Again, big thanx to my papa for teaching me to drive stick – it helped alot with this chapter, along with all the cop videos on youtube and maps of Moscow I had to study...I swear if someone finds my laptop they're gonna think I'm trying to pull off a heist or something...No regrets! Haha and thanx as always to u guys for enjoying the ride. (: This is the end of the Red Arc (North's character arc) in the story (finally phew!) and if you notice, the Blue (Jack) and the Pink (Tooth) are the constant under-arcs...but whose to come next? ;)
"Chczz–This Is ELF 506."
(Russian) "GIVE US JACK FROST!" the cops cried outside. Their Interpol partners were already stationed with powerful rifles and armoured vans outside North's building.
Ddddrrrmmmm...
"Welcome to Overpass 9, Rudolf Svet (Rudolph's Light), the last of nine tunnels beneath Moscow."
Jack pressed his forefinger to the onboard touchscreen. He watched as the GPS activated and had already set coordinates to Sheremetyevo Airport, north of Moscow. It looked like an upside-L diagonally running up from the center of Moscow where they were.
"Be ready."
Ddrrrmm...dddrrrmmmm...
(Russian) "Nyet! You have already seen th–"
"North! We know he is somewhere! Airport cameras DO NOT l–"
"Russian undercover law enforcement has already sealed off three blocks around North's workshop. You will need to lose them the second you exit the tunnel."
They always got called to North's region for weird activity they'd received over the hotlines – strange men coming and going in red clothes yet no one got a picture, blood and tire marks that would vanish in the morning, a loud explosion...the list went on! But now there was an internationally wanted criminal possibly around and they couldn't take precautions...so Nicolas' strange toy company (an obvious front) was under suspicion of harbouring the fugitive.
"Should you need assistance, ELFs will leave on chief's command."
Tooth stared at the touchscreen from the passenger seat. She clasped her hands together, heart pounding quicker than the North's departure sirens. The sound of hundreds of red ELF agents pounding the ground in their combat boots around their car woke up whatever lethargy she had left in her system she had left from her nap.
"Good luck. Though North says, you do not need it.–Chzzc!"
Then the message cut out and the entire touchscreen (along with the GPS)blacked out.
"What?! No!" Tooth cried.
The screen did eventually come back...except, the only thing it showed was a strange word in Cyrillic that kept changing.
... триста шестьдесят...
With her gift, Tooth could translate.
... триста пятьдесят девять...
... триста пятьдесят во семь...
(...360...)
(...359...)
(...358...)
Her cerise-coloured eyes widened.
"I-It's a countdown?!" she cried. "To what?! Self-destruct?!"
... тристапятьдесят семь (357)...
"No," Jack narrowed his eyes and gripped the wheel with his leather glove. "It's a timer. The aiport is a cover up. We're not really going there."
... триста пятьдесят шесть (356)...
"Th-Then where are we headed?!"
"Wherever that GPS tells us once it hits zero. But it's up to me to make sure we last that long."
... трист апятьдесят пять (355)...
Tooth looked at him bewilderedly. How was he...understanding all this? And yet...she gulped and looked back through the windshield as she buckled herself in. The lukewarm air blowing through the car vents prickled her cheeks like electricity and rustled her hair, but Tooth couldn't deny the building restlessness in her bones.
(...354...)
"W-Well...time to get serious, Jack."
And without hesitation, Jack released the clutch and moved into 2nd gear. As he eased on the brake, he shot her a look.
(...353...)
"Not this time," he countered. "We're gonna have a little fun instead."
He then hit the gas hard.
The car shot like a bullet as Tooth flew back against her seat.
Soon the tunnel and all its lights were like a blur as the Noble thrummed to life behind their boots and glided like a dark bat, its shining body a glint to all the other agents watching impressively from the lot.
"J-Jack!" Tooth gasped but the brunette didn't say anything.
The sound of the powerful hydraulics, the sharp prick of cold in his lungs, and the smell of gasoline in the tunnel fuelled his heart like the engines in front of him, magnificent and metallic..
And the tunnel lights continued to blink out faster and faster until–
(...352...)
Ddrrrmmm!
The police turned their heads the same time, Jack saw them through his tinted window and a corner of his mouth turned up.
(...351...)
"Let's play, boys."
Then with a quick downshift into 1st he made the scariest right turn Tooth had ever experienced in her life!
When he hit the accelerator, the Noble tore down the street away from them!
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"OHH NOT AGAIN!" Tooth cried as her entire body knocked against him.
The car was fast! Faster than either of them were prepared for – but unlike the princess, Jack was more than happy to take control of it.
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"Toothiana, get off!" he barked and he nudged her off him. He saw her watch as all the lights and buildings outside their car looked like they were being sucked away by a vacuum.
"SORRY!"
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Jack didn't say anything as he drew up a mental picture of Moscow's immense transit network. It would've been impossible for anyone – but Jack wasn't anyone and he'd had the time. He had to come back to Russia SIX times during his 'wanderlust' just to memorize the crazy grid of the city and now that he did, he was more than itching to show up the federal police!
When Jack heard their sirens come to life as he kept speeding away, he smirked.
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Reaching of the street, Jack turned sharply right and headed east on Sadovaya, a long winding road that would lead them away from the heart of Moscow.
"JACK!?" she squealed as he manoeuvred the car through a red light and expertly dodged other drivers as he drove into their lanes. The cars stopped and honked angrily, giving their position away to the cops.
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Tooth wouldn't know how busy his mind was working with the way he looked so calm and detached.
"It's only half an hour away," he replied steadily as he kept switching gears and weaving through the cars. "So CALM DOWN."
But it was harder to swerve a supercar than a motorcycle so Tooth feared more than twice that they would hit something and die.
As they drove up the four-lane road and nicked a cab on the way, she cried out and splayed her palms against the dashboard. The orange streetlights over them were starting to make her dizzy the faster they kept coming and when Tooth tried to look out the window, Jack made a particularly tight twist and she ended up smacking her forehead against the glass.
"OW! Jack, I swear to god, don't tell me to calm down!" she cried. "I CAN'T WHEN I'M WITH YOU!"
Jack ignored her and kept looking at the streets with controlled sight, counting the blocks ahead and staring at the familiar buildings. As he passed a familiar landmark, he quickly moved the Noble into 3rd gear.
Soon, a main intersection would come up and he'd have to execute a perfect left turn into its tiny street to get on the–
BOOM!
"AHH!" Tooth cried as she flew forward and Jack's eyes widened. His heart pattered violently for a moment under his chest, fingers twitching with a jolt of surprise before he briefly let go of the wheel to push her back.
A cop car came out of nowhere from behind and rammed into them!
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Jack eyed the rearview mirror with a sharp glare. The Militsiya logo on the squad car's hood was bright under the red-electric blue sirens. This guy was sneaky! But then again, Moscow had so many tiny streets that a surprise shortcut was inevitable.
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When the police let up slightly and hit them again, Tooth choked out against her seatbelt. She felt their car start to move to the left beyond Jack's control.
"W-What's he doing?!" she shouted as the blood sloshed loudly in her ears. Jack turned his head back slightly before he stared forward again.
"He's trying a PIT maneuver," he said starkly and quickly put his hand on the gear shift.
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"A WHAT?!"
But Jack didn't answer as the officers' plan worked.
The front end of the cop's car was pushing one corner of the Noble aggressively so that it would abruptly turn sideways!
And it did.
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Suddenly, their entire vehicle spun around in a tight circle!
Tooth bit her lip and tensed up, gripping the edges of her seat. She felt her left-feather earring slap against her cheekbone.
The police thought that was enough and that Jack was rookie out on a joy ride, but Jack gritted his teeth and waited – he was more knowledgeable about oversteers and weight transfers than most cops would think.
Jack immediately grasped the gear shift and as the rear went out of control, he let go of the brake and continued to guide the vehicle to the left.
Then when the car began to face the opposite end of the traffic, he kicked it into 1st and made the sweetest drift, using the curved path to create a centripetal force with his accelerator. The vehicle burned hot rubber on the snowy road and when Jack got view of the right direction of the road again, he switched up to 3rd again and gunned it!
There was no way he was gonna let one of the oldest pursuit tactics in the book get him!
The princess' breath caught in her throat as her shoulders dropped.
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Jack continued speeding past the cop car and the rest of the morning traffic as the intersection finally appeared. With quick eyes and smooth control, Jack turned left at the intersection, nearly putting him and Tooth into two T-bone collisions. As they moved into an open lane, flying diagonally north now on Bretskaya Ulitsa, Jack took a sharp inhale.
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"That was fun," he exhaled calmly to himself – Tooth wanted to punch him the throat. He sensed her reaction and turned to see it when suddenly–
Wii-u!
Wii-u!
Wii-u!
–Jack eyed the sideview mirror beside her instead.
Two more Militsiya cars and a dark one (mostly likely undercover or federal) appeared in the tiny glass. They'd somehow used a different route to reach him at the intersection!
'Great,' he grumbled to himself.
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"J-Jack?" he heard Tooth mumble loudly. She was turning her head back multiple times.
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"I-I think they're about to do something!"
Suddenly, the two cops and the operative all lined up behind Jack and shot forward.
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The cop cars tried to drive neck-in-neck with Jack's Noble while the black car zoomed ahead past Tooth's window.
She was pissed to see that his windows were tinted too and watched as the Interpol agent drove just enough distance ahead.
He then hit his brake and it made sense...They were trying to box Jack in from the front!
"Shit," Jack growled. "HANG ON!"
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He savagely switched into 4th gear and sped up to outrun the cop cars on either side of their vehicle.
"YOU'RE CRAZY!"
"SO DON'T LOOK!"
When they tried to react, Jack moved the car into an empty lane head of the cop on his left and–
"OH MY GOD!"
–nearly swiped the fed's car ahead of them as he pulled into the next lane and tore up close to 130 km/h!
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"Sweet holy mother of–"
"If you're scared then look down and distract yourself!" Jack snapped angrily as he clenched his jaw and eyed all his mirrors. Really, the princess could be dramatic, despite how 'comfortable' North seemed to think she was with him.
A second later, he heard her mumbling quickly under her breath to herself – she was a singing a random song to calm her anxiety.
"...Asesina, me domina...Janguea en carros, motoras y limosinas...Llena su tanque de adrenalina...Cuando escucha reggaeton en las bocinas...A ella le gusta la gasolina...Dame más gasoli–"
"What?!"
When she paused and looked at Jack, he was giving her the most disturbed look she'd ever seen.
She instantly went pale.
"You know Spanish!?" she asked horrified.
Jack didn't say anything to either confirm or deny it – so it was basically a YES.
Tooth squirmed awkwardly in her seat and covered her face before she realized how dumb that looked and ended up crossing her arms.
She looked away with a nervous blush.
'So what?!' she grumbled in her head pretending she was talking to Jack. 'I listen to a lot of songs! That just happened to pop in my head and it calmed me down until you ruined it, you little–'
Suddenly Jack saw the three cars switched their gears and move in, hot and ready for the pursuit. When one got in close, the officer rolled down his glass and yelled the two men inside eyed the Noble's tinted windows.
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(Russian)"PULL OVER! NOW!" they both shouted aggressively. Jack rolled his eyes and snapped the wheel hellishly to the left and rammed into them.
Tooth squealed as the entire vehicle shuttered from the impact. The sideview mirror on the right broke off instantly but Jack otherwise didn't give a shit as the two Militsiya were tossed sideways into the concrete barrier of the street. When they swerved and rolled out of the way, Jack hit the gas easily outdrove the other two. As he did, the Interpol agent began to shot bullets at their tires but Jack serpentined too quickly for him to get a clear shot – it was at that moment they knew this was more than a simple pursuit.
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"WHY did you do that?!" Tooth screamed. It was stupid when he could've easily just outdrove them. But Jack was calm and almost annoyed at her lack of praise.
"Had to send them a message."
"What? That you're stupid!?"
"No, that I'm not someone to fuck with," he growled. That shut Tooth up instantly.
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The Interpol agents immediately tried to follow him but they lost sight quickly as Jack drove down a large street.
Quickly, they split up and used their highbeams to catch sight of the sleek, black car but by the time they'd caught up to it, they couldn't recognize it.
Down the road where Jack turned, he'd had managed to find a sportscar dealership that sold fifty other Nobles in different colors!
When they got within distance of the lot, he swerved the Noble quickly and used the understeer technique to throw the black car in a sharp parallel park between two blue Nobles!
Tooth got so confused and dizzy, she had to look away from the windows.
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"H-Holy–" Tooth tried to say but she covered her mouth instead to hold down her cheese omelette. She didn't really want to say anything, since it seemed like Jack knew what he was doing...but the constant turning and twisting was threatening to tear her apart. But unlike her erratic heart thumping, Jack's energy was streamlined and steady.
Before they showed up, he rolled down the gas, and guided the wind to blow away the light snowfall on the concrete...along with all the tracks! He shut off the lights and killed the engine.
Toothiana just watched him with wide, nervous eyes.
"H-How...You never told me yet how y–"
"Shh!" He glared at her, "Not yet."
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Sensing the oncoming danger, Jack said nothing and began to fiddle around with the seat control beneath him. When his fingers hit the correct buttons and he pressed them, both his chair and Toothiana's were thrown back until they're both staring at the ceiling of the car.
Tooth wasn't expecting it and she quickly tried to sit back up but Jack's hand shot out and pushed her back down firmly.
"Not yet!" he growled and she didn't say a word – partly because his hand was still pushing down on her chest (afraid she'd try to move again), and partly because at that next second a blinding light in the distance shone over them.
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One of the car's high-beams was lighting up the area to find the speeding supercar and the people inside it. But when Jack's quick thinking, their vehicle appeared dead against the rest of the parked ones and with no head outlines, it appeared empty.
When the highbeams quickly vanished and sped down ahead, Jack exhaled deeply through his nose while Tooth was short of breath.
"I vowed never to get on a motorcycle with you..." she grumbled as she swatted his large hand away from her breasts. "Now let's add cars to that list too!"
Jack rolled his eyes as he tightened his leather glove on his left hand.
"I told you, I'm a professional," he said deeply. "Fast is what I do."
After a few more seconds of waiting and labored breaths, Jack pulled their seats back up and turned the engine on again but he left the lights off. He inhaled sharply enjoying the slight twinge of cold air in his lungs, preparing his mind for another getaway.
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They needed to bolt...but he also needed to wait for an opening, a slick getaway not preventable by any surprise cop cars appearing.
And luckily, he got one.
When the final squad car moved across the street ahead into a new one, Jack hit the lights, moved the gear, and floored the accelerator consecutively.
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"NO! What are you–"
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"NOW OR NEVER, PRINCESS!"
And they gunned down the street with such a SCREEECH, it had all the hairs on people and animals' necks nearby shoot up like lightning rods!
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The Russian law enforcement had no time to react as Jack whizzed past them to the end of the street, and joined the traffic back on the main road.
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He drove like the speed demon he was, sending snow and gasoline into the air like wildfire and having all the innocent, Christmas-jolly Russian folk into cardiac arrest as he squeezed between like an asshole. At one point, he even threw the sportscar on side to drive over a parked scooter near the sidewalk as he tried to get the red light – Tooth did not enjoy it.
But while Jack drove with roving eyes, looking for the intersections that led to Leningradsky Avenue and the highway, several lights caught up with him from behind.
When he looked, he cursed.
Some new cops were tailing him from behind and he soon realised...that they'd managed to shutdown the entire block ahead.
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"Jack, there's no way out!" Tooth cried as she stared too. No way could they make it out – it was gonna be a tight drive to race ahead...
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And that's when something caught Jack's eye on the left.
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Three identical black cars suddenly appeared and lined up with Jack!
A positive rush couldn't stop itself from flaring inside him as he stared at the two on his right and the one of his left. An audio message on the onboard touchscreen played.
"Chzzc–ELFs have been dispatched from Overpass 5, Comet Svet (Comet's Light). Assisting on boss' command.–Chc!"
Then it cut out – but that was more than enough music to Jack and Tooth's ears.
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Jack eyed the Noble on his left– he couldn't see what the others were doing through their own tinted windows but he had a ...'gut' feeling.
And like all his senses, he trusted it.
With a quick press to the clutch, Jack smoothly downshifted into 1st and Tooth watched breathlessly as the other three preformed the same almost simultaneously. And when Jack swerved the car slightly before throwing it into a tight drift, the others did the same. They spun in four identical circles and immediately all lined up, facing away from the blocked off road and towards the oncoming police.
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The cop cars horns were loud and their sirens wailed with expectancy.
Jack listened as the other three ELFs revved their engines anxiously and he gripped the wheel tightly. Then with one more confirmation look, he turned his head to the princess.
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She smirked up at him.
"Lose 'em!" she pumped and he hit the clutch and panned the gear shift all the way to 4.
As the wheels spun underneath for a moment, he heard the Elves do the same. Then, they all let go at the same time and tore ahead!
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The sheer tension was rising with each second all eight cars got closer to each other. Jack and the other Elves hit 97 km/h in 3 seconds and were steadily increasing. They would surely crash and die if the others cops didn't blink and veer off-course first...but Jack knew something was about to happen – agents weren't deployed on rescue missions unless they had all the possibilities figured out.
The ELFs didn't disappoint.
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North's agents were quick and at the last possible open window, one of them outsped Jack (who was taking the lead) and he expertly twisted his car ahead of the seven and let loose a smokescreen!
It blurred all the police momentarily and gave Jack and the other Nobles the chance to swerve around them and scatter like the wind.
They all split up when they reached the previous intersection and when the cops recovered, each black supercar was being chased individually, looking for Jack.
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Jack ended up getting on the Leningradskoye highway. As he drove recklessly through the early morning lanes, his muscles tensed at his shoulders and he made quick to relax him. If he could just outrun the cops on long enough on this long road, then hopefully the coordinates would finally appear.
Tooth seemed to be thinking on the same line of thought as him.
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"Argh, when is this timer gonna hit zer–OH!" Tooth suddenly screamed when something loud and heavy hit them from her side. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat as she whacked into Jack's arm.
The tractor unit of truck (without the cargo) veered right into them and tried to make them pull over.
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"WHAT'S HE DOING?!" she cried angrily and tried to move away from the window.
"HE'S A DECOY!" Jack cried as his eyes widened with realization. Reacting quickly, Jack downshifted and let the car slow down just enough behind the truck so that he could go around it. When it was on his side, he shot Tooth an almost murderous glare.
"Can you drive stick?!" he harped over the loud V8 engines. Tooth snapped her head up at him wildly.
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"WHAT?!"
"I NEED TO STOP HIM! SO CAN YOU?!"
As he began to roll down his window and the cold, Russian wind flew her hair around her face, Tooth's mind went on a brief standstill.
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Two years ago.
"No no no! Shouldn't y –"
"Tooth, he said to let go of the–"
"Wait, you have to–"
"AHHH!"
All nine girls screamed as Toothiana made their jeep jerk violently forward on the dirt road. When it stopped again, Tat, Tulia and Tiati went into hysterical laughter.
"Girls, shut up!" Tooth laughed as she gripped the gear shift again and tried to move it back into 1 again. "I-I'm doing just fin–Why isn't this thing MOVING?!"
"You're gonna kill us, Tooth!" Tia cried from behind as she held Tiati in her lap.
"I think you're supposed to LET GO of the gas!"
"But I'm not even pressing it, Tina!"
"Well then–"
They all screamed again when Tooth panicked as the gear shift moved into 2. Her foot went for the brake, thinking it'd fly forward when really, she hit the gas pedal.
They watched in horror as Tooth let go the clutch and grabbed the steering wheel tightly with both hands, trying to steer it down the road.
"See?! I-I can do this!"
But suddenly the slope from the dirt road came up and the jeep went down it quickly. It was a slow and gradual incline but with Tooth's lack of driving, all the handmaidens thought they were heading to their deaths.
"TOOTH! I SWEAR T–!"
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Waaah, Toooothie!"
All the locals watched and jumped out of the way as the jeep speedily went down the hill. At one point, Tooth had to dodge a goat crossing and a fruit cart setup by one of the islanders.
When the road was approaching a turn at the end of the incline, Tooth put her foot on the clutch impulsively and managed to downshift back to 1. She started to mumble to herself and BT eyed her from the passenger seat like a mad woman.
"What?!"
"M-Minister Ty said 1 is the lowest level s-so I should be able to–"
And she hit the brake without even finishing.
They all screamed again when the jeep stopped abruptly and Tiana flew forward. Tooth quickly shut the engine off with shaky fingers and leaned over the wheel, shellshocked.
When she noticed movement coming from the right, she turned her head over Tat's. One of the women in the house next to them came out to see what all the noise was about.
She immediately laughed when she realised it was just their beloved princess and her handmaidens out for an afternoon drive.
Tooth gave her a sheepish grin while all her sisters groaned loudly in the back.
"S-Sawasdee kah, Khun-Pā! (Hello auntie!)" she greeted respectively with a high voice and chattering teeth.
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She gulped and wound her scarf tighter around her dry throat.
"Uh...yeah sorta?" Tooth called back. "But what are you planning t–"
Jack suddenly unbuckled himself and began to lift his hands off the wheel.
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"JACK, ARE YOU CRAZY?!" she shrieked and took hold of it from the passenger seat.
He was sure her nerves were shot and as the violent, December wind through his hair up.
"Just keep driving forward!" he yelled. "It's a one-way, but keep your eyes on me so you know when to pick me up!"
Jack then lifted his boot off the gas and Tooth quickly slipped into the driver's seat. She held down the accelerator again.
"Don't touch the clutch," she kept mumbling to herself. "Don't touch the clutch!"
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Jack then jumped through the window and landed on the truck's hitch. The wind almost knocked him over but he quickly twisted the current in his pale fingers and directed it around him. When his trenchcoat immediately billowed out behind him, he sighed angrily at the drag it caused.
Tooth shot her hand out of the car. "Give me your coat!" she cried and he quickly obliged. He tossed it to her with the wind.
Without the pull of the heavy fabric weighing him down, Jack rushed forward but the federal agent driving the truck saw him through the sideview mirror and opened his door. He expertly leaned out behind him to fire shots at the brunette but Jack was already parkouring up the back of the truck's cab.
Tooth watched with wide eyes, steadily easing her boot on the gas and trying to keep up with the truck – so far, there were no cars ahead on the highway yet to swerve around.
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"JACK!" she screamed and he threw a hand out at her to forget about him.
As he reached the roof of the truck, he crouched over the wind and leaned to the left, eyeing the spy over the edge. Below, the spy was wondering where he'd gone and Jack grit his teeth. With a controlled breath he shut his eyes.
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It was now or never.
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Jack took hold of the icy bar running along the roof and with a powerful lift, he flipped over and twisted himself to face the truck. As he fell in a curve, Jack pressed his boots together and drove them hard into the open door. He hit the federal agent perfectly in the face.
Once he got inside, the two got into a quick brawl.
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The federal agent threw a right hook but Jack caught it and delivered a heavy elbow strike to the man's torso. The federal agent coughed out and tried to knock it down but before he could follow with a left uppercut, Jack threw a straight punch that caused the older man to fly into the passenger seat. His absence from the wheel and the gas however caused the truck to slow and veer off-course!
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Jack quickly slipped properly into the seat and hit the gas as he leveled out the truck into the lane again to avoid the cars on the left and Tooth driving on the right. As he did though, the agent came back with a blow to Jack's head. He used the back-end of his gun and Jack was left keeling away in pain.
He instinctively caught the door handle but it opened on its own and the brunette suddenly found himself clinging to it and the wheel as he leaned precariously over the outside! The highway wind and hoarfrost in the air bit at his face and forearms as the fed tried to push him further.
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Jack tried to claw the hands away but they wouldn't budge.
"JACK FROST! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!" the Interpol agent barked as he clambered over.
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When he was within arm's reach, he grabbed Jack around the throat and proceeded to squeeze tightly. "Do NOT resist arrest or I will kill you on site as otherwise instructed!"
Jack choked out a cough and shut his eyes. He fell limp intentionally, trying to level his heart rate or else the panic would make him lose oxygen quicker!
As he did, his mind began racing.
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He needed something throw this man off...but the knife in his belt was too far and he couldn't twist down to reach for the one in his–
Jack's maple-colored eyes snapped open.
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As the man above grunted angrily, trying to squeeze Jack's life from this throat, Jack gritted his teeth. He began to move his left arm inwards while the truck's door swung violently in the wind.
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When he got hold of the short rod, Jack exhaled slowly. The brunette moved it in his grasp until he was holding it perfectly in the centre.
He then pressed it briefly and did a wrist roll before thrusting it behind him. As he did, the rod expanded into its full-length Bo staff. It got the agent right the throat and he was pushed back instantly!
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The man coughed and tried to move away but Jack's hold on the staff pinned him straight against the passenger's window. He dropped his gun as he tried to pry the stick away. The man gazed up, fearful of the sudden appearance of the black weapon and at the wanted criminal who was holding it. Jack's face held nothing but malice and cold focus.
Jack pulled himself silently back into the truck and raised the staff higher until the agent's chin was tilted upwards to the ceiling.
"Nice try," Jack seethed before he quickly moved the titanium pole from the guy's throat and shattered the window behind him. Then collapsing the Bo staff, Jack rushed forward and tossed him out of the truck by the collar of his shirt.
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Tooth screamed when a dark figure flew out of the truck and looked back. As she did, her boot left the gas pedal and her seat rolled back.
"SHIT!" she squealed and tried to move it forward. She didn't know that Jack had tried to move the seat forward for her (since his legs were longer than hers) – but he hadn't locked the chair in!
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"I swear to god, Jack!" she whined as she tried to move the seat forward. It wouldn't budge and a second later, Jack flew into through the window and clambered in behind her. His hair was viciously windswept and snowflakes covered it, his shirt, and his eyelashes. When she eyed the rearview mirror to glare at him, she saw something burning in the background.
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Tooth spun.
Jack had set the truck on fire and it was rolling to a stop as they drove ahead and a second later...it exploded!
The shockwave flung her forward against the wheel. When her foot got the gas pedal, she sat stiff, afraid to move again as she perched her butt on the edge of the seat.
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"What're you doing?!" Jack yelled behind her. "MOVE!"
"I-I..." she tried to start but her nerves locked her mouth shut as she tried to avoid hitting the few cars appearing ahead of them. She looked down and gasped.
"HOLY CRAP. We're going 175!"
"Then move if you're scared!"
"I-I can't, Jack! I don't want to–AHH!" she screamed and swerved when she nearly rammed a white Honda from behind.
"You have got to be freaking kidding me!" he cried angrily and ran a hand through his hair. He quickly moved himself behind her and put both his legs on either side of her. When he filled in the driver's seat, he leaned over her head and shut the window.
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Immediately, all the cold air that seemed to suck the breath from their lungs stopped.
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"Fine, then let go! I'll drive!" he said grouchily and grasped the gear shift. "But when we get to a pause, you need to move!"
And Jack eased the gas and pressed the clutch. Then when he switched into 3rd, he floored the accelerator.
28
"OH NO!" Tooth cried as the speed threw her back firmly against his chest. Her already-blotched cheeks from the cold wind grew hot again and she shut her eyes.
'Really, this is ridiculous!' Jack thought as her hair brushed around his jaw. He was just damn lucky he'd been trained for so many kinds of scenarios – this one included...but for evacuees or one-passenger cars, not because a woman wanted to!
24
As Jack hellishly drove with Tooth under him, he eyed the highway with gritted teeth. On his left, one of Moscow's many rivers had suddenly appeared and a small overpass tunnel was coming into view ahead.
20
Unfortunately, so was a helicopter that appeared over it!
Jack growled. It suddenly appeared over the tunnel to the bridge, no doubt to assist the Russian police in tagging him!
18
17
"Princess, I know you're scared, but you need to move NOW! I'm about to do something!"
When Tooth opened her eyes, she saw what Jack had seen. The helicopter light was on the burning truck way behind them now, but she knew any second now it would fall on them before they hit the short tunnel–
16
"TOOTHIANA!"
"Okay! Okay, sorry!" she choked and she watched him lift his right arm away for her to move across.
14
13
When she was settled in, she locked her seatbelt.
10
9
After he fixed his chair, Jack did the same as he mentally prepared for the tunnel coming ahead. A second later, Leningradsky's two dark tunnels came up in the distance. Its two tunnels, one returning and the other going in, ran under a manmade hill. It was lit up with orange overlights in each. Tooth closed her mouth as she at stared the magnificent structure come into view.
5
4
But the tunnel also had a sharp left curve and would lead to a bridge over the expansive river.
So Jack hit the clutch and prepared to drive the Noble faster toward the overpass.
3
2
1...
Boop! Boop!
Jack looked down – the GPS countdown had finished and lit up.
"L-LOOK!" Tooth cried and leaned forward slightly.
55.912850, 37.465096 SW – Mosokovskaya
The GPS countdown had ended and showed the real coordinates to North's runway! The coordinates Jack realized were lined up perfectly with where they were because at the end of the bridge, they needed to turn into large district that would eventually vanish into a forest.
Jack only had a two-second glance to memorize the numbers before he eyed the road again.
"Got it," he said then he hit the gear shift into 3rd as they crossed the intersection.
He was about to take the tunnel on the right when–
"Argh!"
Jack squeezed his eyes shut briefly – the helicopter had shined its light directly in his face (finally finding them)...and it cost him the entrance tunnel.
He accidentally swerved to the right with his impaired vision – and drove into the oncoming one!
"JACK! NO!" Tooth cried, her voice high and shrill, and he recovered instantly. He quickly rubbed one of his eyes and blinked out the white spots.
He gritted his teeth.
Jack hit the clutch and downshifted to 2nd – he didn't want to lose time and just had to avoid a hit. So silent and focused like a predator, he twisted the black car against the cars coming at them. The Noble was deep and thunderous, its engines echoing off the concrete walls as they tore through the end of the tunnel toward the bridge.
Many cars coming at them swerved out of his way and gave him room, while a few hit their brakes – everyone was honking like mad and Tooth's shouts were not helping.
"TOOTHIANA, WILL YOU PL–!"
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! NO, JACK! We-Wai–Watch out for the–"
She screamed.
He didn't give a damn and ignored her after when a short, stocky car froze up in front of them and he swerved around it expertly...into another halted car before speeding away again.
As they continued to go 125km/h in the wrong direction, the curve moving the tunnel upwards finally appeared and luckily, the traffic going down it started to grow less and less. Jack found it easier to drive more proficiently and when he had to follow the sharp turn, he downshifted and swung the car into a daredevil drift. His lungs were on fire and his grip was tight but Jack's mind was buzzing...and he managed to get up all the way through.
The second the curve ended and the angle of the car was balanced, Jack hit the clutch again and sped around the last of the vehicles screeching to a halt as they exited the tunnel and met the bridge.
Jack eyed the bridge with nostalgia – it was a bascule bridge that opened up down the middle for boat traffic on the river.
But–
"J-Jack?" Tooth called as her eyes grew exceptionally wide. "Jack?!"
"I see it, I see it!" he said and gripped the wheel.
The Russian Interpol and several local police had managed to get there before them and were beginning to block off access to the bridge!
"Son of a–" but Tooth stopped when she realised Jack had just passed the last intersection and kept driving forward. She also spotted another black Noble speeding away to confuse the police.
Still, she whirled on Jack's crackpot decision.
"Oh no...NO!"
But he wasn't stopping – and she soon knew why.
The police were still trying to get the bridge to pull all the way up! It was going up, but there was still enough of a jumping distance between the two leaves.
He glanced at the speedometer and grasped the gear shift in anticipation.
"ARE YOU NUTS?!"
"Only if I don't reach 137km in 5 seconds and we don't make that jump!" He argued and he moved away as he watched the Police and Interpol react to their arrival. Several raised their guns and shot at the front of the vehicle. They didn't have time to throw down a spike strip.
"GET DOWN!" Jack cried and he and Tooth bent forward under the dashboard as the bullets shot through the glass and whizzed past them.
Jack suddenly saw a flash.
"Foot pursuit has changed to...repeat! Pursuit in progress!...Repeat!"
Tooth screamed and covered her ears. Jack quickly pulled up and drove with such intensity everything around him seemed to be at a standstill...but he did hear Toothiana's voice, just as he drove the car within its final metres of the Russian law enforcement.
"I-I don't think we'll make it!" Tooth whimpered loudly as the sirens came ear-piercingly close.
Jack's fingers in his leather glove twitched.
–Rio Janeiro: Jack drifted the car around one corner with one hand. His other was holding a gun out the window and he had to time the shot right–
As he caught hold of the gearshift and gripped it with ecstasy, he shot her an almost feral look from under his brown bangs – untamed and hot-blooded for the thrill that was chasing them both.
"Whatever you thought about going fast, is nothing compared to what I'm about to do," Jack said, his voice deep and steady but his vigour easily noticeable. "You ready?"
The wind rushing through the bullet holes in the windshield blew all her dark hair, blonde hairlights, and feather earrings behind her, still mentally preparing for the ride.
Jack immediately thought back to North.
Remembering all the Elves' immediate preparedness, ready for him and Thia, elated his senses and fired him up to the core – it gave him a feeling he seemed to lack, or more accurate, a feeling he had tried to avoid for so long. Faith. Optimism. But after North's confessions and Toothiana's smile, he was unafraid of treading.
'I'm like him,' he finally admitted to himself, thinking of the Russian.
Project GUARDIAN was for good agents, for agents like he used to be. And while he didn't have all the knots tied up or cut away, that was enough for the moment because it gave Jack's moral compass more than enough reason to slowly improve. It gave him the drive he was missing for a year – a cause to fight for, a purpose larger than himself and Pitch.
–Los Angeles: Jack drove up to the parking lot roof and before it went over the edge, he rolled out of the moving car and slipped into the tiny, open duct nearby–
As his mind slowed down the hysteria around him to steady his heartbeat, he watched how the princess' hair moved around her and her eyes squeezed shut.
"I-I'll try to be," he heard her mumble, trying to stay loyal to her decision to have faith in him and for Jack, that was enough.
He felt the warm puff of air leave his lips and when his lungs filled with ice breath, he nodded slowly. Jack then turned back to the police and squinted through the cracked windshield.
"You just have to believe in me," he answered deeply.
And when the cop cars and armoured vans were within a metre away, he hit the clutch and moved up into 4th.
–Seoul: "Freeze!" Jack delivered a powerful punch combo to the corrupt cop and slammed his head against the windshield. He then stole his squad car and went after the real criminal van–
Then, he hit it!
Tooth said nothing, did nothing, as her entire body went into paralysis from the sheer power of the Noble's engine. The entire body of the car vibrated heavily as Jack manoeuvred the car through the tight space between two cops!
He bent slightly when few of their bullets came through the side windows but missed him. It cost Jack a bit of speed as he tried to recover and the Russian Interpol saw it as the perfect opportunity to setup a missile – if this guy was gonna make the jump, they had to try to take him out at the landing! The Russian government would pay for the expenses later.
The brunette meanwhile began counting the seconds as the incline of the bridge began to start.
"...Gunner division! Move into sector 4! That bomb..."
'1'
Jack blinked several times.
"...get the hostages!..."
'2'
He gripped the wheel.
"...(Italian) W-Who are you!?"
'3'
His teeth gritted together.
"Move the ambassador out NOW!"
'4'
Then, he looked down.
'5'
Jack drove the window and floored it.
Jack smirked.
He hadn't reached 135 km/h in five seconds...he'd reached 175!
So quickly, he moved the gear into 5th, the Nobles highest, and he hit it!
As they drove up the ever-inclining ramp towards the edge, Jack thought of nothing but his trust in his skill and the full control he had over his body. He couldn't see through the freaking window, but he just knew...the bridge was there and they would reach the other side.
After a moment's anticipation, the black supercar flew over the last of the ramp, the mid-air suspension exhilarated them both.
Tooth opened her eyes and lifted her head impulsively. She eyed the dark river beneath them with a mouth wide open and large, round eyes. Her heart was like a time bomb waiting to go off and cold sweat began to start under her scarf and freeze in the winter air. But when she looked at Jack, and saw how he looked, suspended in time, she felt a sudden rush.
He was focused on something invisible and calling out to him – and without even thinking, she knew automatically what he needed!
The princess lifted her fingers to the window buttons on her side and pressed both down firmly.
When the powerful wind immediately blew through the car and tossed their hair up like monsters, Jack let go of the wheel to control the frigid wind torrents around them. His ungloved fingers traced the direction of the current and with a firmly set jaw, he grabbed the North wind with his gene.
Tooth's stomach made a pleasant flip as the wind counterworked against the gravity and literally floated onto the other bridge! More and more, Jack seemed to amaze her...
When they made it all the way, the wind helped to cushion their landing marvellously.
As soon as the ties touched the concrete again, Jack recovered control of the car and maddeningly moved down the steep ramp.
Tooth couldn't help it – as the wind blew painful ice into her face, she let out a whoop.
"WOoo!" she cheered, clapped like a little kid. "Jack, you–GAH!"
Jack hit the brakes abruptly. He then stood up and threw a reverse elbow strike and violent punch at the windshield.
Leaning forward over the steering wheel slightly, he knocked out the hole-filled glass until it all gave away and they could both see perfectly through the wind.
That's when a deafening whooshing sound followed by a catastrophic BOOM exploded behind them and threw the car slightly off the ramp. The Russian police shot a missile at the bridge ramp underneath them!
Tooth gasped as she got knocked forward and Jack's ears buzzed from the shockwave but it was failed attempt by the police...they managed to make it through the fire and explosion.
The law enforcement watched angrily when the bridge didn't collapse or hit their intended targets. With the leaf up, the Russian Interpol couldn't even get a view of where Jack and his Noble were going from the other side, hell they couldn't even identify who was with him in the passenger seat!
But that gave Jack and Tooth the window of opportunity to speed off at the next exit and when they did, they vanished into the Khimki district as North's new coordinates had instructed.
They never saw them again.
...
(Russian) "Move in. MOVE IN, DAMMIT!" a cop bellowed into his walkie-talkie.
The helicopter rushed in immediately and flew over the river. It tried to shine light against the flaming parts of the bridge and the tire tracks left on the concrete so the police could catch up when the bridge came down again...but out of nowhere–
BOOM!
Another mysterious missile shot it down – all the men screamed and ran for cover behind their squad cars.
As the huge explosion lit up the Moscow sky like a firework on Christmas, two black Nobles parked very far away in a secluded park were immediately turned on. One ELF was quickly moving his tripod case, labelled 'MISTLETOE', into his trunk, while his partner called North on his Bluetooth to inform him that they helped Jack.
"Da?"
"The kiss was a success," he said promptly and North smirked on his end.
"Well done," he said and the two men signed off.
As North walked around his office, cracking his knuckles and playing with the gold rings on his large fingers, he quickly called ahead to another ELF agent.
"Yes sir?" the younger man responded. A loud whooshing sound like an open field behind him was heard in the mic. North chuckled.
"Merry Christmas."
"Right away!" And the ELF cut out the message and got straight to work.
...
Jack parked the car in a construction parking lot owned by men (who looked suspiciously like North's agents) before him and Tooth dashed out. The men paid no attention to them as they went about their "Christmas rush" duties and were busy with their large communication systems.
Then when one ELF came out and pointed into a wooded forest behind the site, Jack gripped Toothiana's hand and the two sprinted through the thick bushel. They ran in total darkness for several minutes with nothing but the frigid air pinching their lungs and the pumping adrenaline still running their skin.
Then as quickly as Jack and Tooth were adjusting to the darkness, a bright, white light blinded them as the forest opened up to a small clearing.
They both squinted through the light.
There was red-uniformed ELF waving at them from a smooth, dirt runway. He had all their bags at his feet, but what was more magnificent was the beautiful, white jet parked above the ELF.
It was a small, private-class plane that glistened against the falling snow.
On the side Jack and Tooth saw it was labelled Sleigh Runner 06 – one of many already up in the air.
Tooth smiled gratefully before Jack escorted her across the hard grass and earth and not a second later, all three moved into the jet.
By the time it was 4am and the bridge was brought down again, the international police lost their chance to retrace Jack Frost's steps.
He was gone again, like the wind, and they had no clue he was with Princess Toothiana Hypunjam already on his way to a whole new country, where he had more people to piss off.
...
"Bloody hell."
A bloodcurdling scream was heard as Pitch Black took hold of his Nightmares' head in both hands and a second later, he twisted his neck.
Still on the brink of rage, Pitch pulled out a Taurus rifle and shot him twice through both yellow goggles. When he moved away, fury apparent under his grey skin and long fingers twitching on his gun, his shadows around the room stretched without his conviction.
They always did that when he was angry beyond his own control but unlike the rest of mankind that feared the shadows he stalked in, they appeared like long hands of comfort, extending out to comfort him and the room he locked himself away in.
When one of the shadows of the chair elongated against the wall next to him, Pitch turned slightly and eyed it with deep, yellow eyes as his 6"8 shadow did the same.
"Oh my dear friends...my pets," he mumbled darkly. He reached out and stroked the concrete wall where the shadow kept growing against the light. "See what happens when you lose a tooth? That...empty feeling? I can lick the wound, that empty gum, until the new one appears but unless I hold the fallen one in my hand, in my grip...where's the joy? The prize? My pillow is STILL empty. And what kind of man would I be to disappoint the tooth fairy, hm?"
He willed the shadow of the chair to flutter down and he watched as it slinked down the wall and back to the chair. In the light, it shied away under the legs and into the shadow of the dead hitman he'd just killed. Seeing his only hitman return when teh others were ambushed, split the calm facade in his face once more.
Pitch turned feral and stalked forward, grabbing the corpse's bloodied mask as he talked down to it.
"Now, not only do I have these damned elves to deal with, but also this little shit Jack Frost!" he snarled. "And you know me, I hate surprise appearances!"
He then shoved the body away.
When the chair fell with the corpse and the deafening snap of the chair on the concrete echoed around the room, the other hitmen near the back, his Elite squad of Arch-level Nightmares, said nothing. They stood stoic and unfazed by their founder's murderous behaviour – they were responsible for acts just as cruel.
Pitch quickly tossed his gun onto the floor, into the pool of blood around the dead Nightmare and pulled out a black device from his waistbelt. He grasped it tightly in his greyish, bony fingers before he pulled a secret sequence into his invention.
Almost immediately, all his elite men's vests beeped yellow and a gridlock synched their assigned coordinates together.
"We are rushing Operation Nightmare," Pitch spat sending all the hot blood in the room into a chill. "Send your legions by the tens and track the Elves with the case. I. Want. The. Tooth. Found!"
And when they moved silently away like terrible horses, leaping for exit windows high up around the room, Pitch gritted his teeth and balled his fists.
When they vanished, a scientist from Pitch's science department suddenly called him. Pitch's eyes widened briefly before he gracefully turned on his PA system.
"Well!?"
As he asked, Tulia's cries of resist were heard in the distance.
"No, no, no stop! PLEASE!"
She sobbed in agony and a loud crash that sounded like a metal table was heard.
"I-I want to go home!" she shrieked. "I WANT TO GO HOME!"
And the younger girl kept crying before it was muffled out by a door being slammed.
"W-We attempted cardamom fr-from Sri Lanka," he spoke gently. "But...w-well sir, neither are s-still responsive."
And it was all Pitch could do to control his fury and not slam his hand savagely against the table – even though he desperately wanted to watch the dark wood crack down the middle and split in two.
"If not myrcene, then try again," he says after a deep exhale.
"The girls still have much time on their side...but I cannot say the same for their princess."
And the scientist meekly agreed and cut out, scurrying back to his immoral work.
Chapter's soundtrack: "Suit Up" – Blue Stahli This is one of my faves! Tis be Jack's gunner track. Oh and the song Tooth was humming was "La Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee - didn't realise until I wrote it in how ironic some of the lyrics are lmao!
(And big thanx to kshep.n7 and Lovina for helping me with my Thai and Spanish!)