YEAH! I was able to crank out another chapter over the three day weekend! This is mainly a filler chapter while I prepare for the Swamp Realm, I just wanted all the characters to be acquainted with Anna, and Anna acquainted with them. If it's not the best I apologize, but it needed to be done.

And for some quick shout outs:

Luna Obscura: (glomps) THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your review made me so happy, and I'm so glad you like it! At least my suspense is putting you into good shape ^-^

If Anna ever starts to appear like a Mary Sue (although I hope that never happens) feel free to smack me, point and go "Oi, Mary Sue!" She is special but I made sure to develop her so she doesn't appear like that. Mary Sues tend to annoy me…

As far as fluff goes…well I have no idea, although there will be some! Vert is definitely in the running though, you'll be happy to know

Starfire angel: Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Acceleracers, I don't own Acceleracers, and I don't own Acceleracers

ENJOY

Chapter 8

By the time that the drama had died down (and Monkey was back on solid ground), people began settling into their respective garages. Nolo and Shirako settled comfortably into the Teku spaces, Vert showing them excitedly around the clean work space. Tork and Pork Chop wedged their way into the Metal Maniac stronghold, a now eager Monkey leaping around and showing them the…less than clean…work space. The dome was once again filled with the sound of mechanical whirls and clangs, echoing off the steep cavern walls. Dr. Tezla watched with anticipation, the sudden arrival of the new members sparking new motivation in the others. Despite the protests he had with Kurt, the additional drivers only served to enhance their forces. The more drivers they had, the better chance they had winning against the Drones. Dr. Tezla watched the progress behind a purple mask, eyes landing on the dome's most mysterious driver.

Anna was finally able to complete her car's maintenance after Lani preoccupied the other drivers. Although the new recruits were a breath of fresh air, she wasn't quite ready for another barrage of questions and tempers just yet. Deming the engine complete, she shut the hood with a resounding 'bang', the noise blending in with the other cacophony of car sounds. Her finger tips ghosted over the hood of the car as she climbed into the driver's side door. Along with the keys to her small kingdom, Tezla had also given her instructions on all of her car's special functions. She had a grapple hook, air jets (which had activated in the Lightening Realm), a shield, and a fourth slot that was empty. She had also restored her Nitrox 2 tanks, thanks to guidance from Lani, as the chrome button glared up at her under the lights. Checking the interior one last time, Anna climbed out of her car and watched as other drivers worked around the garage like bees in a hive.

The Teku garage appeared like a sea of white and blue as a steady and low bass thrummed like a heart beat. Nolo and Karma were changing tires on the Synkro, Nolo's attention preoccupied every now and then to scowl at the Metal Maniac leader. He fingered the broken cross on his chain carefully and his scowl darkened. Karma merely shrugged off his behavior and focused all her attention on maintaining the car.

Kurt, who had abandoned his crutches and all forms of aid, etched the final details into his new Battle Spec. With a final spark and Teku insignia complete, he climbed into the driver's seat (much to the relief of his leg, although he wouldn't admit it). Kurt was waiting on Shirako for his car to receive an upgrade, although it looked like he would have to wait a little bit longer. Shirako's attention was being diverted as he watched Vert talk about something…

...

"…and dude you would not believe how crazy the realms are!" Vert was talking excitedly to his best friend, Shirako. Vert was leaning against the passenger side door of the Bassline, while Shirako sat comfortably on the driver's seat. Shirako, in reply, flashed his friend a look to show him that he was listening. Most of his attention was diverted to his music, downloading the newest song onto his laptop. The song would later be hooked up to ever other Teku car in the garage after he was done. Kurt was also waiting to get an upgrade to his new car, something that could wait a little longer as he finished up. He was typing frantically on his laptop, bobbing his head to the time of his music.

"It's nice to see the rest of the team here, I can't wait for you guys to start racing." Vert grinned widely as Shirako mirrored it with his own. Shirako was more than happy to be in a race, it gave him the chance to show off his car and his moves. His attention was shifted back onto his laptop as Vert continued going on about the racing realms. Shirako had the gist of the story behind the realms, but he really just wanted to race. He found that Vert had changed the subject and was going on about this one girl…was it the on he met earlier?

"You should see the way she drives man! Oh, and get this, she has amnesia." Vert grinned slyly, tapping Shirako on the shoulder hoping to impress his friend.

THAT caught Shirako's attention.

He stopped typing in mid type and stared up at Vert in wonder and in some confusion. If this was the same girl he met earlier, she seemed pretty aware of everything to have amnesia. Shirako shook his head lightly, causing strands of blue hair to fly behind him. Orange tinted eyes stared up into animated cerulean blue and he stopped typing all together.

"What, dude…" Shirako commented in disbelief and Vert only raised his hands in surrender. He then went on to tell Shirako the entire story-of how Anna ended up in the dome, about the mysterious 'Drone' history behind her, how well she handled herself in the realm despite having amnesia. Shirako found with each passing minute the story to be really far fetched. But with the way that Vert went on in detail about this girl, some of it had to be true. Vert's eyes lit up suddenly as he snapped his fingers.

"Hey, why don't I introduce you to her," Vert looked around the garage before eyes flashed and he waved someone over, "ANNA!" Shirako was half expecting to see the same girl from earlier waltz over, claiming this was some kind of joke made up by Vert. To his surprise, not only did the same girl not show up, but an entirely different female started sauntering over. Anna peered curiously over at Vert as she finally made her way to the Bassline. Standing closer to the car, she was able to make out a six speaker stereo in the bed of the truck, as well as a light display along the under side.

"Anna, my best friend Shirako. Shirako, our talented amnesiac Anna." The comment earned him a punch in the shoulder by Anna, as Vert only laughed it off.

"Hey, nice car…" Anna continued to admire Shirako's car and peered inside behind his shoulder. Shirako only watched her movements, her eyes curious about everything. Apart of him should have been wary about her Drone background, but if Vert hung around her then he shouldn't complain too much. The entire time this was happening he hadn't said a word and it made Anna nervous.

"…does he actually talk?" Anna whispered to Vert, who stared at her in mild amusement.

"Shirako's just a man of few words; he likes to listen to his music and surf the internet more than talk. But trust me, he's really cool." Vert explained as Anna stared back at him.

"So how come the driver side is on this side?" She asked as Shirako shifted away from the wheel before running into it.

"It's a Japanese style car, my own design." Shirako finally spoke, shocking Anna as her eyes grew wide with surprise. Vert laughed at her expression which generally happened when people heard Shirako for the first time (most never know exactly what to expect coming out of his mouth). Anna glowered at the blonde slightly for laughing at her, but turned back to Shirako with a sincere smile.

"That's a pretty cool idea, it's very unique." Shirako beamed a smile at the compliment for his car and frantically typed away on his computer. Kurt must be getting impatient by now…

...

Damn…

Kurt watched as his Teku teammates conversed with Anna, most of the conversation revolving around Vert and Anna. Kurt scowled as saw how close she was getting to the two of them. It was only a matter of time before she got to the rest of them, before she ensnared them in her siren's web. He still couldn't tell if she was faking amnesia or not yet, but he rather not take the chance. Nolo's eyes caught the scowl on Kurt's face and silently snuck up on the man.

"What's with the scowl Kurt, normally you're a lot calmer?" Kurt twirled around in surprise as he came face to face with the olive green eyes of his leader. He sighed in frustration and shook his head, turning back toward Anna.

"See that girl," Nolo looked over to where his eyes were fixated and noticed the brunette that was currently engaged with his teammates, "don't trust her." Nolo looked down at him with a cautious look in his eyes and back toward the girl.

"Why not, what's wrong with her?" And then Kurt told him everything-how she came to the dome in a Drone's car, her amnesia like state, how well she drove in the first realm. Nolo felt his blood boil at the idea of a human driver under the command of a Drone. He could see why Kurt was worried; he was just surprised that more weren't.

"How come you haven't locked her up somewhere yet, she seems to have all the signs of a Drone?!" Nolo cried in mild rage as Kurt shrugged.

"Not enough proof…yet." He emphasized.

"Well we'll just have to find some proof. There's no way a Drone spy should be walking around on our turf." Nolo muttered as Kurt agreed. Anna bid farewell to the Teku drivers and started walking back to her car, only to be called over by Monkey. Anna looked back towards the Teku garage, feeling Nolo's piercing stare on her back and met his blazing gaze, only to quickly shuffle to the Metal Maniacs. If Nolo played his hand right, maybe he could eliminate two birds with one stone…

...

The Metal Maniac garage was in complete opposite to the Teku garage. Grime and dirt caked the area in layers like frosting. There was a lingering smell of oil around the cars and Monkey, garbage littered around the work benches. Taro's torch was etching the last 'M' into the driver's side door, the flaming insignia a burned brown contrasted against yellow on his Rivited. Tork was replacing the engine on his Hollow Back, when out of the corner of his eye he saw the Teku leader glowering at him. Tork responded with a growl of his own before focusing the attention back on his car. Monkey and Pork Chop worked as a team on the Jack Hammer, Monkey working on the interior of the car while Pork Chop worked under the hood. Wylde stared off into the distance, watching Anna converse silently with the surf rat and the techno dweb. His glass concealed eyes shifted toward his brother, a look of utter contempt on his face. He was obviously fuming over Anna again, a sense of smug glee washing over him. Wylde would do whatever he could to annoy his brother, and perhaps that meant getting Anna onto his side...

"Yo Taro," Taro flipped up his hood toward the Maniac leader just as he turned off the torch, "what does Wylde keep staring at?" Monkey peeped his head out of the driver's side door and gave a wide smile.

"That's Anna, she's our newest member, and she's totally into me!" Monkey beamed as Taro shook his head in mild disgust.

"What's so special about her Monkey man, earlier you were drooling over that Lani girl." Pork Chop commented as Monkey tried to explain how both women were fighting over him. Taro filled Tork in on the situation-how Anna arrived, her background, her racing, and how Kurt had hated her so much.

"In other words, Wylde's taken a shine to her since Kurt hates her." Taro nodded in response as Pork Chop growled.

"Monkey man, how could ya fall for the enemy?! She's a Drone for God's sake. Look what they did you last time in the Realm." He growled and shoved the bone dangling around his neck into his mouth.

"Maybe, but she's still a good driver." Wylde defended as Tork sighed. Probably the only reason Wylde liked her was because Kurt hated her. Tork looked to Taro who only shrugged his shoulders at the whole conversation.

"Aw come on Pork Chop, wait till you meet her, she's actually really nice. HEY ANNA!" Monkey called as he watched Anna walk back toward her car. Hearing the sound of his voice, Anna began walking over only to stop and turn back toward the Teku garage. Tork watched in surprise as Nolo sent a hard glare at the girl before she shuffled quickly toward them.

"Anna, meet my good friend Pork Chop. Pork Chop, this is Anna." Anna turned stark white as Pork Chop sent a menacing growl in her direction. His frame was actually much bigger up close compared to her earlier meeting with the man.

"U-u-um H-hi." She stuttered weakly, only to have Pork Chop get right up in her face. Her heart tattooed a frantic rhythm, panic sweeping over her small frame at his menacing stare.

"Listen here little missy, no funny Drone stuff or you'll find yourself in the junk pile with the rest of 'em." Pork Chop grounded out as Anna raised her hands weakly.

"I come in peace, I swear! Please don't hurt me." Anna whined as Pork Chop was being calmed down by Monkey.

"Easy Pork Chop," Tork commanded as Pork Chop took a few steps back, "I'm Tork, leader of the Metal Maniacs."

"Nice to meet you Tork." Anna muttered as her heart rate to some form of normalcy, Tork looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"I hear you might be a Drone with amnesia; that's some pretty heavy stuff. Think you can prove you're not?" Tork asked as Anna shrugged sadly.

"I don't know, I want a chance to though, but it seems like there are a lot of people out to get me." Anna cast a quick glance behind her, eyes settling on Kurt and Nolo. Of course, what she hadn't mentioned was that her memories were also working against her...but no need to tell them that. Tork saw her gaze and knew what she meant.

"You'll get your chance…let's just hope you're telling the truth, for your sake." Tork commented casting a glance at Pork Chop as Anna nodded.

"So Anna, you all done with your car, or do you need some more help?" Monkey asked eagerly, only to be smacked in the head by Wylde.

"No I'm fine, thanks for the offer though…and thanks for the chance." Anna looked toward Tork, sauntering off back toward her own car. Tork may not have trusted her, but then again, she wasn't expecting him too. It wasn't much, but Tork was at least offering her something many others didn't give her. Wylde watched her stalk off completely before turning his attention back toward the garage...

...

"Well this had been a fun adventure. I made a new friend, made a new enemy, and made only God knows what out of the Metal Maniacs. Maybe I really am getting in over my head here." Anna grunted as she lifted the tool box in her arms and went to go return it to the Teku before Kurt had a fit. She steered clear of Nolo, whom she had learned from Karma was the leader of the Teku. Leave it to her to make enemies out of the leader and the second in command. Shifting the tool box more comfortably, she ducked her head beneath GIG who was floating around the Teku garage space. She passed by Shirako who was finally upgrading Kurt's Battle Spec with new programs.

"Are you customizing it?" GIG asked as Shirako smirked, fingers gliding over keys in rapid succession.

"Teku-izing." Was his only reply as the download was being completed. Anna watched idly by, wondering just what kind of animation Shirako was creating. Giving the thumbs up sign, Kurt pressed the main control on his car. The dome began to vibrate with a techno beat as blue and orange neon lights shot out from under the car. Kurt drummed his fingers on the side of his car as Shirako bobbed his head to the music, GIG hovering over head. Far away, Pork Chop banged his head on the hood of his car and started yelling at the Teku.

And yet Anna heard none of it; she hadn't even realized when it had happened. Only that it started after the music started to play, and then die down into a heart beating effect. She felt her arms grow numb and fall to her sides before her entire vision blacked out…

"Oi, Angie, you done with that download yet?" Anna called out to her friend. Liquid black eyes stared back at her as a laptop was placed neatly on the hood of the car. Two other girls were situated beside the driver's door, casually glancing at the silver cell phone placed on top of the car. The computer screen flashed a download bar, quickly beginning to fill up as one hundred percent flashed across the screen. Releasing the cell phone, Anna waited as one of her friends began typing in a series of numbers. Anna's cell phone rang, showing the caller ID as 'unknown'. When Anna's phone stopped, she pressed a few keys of her own, only to have her other friend's cell phones go off.

"That is so sweet!" Her friend answered excitedly as she pulled out her phone and showed off the caller ID, which read 'Shadow Phone'.

"Thanks Ang, now I can keep in contact with you guys while I'm gone." Anna shoved the phone into one of her pockets.

"You better; I expect a phone call at least once a month!" Her friend pouted as the other rolled her eyes at the childish behavior.

"I promise. And the best part is that they won't even know it!" Anna beamed as her friends grinned right back, the two closest to her high fiving each other.

"Alright now we…Angie?" Her friend had begun to frantically type on the computer again, fingers moving faster than the eye could comprehend. Anna peered over her friend's shoulder and gasped.

"OI ANGIE, SERIOUSLY! Stop hacking into their stuff, you'll…get us…both…in…"But the sentence couldn't be completed. For while the tone was meant to come off as scolding and angry, the laugh that was bubbling in her gut took over her voice. This had happened before many times in the past, and was suddenly turned into a running joke around the place. One of her friends was, literally, rolling on the floor clutching her stomach as tears escaped her eyes. The other was just shaking her head as a grin spilt across her face. Angie was silently giggling and sheepishly grinned. Anna couldn't help but add to the laughter as the garage became consumed with it…

Anna groaned as her eyes fluttered open, faces peered down at her own. She was surprised at the memory, but more importantly…

How the hell did she end up on the floor?

Oh and no, Anna was not the one laughing on the floor, the next chapter will explain what happened.

Ta da! The filler chapter is complete, and the memory may not make sense now, but it will down the road so come back to it if you need to. I'll start on the Swamp Realm soon, but duty (aka school) calls a lot so updates may take a while. Hope you guys liked it!

Review please! ^-^ -CT