enemies on the track and I'll take care of any that show up off it."
"Forgive me If I don't feel too secure by that statement."
Now Virgil grinned. Alex was trying to look cool but failing at it. Virgil didn't fault him on that though. "After what he did to…what did you call him again? Oh, that's right. 'Ol Joe…"
Alex twitched an eyebrow.
Virgil continued. "After what happened to him. After what Sinclair did to him, I don't think we can put it past him to do something dirty, especially with stakes as high as we see in Ultimate Street so I highly recommend that you, Alex, try to be more cautious."
Alex decided to really just shut up now and not let Virgil get the full satisfaction of knowing that Virgil was right. Virgil fished into his pocket and produced a thick wad of cash. Alex took one look at it and estimated it to be about five grand. Virgil handed it to him. There was a bit of an apprehensive silence before Alex took the money.
"What's this?"
"Like I said, we're in a mutually beneficial business partnership," said Virgil. "I put down two grand on your team last night with the odds at five to one. Here's your half of the winnings. That should be enough to tune your rides for the next stage."
"Uh, thanks, I guess."
Virgil then took out a packet of cigarettes and took one for himself and lit it with a Zippo. He politely offered a stick to Alex who declined. Then he turned towards the road leading down off the hill. Down the road was route 93 and a short distance away another back road.
"You know what's down there, right?" asked Virgil.
"Black Canyon."
"And you're familiar with the road behind it right? The one that leads to the river at the base of Hoover Dam."
"Yeah." Alex knew what he was getting at. The road was very familiar to him. He had had his most grueling races on that road. The back road was a fairly narrow two lane stretch of asphalt that snaked along the undulating grounds of the canyon. The road was mainly used by tourists who were headed down to the river for a little rafting.
The road didn't seem that special at first glance but there was a good reason why it served as the final stage of Ultimate Street for three years running. The road lacked sharp corners and invited the driver to take the road at high speeds. But with its narrow profile, undulating slopes and lack of barriers on either side leading to steep dips and high inclines of rock -- not to mention your opponent -- the difficulties pile up to show just how much of a challenge the road is both in terms of performance and pure driver's psychology.
Alex has never actually raced on that road before. He did a few time trials back when he was still building his Silvia but he never drove on that road against an actual opponent.
"I suggest you try and get some practice now," said Virgil as he started walking back to his car. "You'll need all the practice you can get by the time you get to the final stage of the tournament."
Alex looked at him with a one-sided smile "By the time? Now who's the one being too optimistic."
Virgil turned back to him and replied in kind. "A bad habit that seems to be rubbing off on me."
Deciding for himself that the meeting was over, Virgil got into his M5, started the engine which roared loud and proud, and drove off. His goons in the Tacoma followed suit giving Alex some nasty farewell glares. In a few seconds Alex could hear their engines fading away in the distance and looked back out to Lake Mead.
He allowed himself a few moments to think about his and Virgil's conversation suggestion about practicing on the road less than a five minute drive from where he is at the moment. No sooner had he thought of the task did he immediately decided against it. He quickly got back into his car and headed back to the center of the city as fast as legally allowed.
He had a girlfriend to keep company.
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Back at the poolside.
"I saw you and Rome rolling with a new crew back at Stage 1" said Brian.
"You mean Kate and Alex?" replied Suki. "Yeah, they're pretty much in charge of our team here."
"So they're the ones who you're here racing for? They're the only reason you and Rome are here?"
"Don't be so dense, O'Conner. You think I'd do something like this just by being asked. After finding out what Ultimate Street is they wouldn't have needed to ask me."
Brian gave a slightly proud looking smirk. "You always were the ambitious type. Rome I can also understand. That idiot will do anything just to prove he can. Who else is here?"
"Tej is here, as usual. He's acting manager. You should know that we're not just an official crew here. We're official back in Miami as well."
Brian nodded. "Yeah, I get it. That means these two new guys. They must be good."
Suki grinned. "You have no idea."
"Better than me?"
Suki had to hesitate in answering that one. Better than Brian? Now there was a tough one to answer. After all, there is a reason why they gave him the nickname Bullit back when he was in Miami. Suki admitted to herself that both Alex and Kate have shown exceptional racing skill but comparing that to Brian's own level of skill is almost baffling to her.
Firstly, they had different styles. All the time she knew Brian, Suki has observed that he uses a strategic approach to racing, planning out his moves one or two steps ahead of his opponent. He likes to know fact early on about a race and strategizes accordingly, utilizing every single moment of opportunity and weakness of his opponents. That's how he liked to win: quick, clean, and looking cool.
Alex and Kate were different. They drive more on instinct and gut feeling, adapting to situations as quickly as they can and moving accordingly. While she has seen Alex plan ahead for some races, in general he never follows any type of plan and simply goes with the flow, taking a route which he feels right about. Both Alex and Kate rely mainly on their own skills and the extensive modifications of their cars' performance.
So comparing them would hardly be fair. But that still raised the interesting question.
"You mean, who would win in a race between you and them?' Suki asked.
Brian nodded with a smirk.
Suki smirked back, amazed that Brian still kept that cocky attitude this whole time. That's one thing they both had in common, she thought. "Honestly, I don't know."
"Suki, I gotta ask. Who are these guys and where do they come from. What are they to you anyway?"
"For starters, I'm the guy she's dating," said Alex.
Both Suki and Brian almost jumped at the sound of Alex's voice. They both looked up and found Alex standing there with a dead pan expression switching his glances between them every few seconds as if carefully analyzing their body language.
"Friend of yours?" asked Alex towards Suki in monotone.
"Uh, yeah, he is, actually," Suki answer honestly.
She was a bit surprised when Alex gave no reaction and simply kept looking at her with a deadpan expression.. Suki was about to ask about it when she realized the situation Alex caught them in: two of them, at a private table, by the pool, sharing drinks, and talking like they've know each other for a long time. Suki's eyes went wide as she realized what Alex might be thinking of that was going on.
"He's just a friend!" she blurted out almost automatically. "An old friend who I haven't seen in a while. He had to leave the country. I know him 'cause he used to live in Miami."
Alex gave her a questioning look. Suki tried to look as innocent and as apologizing as possible. Alex then turned to Brian to glare at him.
But then Alex's face became more scrutinizing. A flash of recognition and Alex realized he has seen this guy before. Back in Arizona. The expression on Brian's face indicated he was coming to the same realization. Both of them unconsciously raised a pointed finger at each other.
"I know you…" both men said at the same time.
Now it was Suki's turn to be confused.
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Meanwhile, at Voc-Tech Airfield.
A plain looking, bright red, Lancer Evo VI was thundering down the airfield kicking up dust and debris. No one was around to watch the car as it zoomed down the runway at over 150 mph. Officially, all the races at Voc-Tech were over. The driver didn't care. He wasn't here to be watched.
The driver was only interested at the performance aspect of his car. He was tweaking with the onboard computer again. Trying to get the settings he wanted. A little more torque at the lower end and he would be set for the next stage. His team was on the other end of the runway. Doing their own tuning jobs and they'll come down the stretch soon enough after him.
He was also testing the feel of his car's modifications. He installed a new custom exhaust pipe and muffler just before they left Colorado for Vegas. It was performing well and was harmonizing quite nicely with his GARRET GT3540 Turbo Kit. Along with the other tune-ups that he's done to the car like boring out the cylinders, new K&N air filters, and EIBACH suspension kit, the Evo VI produced a hefty 470 bhp and knew how to handle it.
He finished the 2 mile run in a better time than he did in the actual first stage of the race. He ought to be happy about that but he wished he did what he did when it mattered. When he could've dominated his opponent all the more. Maybe in the next stage, he thought.
He parked the Lan Evo VI at the edge of the runway and simply waited there for the rest of his team to arrive. He would've turned on the radio if he had one so he busied himself checking out the stats as they showed on his laptop that was connected to the car's own onboard computer.
That's when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket, took one glance at the caller id, scoffed, then answered the call. "Hello?"
"Langford. It's Sinclair. A few things you guys need to know about the…competition."
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Author's note: Been a while. Sorry about that. Had a lot of problems with my computer and that slowed down the writing process. Don't have much to say about this chapter. Just wanted to thicken the plot a bit. PLs. R&R as usual. Later.