Whoot! What's up guys! Second part of the Lightning Realm coming your way, and boy was the first part a wild ride! About mid way through the chapter I realized how long it was so there will most likely be a third part that's an after math. And sorry if it seems so serious (says with straight face), it just turned out that way; I'll try to add a bit more humor or something in a few chapters. I'll also try to get the next chapter of CA up and I've been working on a one shot so hopefully that will be up soon.
Shout outs:
Ashleycook234: Cool, I like either name! Thanks for clearing that up for me too, it's nice to know how you guys want things to sway. Aw, you're making me blush! I don't think I'm that talented, but it's nice to know you like this story so much! As far as Wild Angels goes, I'm still trying to work out some of the major flaws in it, but every time I try, my mind gravitates toward this story. Someday (meaning when I have more time over the summer) I'll sit down and try to work it out. But so far…I'm not ready to let go of this story yet. Thanks for the compliments!!
Jimmy Candlestick: I'M NOT TELLING! You'll have to find out (cackle).
Notforgotten: I type as fast as I can, not to mention I just got my other story up as well so I'm split- half goes to this, half goes to that. I can't clone myself…ooooo… (Walks off)
Disclaimer: Ah it hurts, do I have to?...I have to…damn, alright…I don't own Acceleracers…happy now? Although I should point out I own Anna…
Chapter 5
Lightning Realm Part 2
Anna grabbed a chunk of her frail hair and tugged the strands in front of her face. Yes she was right- the color was a dark coffee pigment, not a strand of silk blonde anywhere. She stole a quick glance at the rear view mirror and, again, her eyes were a bottomless hazel brown not frozen blue. Nothing about her appearance screamed the same as the woman in her memory, or perhaps a dream. She sighed- she wasn't going to ponder over it. If the person didn't look like her than surely it was not her in the first place. She didn't need to be caused for concern, and neither did the other racers for that matter, they didn't need another reason to doubt her.
Then why the memory?
Perhaps she was in the car with the man? Or maybe she was the same girl that the man had mentioned? Just because she had the memory, didn't necessarily mean it belonged to her. But Anna could not stop her breath from coming out ragged and uneven. There was something about the driver's eyes that screamed familiarity. Not to mention how many human drivers did the Drones permit? It wasn't a coincidence, but nothing made sense about the memory. It was like watching a movie, only you never saw the scenes in order, but more like a puzzle that you had to solve for yourself a piece at a time.
And where had she heard that man's voice before? It sounded like…like…like…
"ANNA!"
"Whoa, wait, what? What happened?" Anna blinked in confusion, staring at the space around her shocked from her daze. The cracks of lightning still thundered, the engine still purred loudly, and there wasn't a driver in sigh
"I said 'are you alright'? I haven't heard a word from you for the past two minutes now, I was getting worried." Lani said, shaky and alarmed. Anna blew a stream of air- this would remain her secret for now, until she was able to collect all the pieces properly, watch the movie correctly.
"I'm fine Lani; just a little shook up is all. I saw the Drone and something told me that that was the leader." Anna remained perfectly calm, she felt like she was returning to a form of normal.
"Oh, I guess that's understandable. Are you sure you're alright?" Lani pondered concerned.
"I'll be fine Lani, really, how far behind am I?" Anna asked, cars already masked by the thickness of the fog.
"Not very far- Monkey was the last one and he past you by about five minutes ago." Lani confirmed, watching the monitors in close watch, waiting for any sign of the Drones to strike back.
"So, in other words, no time at all?" Anna smirked at her rhetorical question, shifting her car and pressed a lead foot to the pedal. Anna was barreling down the track by passing Monkey and Kurt like a breeze. Wylde had managed to release himself from the hold of the evil metallic lightning rod and raced to pull ahead of his vile older brother.
"Whoa, hey Anna, you almost ran us over!" Monkey screamed as Anna snorted (mainly because of Kurt).
"My bad…" She stated feeling more like…well…'herself'. She did not want the satisfaction of people finding out she was dazed, who knows what would happen if they thought she was danger to herself. Besides, no one saw what had happened to her, she didn't need an act to keep up…
Monkey coughed as Kurt quickly passed him like a flash, desperate to chase after Anna and keep her from beating him. Kurt would never live it down if she beat him, so he chased like a dog after a cat. Monkey then found himself alone and a distance away from the other drivers beside Wylde. Then he heard the purring of another engine and went to yell to Wylde to watch for any Drones. Monkey looked in his rear view mirror and shrieked as the clashing neon green and black stared straight back into his frightened eyes. The Drone, almost as if he smelled the fear and panic coming from the breathing life form, activated a few of the controls on his console. Brilliant lime green energy pulsated in front of his car before releasing the energy at the driver.
"Oh boy…" Monkey gasped as the energy hit his car like a bullet, he held his eyes shut and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Metal ricocheted around him, clattering across the track and down to the void below. The only piece that remained in tact…was the steering wheel attached to his hands like glue. Skidding to a stop, the Drone passed Monkey who was still secured nicely in his seat, seat belt and all.
"Wish Pork Chop was here…" Monkey cursed, never seeing the on coming lights behind him. With a jerk Monkey felt like he was flying along the track attached to a car, barely a close shave from the ground. He peered up to meet the confused and bewildered face of Wylde, his dark eyes fogged by his equally dark glasses.
"Climb in!"
"Slow down!"
"I have to scrape you off Monkey; you're causing too much drag!"
"WAIT! YOU'RE NOT LEAVING ME BEHIND!"
Monkey dragged himself inside Wylde's Spine Buster and settled comfortably behind Wylde.
Okay, so maybe 'comfortable' wasn't the ideal word.
I mean, his entire back end was nothing but frame metal, and the nuts kept digging into his back. The car smelled and there was barely any room to stretch out his legs, but he was a monkey and could fit into almost any position. If he had his way, he would have rather ridden in Anna's sweet new ride, it looked clean and comfortable. But riding with Wylde was better than being left behind in this unsavory place.
"Geez Monkey, couldn't last one race on your own." Wylde implied as Monkey grinned sheepishly.
"Hey, Anna owes me! If it weren't for my heroic rescue, she would have been the one turned into Drone scrap!" Wylde peered at Monkey over the rim of his dark glasses curiously. He watched as Anna kept a comfortable place in front of the Metal Maniacs chained together, smoothly gliding along the slick track moist from the fog. Kurt was still on her tail, never an inch out of her shadow which ticked him off greatly.
"What are you talking about?" Wylde curiously asked, oblivious to the fact that Anna was, at one point, behind him.
"Well, you see…"
"Where I don't see any...," A drone traveled right past Monkey speedily, "Drones…" Monkey cowered beneath his steering wheel as he safely traveled past the Drone. Surveying his surroundings, he breathed with relief as the Drone was long gone. That's when he saw Anna, driving as if she were a turtle crossing the road at the Indy 500. Monkey felt as though Anna was alright, nothing as what Kurt was implying (mainly because Lani liked Anna). With a suave smile and puffed chest he approached the side of her car at the same speed. His rusted red and brown truck screamed for not only a washing, but a new coat of paint as well. His hulking tires rolled into a slow rotation as his window rolled down with a buzz.
"Hey Anna, you know I was the one to save you right?" Monkey gloated, hoping for a good word from Anna would get him somewhere with Lani.
"Yup, I—"Monkey stared over at the driver's side and blinked in surprise and confusion. Anna was driving alright; the car was still in a constant motion as his was. The tires squeaked against the cold pavement as the speed steadily decreased. What amazed Monkey were her eyes…they definitely said that she wasn't all there. They were a glassy hazel, hidden behind half closed eye lids. Her head was almost craning against the car horn (that would have woken her up right?)
"Hey…Hey Anna, you alright?" Monkey called out to her but he got no reply. Shrugging his shoulders, Monkey pulled out in front of her and moved along. She would snap out of her daze soon, although most likely she would come in last. He chuckled, imagining her winning the race after her accident now THAT would be something to bet on! Kurt had managed to restart his car and with a fierce determination had begun to reclaim his title as the leader of the race. Suddenly, a silver blur shot past Monkey as quick as the lightning. Something gently scrapped the side of his truck, most likely causing the paint to chip. That's when he saw her, alert and awake from her dreamless daze.
"Whoa, hey Anna, you almost ran us over!"
"I swear Anna totally zoned out back there after running into to that Drone car. It was like she was hypnotized or something. Her eyes were all blank and she almost stopped completely." Monkey mimicked her eyes as he stared ahead blankly, despite the fact that he drooled a little in the process. Wylde made no sound, no reply to the story that Monkey had relayed. Watching now, Anna was acting…normal…so what would explain her sudden behavior? He'd have to keep an eye on her…
Kadeem had secured himself a protective spot within the Drone racing lines, landing in the perfect position after the jump. He was snug between blankets of Drone soldiers, and after a failed attempt at hitting him lead to the destruction of their own, the Drones backed off him. Kadeem felt alone with no sign of Vert or the others in sight, perhaps this was too much for them. But they had to stop the Drones, at all costs necessary. If the Drones won…Kadeem shuddered at the thought of the Drones winning. No, he was going to stop the Drones and return home to help his people. He hadn't said it before, but he thought he saw someone that reminded him of Anna, he just couldn't remember where. So many had already…
Kadeem's thoughts were interrupted by the Drone behind him powering his energy blast to fire at Kadeem. The blast was careened off its course when the Drone was thrown off the track. Kadeem blinked in shock as Taro had caught up to him and assisted him. His midnight black and flame red Mustang roared next to him, a serious Taro behind the wheel.
"Come on Taro, let's finish these Drones together!" Kadeem commented as Taro smirked through his poker face.
"I'm going to pass you instead…" He stated, shifted gears and barreled right past an angry Kadeem outraged that Taro would leave just like that. Vert, seeing the confrontation, felt a little bitter at Taro. Vert saw the flash of green and black behind him, looking into his rear view mirror. Sure enough, there was a Drone, and it was the leader surprisingly enough. The leader, wanting the pathetic human to get out of his way, shoved Vert as hard as he could off the track. Vert, shocked, felt as he went sliding into one of the near by lightening rods now acting as a pillow.
"No…way…you're not getting away after that!" Vert felt angry as he narrowed his eyes and trailed after the Drone leader. Vert shoved the Drone back, barely scratching the car in the first place. Vert, too stubborn to give up, tried one more time but the Drone sensed the attack coming and braked at the last second. Vert felt himself falling, landing with a jolt onto the track below them. Kadeem looked back and felt a sense of panic overcome him, but forced to remain calm-he was alone with the Drone leader.
"Tactic 106-19…" The leader commanded, and the Drone behind Kadeem nodded in reply. Pressing a few buttons on his console, the soldier's front bumper craned down to open up to a grappling hook. With accurate fire, the soldier was attached to the back of Kadeem's car. The Leader then pushed his own soldier off the track, taking Kadeem along with him. Kadeem yelled as he felt himself fall as well, activating his own gadget- a parachute produced from the back of his car. The cable snapped and the Drone fell, only to be zapped by about 1000 volts of electricity and blow up.
"Kadeem, hang on!" Vert called as he fumbled to find the right switch in his Deora 2, smiling when he did. His own grapple hook made a bee line for Kadeem and Vert cheered, quickly growing solemn as the hook missed the parachute by about an inch. The Drone Leader sat atop his high throne, an energy ball pulsating for its target. The Drone was about to fire when his car was pushed to the side by another, silver and blue.
"I don't think so buddy," Anna commented as the Drone growled, "come on scrap boy, and try me." She taunted with a waved hand as the neon green visor slapped his face. The Drone, remembering his orders, ignored her and focused on Kadeem once again. The ball, already charged, fired directly at Kadeem and charred his parachute.
"Kadeem, hold on!" Lani called as she saw from his camera that Kadeem was heading straight down into a nose dive.
"Lani-she-try-look-vid-"Was the last sound produced from Kadeem's car before the screen turned into grey fuzz. Lani gasped and shook her head, not hearing a signal from Kadeem anymore.
"Hey I was your target! Get back here you worthless piece of crap, you're going to regret that!" Anna screamed, fuming at the leader and charging right after him. The Drone evaded her as he completed the Drone line perfectly. Anna growled messing around with the controls beneath her radio- she had to have some tricks too right? Pressing the first one, her car jumped into the air and she screamed at the sudden action, light blue jets in the shape of crosses creating the jolt from the bottom of her car. She hovered in the air for a while before the jets stopped. Anna came down with a crash, the Drones lost out of sight at her roller coaster ride.
"Anna, are you alright? What happened?" Lani asked worried that maybe they had lost another driver. Anna felt her heart pound against her chest violently, the breath stuck in her throat never expecting the gimmick.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU ADD TO THIS CAR?" She choked, palms stuck to the grips of her steering wheel.
'Remind me to get the instruction manual from Tezla…' She thought
Taro managed to keep a safe distance from the Drones and hit them from behind when he felt the time was right. He felt bad about leaving Kadeem, but this was a race and emotions only got in the way. Suddenly, Taro was surprised by the attack of lightning on his car. The energy sizzled through his system, pain numbing his leg and arm from where the lightning entered. Taro felt himself pass out with a groan, his car's functions going out of control before dying.
Karma had no better luck with Drones, after chasing one for nearly five minutes now. The Drone, wanting to shake the driver, launched a series of mines onto the field with antenna's receiving a signal from his car. Karma, the composed driver she was, avoided the mines with ease. Until the Drone decided it is best to eliminate the competition…literally. The mines went off; Karma sent flying into one of the lightning rods and landing in a crunch.
"Karma you alright?" Vert yelled as he and Kurt passed by unscathed.
"Yeah, go beat the Drones, I'll catch up soon." She responded groggy, watching Wylde and Monkey pass her by. Wylde and Monkey watched as Taro's car came in and out of view.
"Wylde stop! Taro's in trouble!" Monkey called, sticking his head out of the window and watching as Taro got smaller before his eyes.
"I have to win this race!"
Translation: He had to beat his brother.
Monkey, frantically searching the car, spotted a brake shift on Wylde's side and pulled violently. The car, torn between stopping and going, halted with a jerk.
"Don't ever-EVER- touch my car again." Wylde threatened as Monkey gulped.
"Taro's one of us too Wylde…"Monkey reasoned as Wylde growled, releasing his break and pulling around to help Taro. Leaving somebody behind was not something Wylde ever intended to do-other wise he might as well call himself his brother. Anna watched as Wylde pulled beside Taro before she caught up behind the remaining boys Kurt and Vert. Ahead of both separated teams was a dome created solely out of lightning, tracks spiraling inside as they crossed each other into intersections.
"I'm making a move after we get inside that thing. The Drones won't know what hit them." Vert growled, still upset over the ordeal with Kadeem.
"Just be careful Vert, don't get distracted by the lightning or the Drones." Kurt warned as the teams approached the dome. They spiraled upside down and inside out of the dome, crossing paths with the Drones numerous times barely a breath away. Suddenly, Vert saw a lightning bolt come down in front of his path and he slammed on the brakes. The cars trailing after him, mainly Drones went falling head first over Vert and bounced along the track. Kurt was the victim of hitting a Drone car that fell onto the track upside down, bouncing along and landing upside down. Anna, a safe distance away from entering, came out of the group unmarked along with the leader.
"Come on, come on, there has to be something to make me go faster," She muttered, watching as the Drone leader began to get out of reach. She noticed a lone button a safe distance away from the others on her console. Confused, she pressed it as the Nitrox booster charged her engine and shot her toward the Drone. The end of the track, the white gleaming portal with a purple lightning bolt, was met by two drivers equal in speed.
Both went flying at the same time, both of them at the same distance.
The two looked at each other, and Anna watched as the Drones mouth moved to form tangible words. She looked shocked, and, loosing her concentration, took her foot off of the gas, making the Drone have a fraction of a lead over her.
They both went through.
She should have felt happy, she won the race. When you win, you feel like jumping up and down, gloating, racing around the room. She should have felt great especially with all of the drama surrounding her these days.
She felt like she was going to be sick
Well…that was a little boring, I might start concentrating on Anna in most of the realms now, but I'll mention the other scenes as well. I felt like I was trying to put too much in and maybe left something out. So in that case, don't hesitate to give me the third degree burns, I feel like I deserve it. Hope you can figure out why Anna feels sick before the next chapter, or at least remember it. Hope you guys enjoyed it! REVIEW PLEASE!
CTV2