Usual disclaimers apply - I don't own F&F or Knight Rider (in any incarnation). Thanks to Tempest Races for the use of some of her characters/backstory and for beta'ing. I apologise for the lack of delays, I've moved house and only just got internet back :). Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Come on! Driving' Blacktop rolling!

It was the next night. Knight was struggling to keep his temper under control following the previous night, irritable because he couldn't say for sure whether Hector was involved with the heists or not. Unlike the rest of the team, he was ready for races, relaxing as Dom and Brian came over, both ready. "You ready to race tonight bro?"

Knight shrugged. "Different crowd, different style, should be fun. And challenging."

"What are you talking bout?" Dom asked. "Its gonna be drags, same as usual."

"Maybe for you," Knight replied. "Me, I'm gonna go run in the sprint races. Tempest threw down a challenge last night."

Dom frowned slightly. "You'll be in Tran's territory. Me and my team don't go down there, lot of bad blood."

"Dom man, you can't let him go down there alone," Brian said, biting his lip slightly.

Dom glanced at the blond. "What d'you want me to do Brian? You remember Johnny shooting up your car, or doing a drive by here, almost killed Jesse, you expect me to send someone into that?"

"Johnny's dead," Brian replied calmly. "I should know, I was the one who shot him while I was still a cop."

"And his family won't welcome us with open arms," Dom replied firmly, folding his arms across his chest with an 'end of discussion' look on his face.

Brian looked unhappy for a moment. "Well, you and the team go drag race. I'll go with him, watch his back. Besides, I haven't been sprint racing since Miami."

Dom narrowed his eyes slightly, and Knight swore he could see the thoughts running in Dom's head through the mans eyes. Dom rubbed his bald head slightly. "Alright. But try not to stir up trouble for us, got it?"

"Right on bro," Brian grinned exuberantly, and punched Knight's arm. "C'mon, lets go race."

"Brian," Dom said warningly, then handed him a pistol. "Just in case."

Brian nodded, and tucked the weapon into his jeans. "Look after Mia for me."

"She's my sister, of course I'm gonna look out for her," Dom retorted. Brian just gave him a cocky wink as he and Knight headed out of the door. Dom heard the Trans-am fire up, and a second later, the roar of Brian's Skyline, and frowned slightly, a bad feeling hanging over him like a cloud.

**************************************************

The Trans-am slid to a graceful stop, the Skyline behind it doing the same as the two cars arrived in Chinatown, pulling up to the already assembled racers. Knight stepped out of the car as Brian got out of his Skyline, nodding slightly as he headed over to Tempest. "You got your car ready to run then?"

"You didn't think you'd get out of losing that easily, especially when I have a surprise for you, did you?" she replied, with a grin.

Knight laughed and shook his head. "Your gonna look pretty funny when your coughing up the dust I leave you behind in."

"Talk's cheap," Tempest replied, with a devilish grin. "Racing me isn't. Ten large."

Knight raised an eyebrow. "Your ass is worth that much?"

A couple of jaws dropped in the crowd, but Tempest didn't appear flustered. "My ass is worth much more than that, and you couldn't afford it," she retorted, with a sly grin of her own. "But that's how much this race will cost ya."

Knight held up a wad of cash. "Ten large."

"You're sure?" Tempest asked. "Its high stakes. And it ain't just money, it's your life too. Know the Toretto crew block off roads for their races, and so do we for the novices. But not when you race me. You handle dodging traffic too?"

Knight gave her an 'I know something you don't know' grin. "I can. Question is can you?"

"Ask me when you lose," Tempest replied. "I'll go find two more guys who want to lose money tonight."

Knight nodded and headed back over to the cars. Brian looked concerned. "I heard what she said. You sure about this bro, one slip and your toast. Racing whilst dodging traffic is tricky."

"You've done it before," Knight pointed out.

Brian frowned. "Yeah I know but…this isn't Miami, and it isn't a freeway. This is two way streets and intersections, tight bends, and trying not to hit another car. Its rough bro."

"I can handle it bro," Knight replied, then winked. "Trust me."

"You I trust. It's her and Tran's groupies I don't trust. I don't like this man."

"Its cool," Knight replied. "Just watch my back alright?"

"Alright," Brian nodded, still looking unhappy. "Tempest's calling you over."

**************************************************

Knight breathed deeply as he and Karr lined up alongside Tempest's RX-7. Alongside was the Ferrari belonging to Dan Cowell, and on the other end, a Supra, in pearlescent green paint, changing colour from blue to green depending on the angle. Karr's monitor displayed the route Tempest had given him, and the finishing line. Most of the other cars had set off for the finish already. Only Brian's Skyline, a red and white Mustang, and a black Honda 2000 with white Chinese symbols remained. Knight waited, tapping his fingers on the car's steering wheel, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Karr?"

"Yes?"

"Get me a visual of our competition. Screen only, not the new HUD."

The car remained silent, wordlessly doing as it was told. Knight frowned slightly as he examined Tempest's image. "She doesn't look even slightly worried."

"She thinks she has the edge here," the car stated. "She does not realise that I am more than I appear."

"She may not be wrong."

"What does that mean?" the Trans-am asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Knight answered, as Jade signalled the start of the race. As the cars separated, Karr's HUD display produced a GPS satellite image of the course and surrounding streets, illuminating the other road traffic as the four cars launched from the line. The course they'd been given was relatively simple, five long straights, and four bends. There were only two tricky sections, a train crossing and a tunnel, and that was dependant on several factors. The four cars were level, along the first straight, clear of traffic as they tore round the bend. "Karr, give me a warning if you detect traffic coming out of a junction that we could collide with."

"Understood," the car replied with steely tones as the Trans-am pulled ahead of Tempest's RX-7, then swerved suddenly to avoid an oncoming car, letting Tempest take the lead again. Karr's back end swung out wildly, the car's tyres struggling to find purchase on the road as Knight got the car back in line, the other two cars flashing by in an instant. Knight growled, and as soon as Karr was back to speed, hit the nitrous, and caught up with the other two cars. The cars pulled in close together, swerving in his path to stop him getting past. Knight grinned and stopped trying, letting the other two drivers think he'd given up as their cars straightened out, still close together and trying to pass each other, without giving him room to get past them. "Alright Karr, knock out about four feet, and I'll put you on auto pursuit."

The car didn't reply verbally, the first indication it was listening being the surge of power as it swung up on two wheels and shot forward, passing between the other two cars, and dropping back down to all four tyres and pulling away rapidly. The other two cars hit nitrous, and Karr hit the turbo boost, pulling away from them even faster as Knight asked. "Alright, where's Tempest?"

"She's at the intersection ahead. However, it is going to be difficult. Combining my radar with satellite imagery, there is a large amount of traffic," Karr answered. Knight frowned slightly, his concentration deepening as he aimed the sleek black and silver car at the intersection, and raced forward. As he watched, he saw Tempest's back end swing out slightly, just clipped by another car. Somehow she kept the car in a straight line though, and carried on pulling away as Knight twisted through the traffic, just narrowly avoiding collisions. Karr made an irritable noise. "My dominant program says I shouldn't be letting you do this. Kitt would not."

"Yet another reason I'm glad you aren't Kitt," Knight replied, as he swerved to the left, then the far left lane to avoid an oncoming car, diving back across to the right, drawing level with Tempest. He turned to look at her, and grinned as she looked across, annoyance on her face as he pulled in front. She swerved around, darting into the Trans-am's slipstream for a few seconds, drafting, then swerved around to the left as they rounded a bend, slipping in front of the Trans-am. Knight automatically swerved, trying to get around her as she swerved back and forth, keeping the Trans-am from getting past, as white lights on the RX-7's rear lit up, letters spelling "Kiss my ass," as she surged forward in nitrous.

Knight couldn't help but laugh. "I guess that's her surprise."

"I'm not amused," Karr said sourly, "she's ahead of us."

"No, really?" Knight said, his tone sarcastic, but amused, and hit the Trans-am's nitrous, drawing up behind, into Tempest's slip stream. She hit the breaks, forcing him to do the same, then stepped on the gas, putting distance between them as she tore round the second to last bend, and dived down into the tunnel, Knight wincing as he did so. Karr's scanner illuminated the tunnel walls as it rippled back and forth.

"We can't pass her in here, there's too much traffic."

"Just keep up with her," Knight replied, his voice tight.

Both the Supra and F-40 were close now, fighting to get past him. Knight frowned, swearing as Tempest was obscured by two street cars, blocking his path, shooting in between concrete pillars, narrowly swerving around an oncoming car, before diving back across, and pulling in behind Tempest. He glanced behind quickly, the F-40's back end swinging as it got clipped, before straightening up, the Supra still stuck behind. Knight managed to pull level with Tempest, then had to pull between pillars again as she swerved to avoid an accident, barely avoiding one himself as Karr quietly said. "This is getting very dangerous. And soon to be more so. The next bend is inside the tunnel, and it comes out onto the last straight. However, there's still the matter of the crossing and the oncoming train. And you know how well that worked out last time."

"What?" Knight exclaimed, then swore, darting through traffic. "Temp are you trying to get us all killed?" he muttered to himself, just managing to pull in front of her as they came into the bend. Karr was heading too fast, and just narrowly scraped through between pillars as Tempest rounded the corner perfectly, coming out in front, and the straight clear ahead of her and hit nitrous. The Trans-am swerved around a car and back across into the clear road, Karr making a noise similar to a relieved sigh. The Ferrari was just behind them, then as Knight glanced into the rear view, the Supra flew round, out of control, the right corner of the front end smashing into a concrete pillar. The cars back end swung round, another car ploughing into the side of it, knocking it into the air, spinning and smashing side first into the tunnel wall, and scraping along the floor on its roof. Knight winced. "Karr, call 911 and tell them what's happened."

"Should I request two?" Karr asked. "That train's approaching."

"Can Tempest make it?"

"If she does, it'll be by the skin of her bumper," Karr replied with a steely tone.

Knight's eyes narrowed slightly. "What about us?"

"Certainly not in the conventional way," Karr replied. Knight fought to suppress a grin as Karr informed him. "According to my calculations, we'll reach the train, just as the flat bed crosses."

"Alright, get ready," Knight said, watching the vector graphic as Tempest's car crossed the tracks, its back end narrowly missing the train. Knight relaxed slightly. "Here we go," and hit the turbo boost. With a roar, the sleek black and silver Trans-am leaped over the flatbed wagon, landing with a thump on the road afterwards, Knight's head hitting his arms as he braced himself for the landing. "The Ferrari?"

"Swerved to a stop," Karr replied, as the car roared along, crossing the line after the RX-7. Karr made a disgusted noise. "We lost."

"Yeah," Knight frowned, then shrugged. "Helps build our cover a bit. Or rather, yours."

"I'm thrilled," Karr replied, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Knight laughed. "Keep it quiet alright," then got out, grinning good naturedly at Tempest as she revelled in congratulations. "Nice surprise."

"Glad you liked it," Tempest replied.

Knight smiled. "You realise we have to have a tie breaker now."

Tempest laughed lightly. "I guess we do."

"Congratulations on the win," Knight said, offering his hand.

Tempest shook it lightly, then kissed his cheek. "Thanks for making it a good competition. And I'm gonna enjoy spending your money."

"I thought you might," Knight laughed. "I'll catch you later," he said, then headed over to Brian. "We oughta get outta here. I think it's likely that the cops are on the way after that accident."

"Right," Brian replied, and headed for the Skyline. Knight returned to the Trans-am, and felt a hand grab his shoulder.

End of Chapter 14…