CHAPTER 4
"The Next Level"
A few hours before present time…
It was the night when Sophia had her first encounter with the rogue.
The light of the moon brushed gently onto the city streets, which illuminated the sights of any average passerby. The sounds of muted cars drove on as if they were in complete aimlessness, and the shadows danced lazily, covering whatever there was in its wake in darkness. Some say looking into the shadows would be a fun idea for the sake of privacy, others would agree that it wouldn't be, so as to not run into any unwelcome faces with malicious intent.
The city of Rio had a few couple of districts, some of which were residential districts with pretty houses on the outskirts of the city, and some were apartment buildings, of which were usually beyond 5 stories high. Whilst they served the purpose of sheltering citizens from the undesirable elements one would not want to face outside, they also looked rather nice, even up close.
And at one of these places, at the heart of the city, was where one peculiar looking figure would make his move…
Once he climbed up the ladder and onto the roof of a building six stories high, the gorgeous view of the city skyline greeted him warmly. As the lights, the buildings and the moon forming a brilliant scene of Rio de Janeiro which was left painted in various fantastic shades of nothing but blue.
"Rio de Janeiro." He spoke to himself in pure satisfaction, as he put his leg up onto a vent box bolted to the floor and leaned his weight on it. "My dear home, my birthplace… I've missed you."
His gaze was cut short when a voice appeared on his ear piece.
?: I'd save the sightseeing until the job is done if I were you.
The figure chuckled, "Rabbit, glad to see you've made it."
Rabbit: Oh yeah. Running my first job with you in Rio is something I wouldn't miss for the world, Airborne.
"Alright, glad to see you're motivated," replied Airborne in a gentlemanly tone.
Airborne, the figure in question, is a surprisingly tall male, who seemed to wear his attire in such a way that it would prevent anyone from telling what animal he was. He wore a dark chestnut brown utility jacket with a black hoodie underneath which covered his head, along with black sneakers and gloves, and he also wore a pair of midnight blue jeans – which had his tail tucked inside. And to add up to his odd sense of vigilantism, he also bore a white mask which covered his face, with his hood brought up to conceal the rest of his head.
He stared at the buildings ahead of him and calmy replied, "Alright girl, sync me in." To which the voice in his earpiece called back.
Rabbit: Let's get this party started…
For a few seconds there was the sound of fingers furiously tapping away the keys of keyboard, coming through Airborne's earpiece, as he stood firm, gazing at the view once more.
Rabbit: Ooh, virtual Brazil sure looks great this time of year… Okay, touring through Brazil, locking your position in Rio… And we're synced… So, the next stop on your journey through the city would be… 50 yards straight ahead!
The moment Rabbit had given her instructions, Airborne sprinted off into the distance, jumping over a narrow gap between the building he stood on and the one ahead as he did so.
Unaware to him however, was that from behind him was the edge of the building with a dark abyss beyond it, with a ladder reaching down, and climbing hastily up that particular ladder, was a military macaw in his mid-twenties. His outfit was a simple black shirt with a pair of grey cargo pants, a Kevlar vest with a police badge and combat boots, and he had gained a stern expression to complete his own overall look.
Jose had left Sophia at ground level to chase Airborne, only to reach to the top and find the rogue running upon rooftops in the night. Annoyance had worked its way to tighten the muscles on his face, and to preserve his authoritative figure he hollered, "Stop right there!" But his call was not loud enough and Airborne was too far to hear him.
With no choice left, he bolted after the rogue.
Meanwhile, the white masked rogue vaulted over a rusty pair of air conditioning units and sprinted effortlessly down his directed path. The air seemed rather cold as he expected, and the moonlight made his white mask stand out amongst his dark surroundings, as he parkoured his way through.
He had not returned Rio de Janeiro in a rather long time. And somehow he felt like he had already knew the place at the same time, as the feeling was identical to that of coming back to one's house after an incredibly epic journey. Rabbit perked up.
Rabbit: By the way, are you sure you wanna keep on running with a tail behind you?
"Well, it's part of the plan," Airborne replied casually as he ran jumped without hesitation over another gap. "I have a little surprise for them in return of the mess I'm about to cause here."
Rabbit: Is it nice? Like a present… or a cake?
"Well, no," said Airborne as he bounced upwards and landed onto a lower part of the rooftop.
"But I think they're gonna love it."
Airborne had halted in his tracks. He looked around found himself in yet another rooftop, however this one in particular seemed smaller than most. In front of him he found a large concrete box shaped like structure that had a metal door facing towards him – presumably for anyone to descend down to lower floors, at either side there were guard rails that prevented anyone from falling over just a couple of feet away from him, and behind him was a concrete wall he bounced down from a few seconds earlier.
Rabbit: Good, you're now on target. See if there's any way you can drop down a floor or two.
"Sure," replied Airborne as he walked toward the metal door and grabbed the doorknob. Locked. Quickly, he reached into one of the pockets in his jacket an produced a pair of lock pickers. Lowering himself down he shoved both of them inside the keyhole above the handle. The process required him to perform rapid jerking motions from both his hands but luckily, it only took him a mere few seconds before he yanked the doorknob and pulled the unlocked door open.
"Alright Rabbit, I'm in," said Airborne as he, walked his way through the dark stairs. "Where to now?"
Meanwhile…
Jose hurried over in the direction where Airborne went. While the military macaw was more accustomed to hunt criminals on the ground and inside buildings, however, pursuing strange people on top of them was something he certainly did not fancy. His heart pumped rapidly and his eyes concentrated hard on what he thought was the route that Airborne had taken, and jumped hard and fast over a gap between two buildings. "Lord Almighty!" He said to himself.
"If I had timed that jump wrong, I would have been flat as a freaking pancake. Damn! I hope Sophia's still in the car, it'd be embarrassing if I had to walk this crook of a guy all the way to the police station. Note to self: never do your job this sloppy ever again," thought Jose.
Suddenly he halted abruptly. Looking down below, he found himself standing on some kind of concrete shed, and at the bottom was what seemed to be a large concrete box with a door that led into the building presumably.
Jose then carefully jumped down and walked over to the door and found it unfortunately open, leading him to believe that this rogue he was chasing after was somewhere in there. He had feeling that he recognized this building – which would be full of residents with ordinary lives. And worse he had a gut instinct that told him, the rogue was going to do something very adversary in there, should Jose allow it to happen.
So, grabbing tranquilizer gun in both hands and turning on its own flashlight, Jose the Military macaw walked cautiously inside.
Meanwhile on a floor below, Airborne had removed a strange pen drive from a slot in an electrical unit.
Rabbit: Alrighty, the security measures are down. You've got at least around ten minutes till they are automatically back on. Now go down another floor.
"Copy that," answered Airborne as he went rushed toward the stairs ahead of him and made his descent.
Whatever Rabbit had done to shut down the cameras also resulted in the bright white lights of the premises to go down as well, meaning that Airborne had to make his way through the dark using the dim amber lights that were still usually on. Once he had made it to the lower floor, he found a hallway with doors on either side and two more at the very back.
Rabbit: The apartment you're looking for is 5-E, can you see it?
Airborne pulled out his flashlight and turned it on, trying to make sense in the dark. "Hmm… 5-A… B, C, D…"
Apartment 5-E stood at the very back of the hall.
"5-E, found it!" Said Airborne as he hurried over to the apartment's door, crouched down and began to quietly pick on its lock.
Rabbit: This is going sooo smoothly, I think I might have overestimated this job.
Airborne chuckled at Rabbit's quick comment. "Don't push your luck kiddo, anything can go wrong here."
Rabbit: But isn't that part of the fun?
"Oh, yeah. No doubt about that," said Airborne as he finished picking the lock. "All set, how's it looking from your point of view, kid?"
Rabbit: Not sure. I'm picking up a Wi-Fi signal inside the place, someone must be in there.
The white masked rogue stood up and went quiet, considering his options. But it wasn't a long time before he made his choice.
"Hmm," said the shifty figure before replying in a little cunning manner. "Well, I'd say it's best to not keep them waiting then."
Rabbit: Be careful.
Airborne then reached inside his jacket and pulled out what seemed to be a tranquilizer dart gun, it looked identical to a small combat pistol, which instead was design to carry at least 12 rounds of tranquilizers.
Grabbing the doorknob, he opened the door and slipped carefully into the apartment.
Upon entering, he found himself inside a room which had numerous boxes of various shapes and sizes all of which of various sizes, all dusty and untouched, placed very closely to the walls. The room itself was not entirely spacious, but it had the essential furniture such as the couch and TV which both stood on the rightmost wall, a round table which consisted of three chairs on the left, and kitchen cupboards which stood at the far wall. At the corner in the right was a narrow hallway, which might lead Airborne to he needed to look for.
However, there were rottweiler dogs inside the room, three of them. All of whom wore cheap clothing, earrings and silver necklaces. All of whom did not look friendly. One slept at the table with a bottle and a baseball bat, on the chair closest to the rogue. The other two had their backs facing towards him, they seemed to be focusing on something portrayed on a phone held by one of them.
Airborne thought for a second. Now why would he leave behind a crime scene done by a professional when he can make it look like the work of an amateur? Now that would certainly give the false impression of him.
So, being the strange man he was, he put his gun back to its holster and slammed the door behind him, resulting in alerting the rottweilers of his presence and spoke out in a speech that would've frozen any opponent.
"Hallo boys. Nice house you've got here."
The pair standing at the kitchen turned around in both surprise and in utter shock, whilst the dog at the table looked up to Airborne groggily. It took them at least nearly a full three seconds to realize Airborne had come in uninvited. Airborne charged at them at a blistering speed whilst one of the dogs who was already standing grabbed the bat from the table and swung it at him.
Instead of the bat hitting him, Airborne had somehow caught it with his right hand. Quickly he stepped forwards and punched the dog in hard on the chest, but he wasn't done there as he punched him again in the eye – with the same fist – and with a grunt, he gave a low kick to the back of his opponent and the rottweiler fell to the floor.
The second rottweiler stood with his mouth open, acknowledging how fast Airborne was, grabbed a tranquilizer dart gun from the top of one the boxes behind him. But unfortunately for the dog, Airborne kicked the gun from his hands and swung the bat across his face, knocking him out instantly.
The last rottweiler, the one who stood at the table stood up lazily with his fist clenched. Noticing that this one seemed more muscular and a bit beefy than the other dogs, Airborne gripped his bat, ready to knock out his last opponent. The tension was strong in the air as the two fighters glared at each other, and for some reason it seemed as if the first blow would define the rest of their fight.
And somehow after taking their first step, the last rottweiler toppled down to the ground backwards.
"What the heck?" Said Airborne to himself. He looked at the table to find the large green bottle which had been completely emptied
"Huh… I guess that's what happens when you don't go easy on the hooch."
Rabbit: What was that?
"Nothing much, my last opponent got drunk and fell down to his own inconspicuous misery. But just in case…"
Airborne grabbed his tranquilizer gun and shot him in the chest twice and did the same for the other rottweilers on the floor.
Once that was done, the white masked rogue hurried into the hallway and opened the first door on the left. He was now inside the bedroom with more boxes, a bunk bed at the far wall and a computer right next to it.
"I found the computer, time to see what's on it." And then, grabbing a chair, he sat himself at the computer and turned it on. There was no pass word, which was good, and the files that he was looking for were in easy reach, which was better. And once he plugged his pen-drive into the CPU of the computer he was all set. "Okay Rabbit, I'm in. Installing the files now."
Rabbit: That's what I like to hear!
Meanwhile…
Upon seeing the door slam shut violently, he hurried to the door quickly and produced a gun from his holster. He was not exactly sure, but he kept hearing the sound of someone grunting inside, as if he was struggling in a fight.
"What is happening in there?" Whispered Jose to himself. His heart was pounding and he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts straight. Something was definitely not right about what was transpiring behind that door. However, the sounds faded much quickly than he expected and then his eyes widened when he realized this was the moment where he felt like he was supposed to intervene. He knew he had to call for backup, otherwise he would not be so lucky. Playing the role of the hero would not be the best option for him.
But for some reason he checked his gun's magazine if there was any darts at his disposal, and kept it at the ready and carefully opened the door.
Back inside…
Meanwhile Airborne was finally able to download the files he needed, as he stood up and pulled out the pen-drive from the CPU, which stood right next to the computer on the desk.
"Okay, I've got what I came for and now I just gotta get the heck out of here and-" But as Airborne had turned around, he came to a complete pause, allowing Rabbit to respond back through his earpiece.
Rabbit: Hey! We don't have much time before the cop comes back, bag the data and get out of there!
But Airborne didn't reply.
Rabbit: What's going on?
"I am staring at something I believe I never thought I would see again in a long time," said the white masked rogue as he walked over to the other end of the room and stared at a peculiar object that sat on a shelf on the wall.
Rabbit: What are you seeing?
"Something that's one of a kind," said Airborne. To which Rabbit replied in a quick fashion.
"This is the police! Stop what you're doing and come out with your hands up!" Called a voice in the living room.
Rabbit: Then why don't you grab it too?
Airborne thought for a second about that.
Meanwhile Jose had seen the knocked out rottweilers and their apartment of disarray as he walked over to the hallway. He was spooked enough already, and to his dismay he heard something behind the door on the left. Carefully whilst aiming his gun, he walked over to the door in a defensive stance. And once he opened it, he got quite the shock.
Airborne stood directly in front of Jose, standing with subtle confidence whilst holding a small black bag – with something inside – giving it a tight knot to close it. What shocked Jose was not just how tall Airborne was, or how he stood directly a few feet in front of the cop as if he was expecting him, or even how he was the one who knocked out the dogs in the other room, but rather the white mask he wore, which caught the military macaw almost completely off guard.
His mask was not just any white mask with a simple expression. It looked almost identical to a shape of a macaw's beak, with wide bottomless black holes for its eyes, a large haunting smile represented by black vertical lines and a gentle shine to it.
Airborne could tell that Jose had been taken a bit by surprise, even though he did not show it on the outside. To have a little bit of fun, Airborne spoke out casually, "What's up?"
"Who the heck are you?" Said Jose, a little spooked. "Y-you know what, forget it. Hands up or else-"
"Catch."
Within an instant, Airborne grabbed the small chair from behind him and swung it in a neat arc right at the military macaw, making Jose to quickly take a step back in order to catch that chair and keep his balance. However, this resulted in him crouching down a little, leading to Airborne to bounce over him through the door in a leap frog style.
And the crazy part was that the rogue had bounced off the wall behind Jose. Airborne was not sure if his pursuer had seen it, but if he did, he would know that they were not in the same league.
Airborne zoomed through the hallway and out of the apartment, with Jose hot on his tail. Up the stairs they went and burst through the door on the roof. The concrete shed stood right ahead of them, and Airborne ran up its walls and climbed to its top, whilst Jose, who noticed a ladder standing right against the wall the rogue had ran up from, clambered up to continue his pursuit.
The heat of the moment allowed the thought of calling for backup had slipped away from the forefront of Jose's own mind, and made its way into the back burner. However, this accidental yet careless action had not gone unnoticed.
"This kid hasn't called for his buddies," thought Airborne as he bounced over a gap in order to go back the way he came. "Should he have done so, I would have resorted to a plan B and my night would have gone very differently. Now that I think about it, he seems pretty young for an active cop. A bit irrational here and there but would still work to pull off a clean job. Kinda reminds me of someone…"
Airborne then shook his current thoughts away for the time being and sprinted on, now that the final part of his scheme was at motion.
Meanwhile…
Sophia sat quietly in the car, with a sense of anxiousness making her stand on high alert. The little gold macaw had only been sitting there for only a few minutes, but to her it felt like nearly an hour. Jose had not called, and the only thing that kept her company was laptop inside the car which was required for every police vehicle. She figured it would be a good idea to look up the license plate on the unmarked car that was parked ahead of her, but not much appeared for her in formation.
"Now why would one of these cars be purchased under the name a real estate company?" Said Sophia to herself. She pulled her eyes away from the computer and stared at the speed machine ahead of her. Its own name was a bit too complicated for her to recognize it, not in this dark anyway. She wanted to call for backup, even though Jose told her not to, yet having one person staying behind to keep an eye on the car and another to chase after crooks seemed a little too much for her.
However, as she was about to make her move, she looked up and found a shadowy figure climbing down the ladder. A sense of relief washed over her as she wanted a to have a good word with Jose about him running off on his own on a job and leaving her behind.
But she was wrong, because instead of Jose, it was the white masked rogue himself clambering down the ladder. Something that needed to be mentioned, was that the ladder Airborne was going down wasn't really a ladder at all. Rather it was mostly a ladder that was then followed by a long flight of metal stairs followed by another ladder, which would reach the ground so that whoever would use it can be safe.
"Hmm, I think there's another kid inside that cop car. Maybe he's waiting for an ambush?"
Rabbit: Maybe, but don't let that stop you, buddy.
"Alright then," replied Airborne. He was now at the last flight of stairs, and once he hopped back into his getaway vehicle, then everything should go smoothly as he planned.
However, a loud voice called from above him.
"IT'S HIM! SOPHIA, DRIVE!
At that point Airborne slid his way down the final ladder and hurried to his getaway vehicle. Nobody seemed to think apprehending the vehicle seemed to be a good advantage for him. And having only one cop car present was even better.
He opened the door quickly and hopped in, the kid he had encountered may not be able to make it down fast enough, lucky for him he had a friend in that cop car behind him, hence the pursuit was still on. Airborne thought about it for a little more as he closed the door, and turned on the engine.
Whoever was chasing him may not be smart enough to make sensible decisions as he made his way to that safehouse, but they would undoubtedly check that place out for themselves.
They may not see the files he had stolen.
But they will definitely see what else was inside that place.
"Alright then," said Airborne as he grabbed the gearshift and set it to first.
"Let's get this party started."
Rabbit: Heck yeah!
And with that said, Airborne floored the gas and his black sportscar thundered out of that alley and into the night.
The next morning…
(Present time)
As the viciously sunny rays shone their way down to the city of Rio, and there was a gentle breeze that swam in the air at that early morning, which was the reason he walked back and forth, waiting patiently for his friends to arrive. He carried out this act in the middle of a downtown parking lot surrounded by metal wire fences, where a few cars were present here and there. And he was probably the only person present in this particular area, as far as he was concerned.
This young fellow just so happens to be a young toco-toucan, young enough so to attend college. He was tall and quite handsome, skinny limbs, and stood at a bold yet simple posture. He wore a spotless white button up shirt with dark blue jeans and brown sandals, which was standard for the current city fashion. He also had a black sports watch that wrapped his left wrist and a wristband on the other, along with a bright cobalt blue bandanna on his head which somehow matched his long orange beak and kept his frizzy hair feathers from popping up, and making him look like he just got electrocuted.
He then stopped as if he knew his walking might drain out his energy and looked over to his right. Standing in the sunlight stood something that he was undoubtedly proud to own as he gazed at a bright orange 2018 Ford Mustang GT, a muscle car that had boldly aggressive and modern looks that was eye candy for many others, with a black roof, rear spoiler and ten spoked wheels. It was certainly a car to watch out for.
He could imagine some parents would say to boys at his age to probably give it up and do something more meaningful in life. But to him cars were his passion since was just a little kid – one his parents even encourage to pursuit. And for that, he was extremely grateful.
He then checked his watch wondering whether if it was a good idea to call them and meet him at the dragstrip. However, before he could make a decision, his phone rang. Believing it was who he expected, he then produced his phone from his pocket. He was ready to accept that call, but to his astonishment, he paused for a second, he could not believe his eyes when he saw who was actually calling him.
He hesitated for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his composure and sat on his Mustang's front, as he spoke out in his best voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Ricardo! Nice day for a drive!"
"Yeah," said Ricardo. "It sure is… h-how are ya?"
"Awesome," hollered his caller. "I'm doing a few morning rounds, what are you doing?"
"Getting myself a sun-tan, I guess," chuckled Ricardo. "I'm just waiting for my buddies."
"Oh yeah," she replied coolly. "Hey, there's this cutie standing in the middle of a car park… I'm about to hit him!"
At that point Ricardo swung his head around as the sound of an inline 6 motor and fluttering turbo echoed from behind him. He looked to the left, something silver and made of metal shot past from behind him and into his view. With its engine revving loudly, and its tires screeching furiously, it swung in a neat clockwise drift before turning 180 degrees, skidding to a stop that was just a few yards away from the young toucan.
The smoke cleared from the car, revealing it to be a silver 1999 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R. Known for its nimble handling and customization, with aggressive looks that rivalled to his Mustang GT, black six-spoke wheels, a carbon fiber racing wing on the bonnet and yellow tinted headlights, it was no stranger to the young toucan.
With his phone still pressed against his ear, he hurried over to the car.
Can it be?
Could it be?
Once he made it to the driver's door of the car, he looked through the open window. And to his greeting was a pair of amber eyes.
"Hey!" She exclaimed in reply. "He looks just like you!"
Rico giggled at that. He had not seen her in a good long time.
He stepped aside to let her out of the car, and stepping out of it, was a young Spix macaw, who was almost the same age as Rico. She was a few centimeters smaller than him, had a slender build, and had a plumage of an exotic ultramarine blue. She wore a black t-shirt, ice blue jeans, and a pair of red Chuck Taylor shoes. Her feather blue hair was all lovely and exquisite, which was pulled to a messy bun that also had acquired a black Spanish bow, and her most intriguing feature was her wide and humorous amber eyes, giving her a soulful aura.
And somehow, her looks might allow Rico to mistake her for a cute model from a fashion magazine.
"Hiya, Rico! Did you give that Mustang a new makeover, or are you happy to see me?"
"Blossom," said Ricardo (or sometimes Rico for short) still flabbergasted. "Hi!... W-what brings you back to Rio!"
"Probably the weather," joked Blossom, as she shrugged her shoulders "Ha, come on, were else will dedicated drivers like me can get peace and quiet?"
"I thought you and your dad went… y'know, travelling around the world?" Then a thought slipped into his conscience. "Speaking of your dad, how's he doing?"
"Ah, he's doing great," replied Blossom. "He asked me to send you his regards."
"Huh, tell him I said the same," said Rico in agreement.
Blossom continued. "And I also got a tip from one of your sisters that you got big plans for today. So, I thought why don't I join you?"
"Well," paused Ricardo impressively, as he walked back toward his Mustang. "You certainly aren't wrong about that."
"Sooo… what are you doin' today?" Quizzed the witty little Spix.
"Simple. I'm waiting on two friends of mine, harmless but real cool guys, we're all gonna head over to a Madison Grids event that's happening not far from here."
"A Grids event? Why?"
"Well, I've got myself a boss fight," replied Ricardo coolly. "And if I win, I can rank up."
Blossom blinked in confusion as Ricardo turned around to face her. "A boss fight? With who?"
"You'll see," he added, "Now, they should be here any minute-"
All of a sudden, the sound of a loud and lunatic engine filled the air, the pair of birds looked around, and from the entrance of the car parking lot appeared an enormous bright red pickup truck, which shot through the entrance at a high speed. To Rico and Blossom, it looked like the thing was out of control, and worse it was heading right toward them.
"Look out!" Hollered Blossom, as the pair was just about to get clear from the on-coming vehicle when it swerved to its left, missing them in the process, and screeched to a halt. Apparently, it had brought its own cape of billowing smoke, once it had cleared, the truck revealed itself to be a 1987 Land Rover Defender 110 Pickup. A large jeep that seemed to have large black wheels, a thick boxy like body that made the entire vehicle look heavy and robust. And furthermore, it had been given a gloss blood red paintjob.
Blossom and Rico exchanged glances before the pair made their way over to the machine and peered in.
Sitting in the passenger's seat was a canary, who looked like he had gone through the traumatic experience of someone who had lost his phone. His eyes had gone wide, and his green baseball cap had been placed in a disoriented fashion.
"When I said pick up the pace, I didn't mean rip the streets in half!" He uttered in irritation.
"Relax Nico," said the red cardinal at the driver's seat. "Besides, you're the one who told me to speed it up."
"Pedro? Nico? Is that you boys?" Quizzed Ricardo, who had been looking through the passenger's side window, whilst Blossom looked through the other side.
The yellow canary, who he and Pedro wore the same outfits as yesterday, hopped down from Pedro's truck before he got greeted once more by a rather amused Rico. "Nico, you alright?"
"I'm good," replied Nico as he shut the door and straightened is hat. "I could've sworn Pedro had been driving the thing like it was a spaceship!"
"Where's your RX-7?" Quizzed the young toucan once more.
"The RX-7? It stalled before we could leave the garage. So, we took my defender," answered Pedro, who had appeared behind Nico.
"Ooh," added Blossom comically as she followed him. "Rotary life."
"I really have no idea how are you still alive after all the rally tournaments you've participated in," said Nico confused, as he turned to face Pedro. He then swung his head back to Ricardo and he whispered. "It's one of the reasons why I prefer drifting than off-roading." To which Ricardo smirked at his response.
"Alright then," declared Pedro. "Let's kick this off. Now Rico, for what reason did you call us over here?"
"Because, one," stated Rico. "You guys probably have nothing better to do. And two, I wanna head over to that dragstrip outside the city.
"Our boy here got himself a boss fight," perked Blossom, who appeared at Rico's right, snickered at his statement, which allowed the Canary and Cardinal to be acknowledged of her presence.
"Ah and by the way," said the toucan. "Nico, Pedro, meet Blossom. She's an old friend of mine." Turning to Blossom, he added, "Blossom. This is Nico and Pedro, they're my buddies."
"Nico and Pedro… Ah, I know you two, you're 'Rhythm Brothers. & Co.'," said Blossom in realization. "Love your music by the way."
"Cool," said Pedro. "Ain't even a few hours after we've met another Spix macaw like you yesterday. Can't be a coincidence, right?"
"At least Rico wasn't running on his own," said Nico, who offered Blossom a gentle fist. "Good to meet'cha."
"Pleasure," said Blossom in a chill fashion, as she returned the gesture with her own fist. "I'm Rico's lawyer. I give him his free get-out-of-jail cards."
The pair laughed genuinely at her statement, before Rico stated, "Anyways introductions aside, I'll tell you what I've got in store today."
Everybody then had their eyes on Rico. "A while ago I went on the internet and found a local driver bragging about how his car was the king of Madison Grids D-Class. And I sort of rattled his cage a little."
Everybody gave a bewildered glance at Rico, who smiled gleefully. However, Blossom responded to this by saying.
"Rico… Did you resort to cyber bullying?"
"What? No, no!" Said Rico, throwing is hands up in a defensive gesture. "What I meant was I told hm that I dared him to race against me!"
His audience felt relieved that their friend did not resort to such crimes. He continued on, "We both agreed that on the next Grids Event, we would race to see who's faster. Winner gets to rank up to become a C-Class driver faster."
"Hold up! The next Grids Event? When's that?" Asked the Cardinal.
"Today actually," said Blossom, "There's one at the local drag strip."
"Oh yeah," said Ricardo as he popped his knuckles. "That's where dignities are put on the line."
Nico and Pedro looked at each other and grinned in excitement. Rico going up against another driver with an unsatisfied thirst for speed? This was definitely worth their morning. Meanwhile Rico, who had gone over to his orange Mustang GT, opened the door.
"Oh yeah, this is gonna be one heck of a ride, people," he smirked as he got in and put his car into ignition. The moment he turned his enigine, the Mustang's Coyote V8 warbled and then grumbled to life as the sound of a modern muscle car gurgled and rumbled resonated from under the bonnet and out the exhaust. The toucan then got himself comfortable in the driver's seat, and once he was assured that everything was ready, he called out.
"Let's do this!"
Later…
Drag racing between drivers was of course, probably the easiest form of racing. To put it simply, it was a point A to point B type of race, where two drivers in their cars would perform in a contest of acceleration to get to the finish line. And more importantly, there are no turns, only a straight racetrack that's a quarter mile long, making it the perfect competition to prove who's faster.
"'When it comes to drag racing, it's more about the car. If you don't have the necessary hardware, you're not gonna win squat. If you keep losing, then it's time to upgrade,' that's what my dad told me when I first started racing," thought Rico, as he rode his orange Mustang on a road where trees, bushes and other forms of greenery were present on either side.
As his car's engine grumbled every time he pressed the gas harder, he looked at his rear-view mirror to look at his friend's cars. "And now that I've given an upgrade to my ride, then hopefully it'd make me the fastest straight-line racer in all of D-Class and maybe advance into C-Class!" At that point, the toucan grabbed the gear knob on his right and shifted into 3rd.
Such an event, being held by Madison Grids, was happening at the local drag strip that was just outside the city. This was only one of the smaller events that would take place, and yet a good number of drivers, like Blossom and Rico, would attend this occasion.
And a few minutes later, the trio had arrived to their desired destination. They were now entering the entrance path right into the dragstrip's parking lot, with Rico leading the pack, Blossom in her '99 Silvia S15, and Pedro in his '87 Defender 110 with Nico riding shotgun.
At the parking lot, the sight of distinctively familiar yet competitive race cars greeted their eyes, booths of various sellers selling their merchandise were present in a row to their left, and the air was filled with excitement and exhilaration. And a couple of yards away from them was a rather large building with a bright red sign placed above its glass doors, which read;
Aluminum Point Raceway
-Est. 2005-
"Now that's what I call a hot spot!" Grinned Blossom, before they parked themselves in a row where they were close to the building.
Now that they were parked, Rico – the first to exit his car – looked around to see what was happening.
"So?" Queried Blossom. "Where's your opponent at, Rico?"
"Good question," replied the toucan. "We agreed to run two races just so to prove that the winner of the first race wasn't a fluke. And a third race if there was a draw from the previous two races."
"Okay, so… who's your opponent again?" asked Nico as he walked over to the pair, with a concerned expression on his face.
"Just a guy from my side of the neighborhood," replied Rico. "Why do you ask?"
Nico didn't reply immediately. "Just a hunch," said the canary whilst he gazed at the many cars present. "I mean… Isn't it odd that nearly half of the D-Class drivers are here? Look at those cars." He was right, the number of people who were there gave off an exciting atmosphere, that seemed off to the group.
"Now that you mention it," said Blossom, pressing a finger to her lower beak. "Some of the best D-Class drivers are here."
"Yeah…" said Pedro, a little awestruck. "And this is only one of the smaller Grids events. Something's up here today."
"So?" Said Rico, who was missing the point. "What are you on about?"
All of a sudden, the sound of a rather strange motor echoed throughout the parking lot, and the group of birds turned their heads toward the source. A rather sly vehicle came toward them with its engine subtle-like grumbling. It looked like an older model from the 1980's given its lengthy, boxy design. While it lacked the muscle and vigor of Pedro's Land Rover, it only adds in its stealthy design, with a matte black paintjob and bronze wheels, it looked like it was something to be reckoned with.
"What is that?" Said Blossom.
"I think it's a Ute," replied Pedro upon realization. "Ooh, like those Holden Commodores."
"It is," declared Rico, baring the most confident smile he could muster. "1987 Volkwagen Saveiro. That's the car I'm racing against."
His opponent had his window rolled down as he drove his car over, until him and the toucan could see each other properly. And sure enough, Rico found himself glaring at a white mouse in loose clothing and a ring on his left ear. "'Sup kids, the king of the road's here."
"Tio," affirmed Rico in confidence, "You finally made it! Ready to lose?"
"Not today long nose!" Trash talked the mouse. "Because this is the day where you'll lose. And after we race, I'll let you detail my car. It'll be the closest thing that you'll ever be winner."
"After I win, I'll let you detail my car," retorted the toucan. "It's the closest thing you'll ever get as a shower."
Blossom giggled at Rico's comment as if she stole candy from a child. Nico and Pedro simply glanced at each other confused. Maybe, given the look of his opponent's car, Rico might actually know what he's doing. In fact, it might not even be a competition, since cars like Rico's modern Mustang are pretty fast.
However, upon instinct, Pedro quietly walked over to the back of Tio's car. Because it was similar to a pickup truck, the rear of the Saveiro had a truck bed. But when Pedro came over to see it, he found out that it wasn't completely empty, because sitting on it were four blue bottles with an orange sticker that was all too familiar to him.
"Nitrous Oxide?!" Pedro blurted out. "Where the heck did you get this?!"
"What?" Queried Nico.
"This guy's running Nitrous!" Declared Pedro.
This made some of the people present to come near and see what the commotion was all about, apparently Rico had more eyes on the situation than he expected.
"You're kidding," said Rico who along with had gone over to see the truck bed. Upon seeing them, she spoke out.
"Those are real nitrous bottles if I ever seen one, Rico."
"Yeah, they look like they could give his engine at least an extra 200 horsepower," warned Nico.
Rico turned to the mouse in the cockpit, his confidence faltering. "How did you get them? You're only a D-Class member."
"I have friends," replied Tio in a sly voice, before making his move. "What? You scared?"
Rico racked his brain quickly. Nitrous oxide was boost to the car in simple terms, allowing the fuel to be combusted in the engine faster, giving the engine more power. Looking at Tio's supply, it looked like it would give his engine more power than Rico's Mustang. However, Nitrous isn't something that can be hooked up to a car easily, hence it required lots of precise tuning and extra modifications to make the boost effective, otherwise the engine would blow up. Which could be a plus point for him. Then again, his '18 Mustang GT was an impressive machine when it comes to racing, and he had decent experience as someone behind the wheel.
Ricardo and Blossom both exchanged glances, and then the young toucan scoffed. Straightening the bandanna on his head, he replied. "Oh, I'm running this race. Whatever it takes to win." He then turned to Tio. "I never back down from petty scares like this."
Soon…
With a white helmet on his head, a seatbelt across his torso, and his V8 motor idling at the ready, Rico was now remaining stationary as the car in front of him entered the dragstrip. And sooner or later it, would be his turn.
The starting grid was fairly simple, first there was a small section for the cars to warm up their tires by doing burnouts and skids, followed by the starting line, with a small barrier that separates the track into two. The starting line also has its own traffic light system in the middle, or rather a metal stick standing at five foot high, with numerous lights sticking out of it, facing the cars who were ready (albeit with the same colors of red, yellow and green). A small crew of professionals operated the traffic lights, and there was another set of long guardrails on either side of the track, which helped to prevent anyone but the professionals from coming over.
And beyond that starting line was an endless stretch of asphalt that went on for a good mile.
Adrenaline pumped through himself once more as his excitement forced him to maintain his smile. Then Blossom came over to him.
"Hey," said the little Spix, popping her head through his side window. "How you doin'?"
"Feeling pretty hyped." He looked at view ahead of him, then turned to Blossom. "What's up?"
"Not much, just wondering if you know what you're doing."
"You think I'm gonna lose?" Quizzed the toucan.
"Honestly, no." Blossom smiled, "It just kinda reminds me of someone who likes taking risks."
"Huh."
"Oh, yeah." She continued. "Honestly, something tells me you're gonna win. Maybe it's the fact, that your car's more refined, or maybe the chance of that mouse's car might get into an engine mishap."
"I get it," said Rico.
"Well, I'm just here to wish you good luck. And stay cool out there," encouraged Blossom.
"I know," replied Rico confidently. "I'm the son of a respected top tier driver, I got this one in the bag."
Suddenly with a roar, the cars ahead of him accelerated away and zoomed out of the starting grid. One of the crew members beckoned for Rico to move up.
Noticing this, he replied. "That's my cue."
"Alright, go get 'em," said Blossom before turning around and leaving.
And with that she left. Rico the toucan grinned as he set his car into first gear. "You got it," he set as he turned on his stereo and played, "Lose ya love" by Kill the Noise. And once he entered the burnout section, he then made his car stationary once more before allowing his Mustang's rear wheels to turn round violently, as their tires made contact with the asphalt, resulting in them to heat up. And after finishing his burnout, he drove his car carefully to the starting line.
On the other side of the barrier to his right, was Tio in his truck (or rather, a ute), who was already prepared and waiting. Standing behind the guardrail to his left, was a small crowd, with Pedro, Nico and Blossom up front.
"Go get 'em Rico!" Hollered Nico.
"Don't hold back!" Called Blossom, as Pedro whistled out as his cheers.
More whistles and cheers erupted from the rest of the crowd as Rico got ready.
One crew member called out to the two drivers, "Ready?!" To which Rico responded with a thumbs up.
"Starting countdown!"
Rico closed his eyes dramatically as he inhaled, and on exhale he glared at the red lights.
Rapidly, the next few yellow lights turned on from top to bottom. It allowed the familiar feeling of adrenaline to flow through his veins energetically, as the music made its way to a climax while he revved his engine for a perfect start.
Then, the beat dropped.
The bottom lights turned green.
"GO!"
On instinct, Rico let off the brakes and applied full throttle, allowing his car to rocket off the starting line, with his opponent following close behind. The crowd cheered in response as they watched the modified cars leave.
"There he goes! Fighting for the next level!"
The young toucan didn't care, winning this race meant getting one step closer from elevating from D to C-Class, and he was not going to hold back. He quickly shifted into second gear the moment his car redlined, making his car accelerate faster, and lengthening the gap between him and Tio.
"Buh-bye Tio. This is where it ends," he smirked as he pushed the gear knob into third. His Mustang GT then began to accelerate even faster, anything that stood stationary on either side of him flashed by, proving he was now running at an incredible speed of over ninety-five miles per hour.
Seconds went by, ahead of them, a line of black and white checkers representing the finish line became visible to Rico, and now that he was holding 1st place, he decided that he should press on to make his victory spectacular.
"He's gonna make it!" Shouted Pedro.
Blossom quickly got herself a pair of binoculars and began to scope from afar.
"Come on, Rico," she mumbled eagerly.
Behind him however, Tio blurted out as he shifted into third gear, "Sorry pal, but I'm about to boost!" Rigged onto his steering wheel were two scarlet red buttons, which looked noticeable to any naked eye, upon pressing both of them, Tio in his Saveiro began to accelerate abnormally, as he got pushed back into his own seat.
It began to close the gap between him and Rico.
This went unnoticed to Rico as he turned to look behind him as he hardened his hand on the gear knob. "Oh no, you don't," whispered the toucan as he glared at his RPM gauge. Rico's orange Mustang GT was nearing the finish line, but Tio's car had caught up to him and he was now half a car's length from Rico's front bumper to overtake him. With one final effort, Rico shifted from fourth to fifth gear after it had redlined.
And it was enough to prevent Tio from advancing ahead of him, as his cars' front was now just aligned as the mouse.
The two cars thundered across the finish line in a relentless fashion, as their drivers released their foot from the gas pedal. However, the young toucan had a hunch that something was off, given that he and his rival actually crossed the finished line by neck in neck.
"Did… Did he catch up with me?" Thought Rico. "He was able to stick the front of his car at the same time I crossed the finish line. Could he actually have won? Probably not. But only way to find out is by checking-in with the officials."
A little later…
Blossom, Pedro and Nico had been looking around to find their friend to see if he had made it back. They had been anxious to see whether if Rico had bagged the win.
"What was his time again?" Asked Pedro.
"I dunno," answered Nico. "I never actually checked, those two finished at the exact same time, if you ain't already noticed."
"Then he must be consulting with the officials to check his own time," realized Blossom. The trio then made their way to one the many booths that had been setup around the parking lot, this one in particular was one operated by racing officials rather than sellers. And as expected, the long-nosed avian was leaning against his '18 Mustang GT by the driver's side door, talking to one of the officials face to face. The official then handed a slip of paper to the young toucan and then departed.
The trio then went over to him out of curiosity, and Blossom was the first to break the silence.
"Hey, Rico… You alright?"
"Oh?" He said as he looked up, before regaining his composure and replying with a friendly smile. "Yeah, I… I'm good." He then began to read the slip he was given. However, it was not a matter of seconds before his expression went sour as he finished reading it.
"Crap."
"What's wrong?" Quizzed Blossom.
"I didn't make it."
"Are you sure, man?" Said Nico. "You might be reading it wrong."
"Nope," replied Rico, giving the slip to him. "Have a look at it."
As cardinal and canary began to read, Blossom asked him in a concerned manner. "By how much did he beat you, exactly?"
Rico sighed. "Well… I was able to cross the finish line at about 10.788 seconds." He paused in slight discomfort. "But Tio crossed the line under 10.689 seconds."
"Just barely one tenth of a second difference," replied the little she-spix.
"Yep," replied the toucan. He was not exactly hiding his disappointment either.
Silence fell between them, which was enough to emphasize the fact that Rico, who drove a car that was built for motorsports, had lost to a mouse in a ute of an older model.
However, Nico was the first to break this silence. "Say, Ricardo. Didn't you say, you and the other dude were going to have another race to prove the first one wasn't a fluke?"
"Yeah…" Added Pedro in realization, while Nico exchanged the slip of paper back to the toucan. "He must've used all his nitrous tanks in order to take the win. You could race him again to make it a draw!"
"I wish that was the case fellas," said Rico. "But before you came, I just got a call from Tio, saying that he had to leave for something important. There's no way I can rematch him again."
"Then that means he did use all his Nos!" Exclaimed Pedro.
"What a phony," said Blossom. She then put a hand on her friend's left shoulder and continued, "That genius may have gotten away with it. But we all know who's gonna win straight up."
Blossom's gesture of reassurance made a smile work its way on Rico's orange beak. "Thanks, Blos'. I appreciate it."
"She's right," said Nico. "If he didn't bring those Nos tanks, you might've actually won."
Suddenly a startling thought appeared in Rico's head.
A few minutes earlier…
"Oh, I'm running this race. Whatever it takes to win," said Rico in full confidence. "I never back down from petty scares."
"Whatever," said the mouse as he drove off. However, as Tio did so, the young toucan's eyes caught the blue bottles, sitting at the ready in his opponent's truck bed.
He had a gut instinct that there's no way that car would be running properly with that kind of boost.
"I might have actually have won," said Rico, contemplating at what Nico had just said.
This caught the attention of the other birds present.
"What you just said back there," said Rico, pointing a quick finger at Nico. "My Mustang has 573 horsepower, and his car should be more than 150hp short, and a lot more heavier. How could he have found those Nos bottles?"
He then turned to Blossom. "Is it against the rules for a D-Class driver to use that kind of boost?"
"I mean… not really," she answered. "It just depends on which race there is to enter."
"And does anybody know any tuner shops, who can hook on nitrous to a car like Tio's?"
"Nope," said Nico. "Nitrous isn't something you can import into Brazil unless you got serious cash in your pockets."
"Then he's got a part's supplier nobody knows about," concluded Rico.
Silence echoed once more between the four birds as they let the information they confessed sink into their minds. However, this was short lived when Rico let out a tired groan.
"Ughh, who am I kidding? Messing around with people in the quiet isn't the way I'd kill my time."
"Then it that case," said Blossom in a witty fashion. "I'll call a certain somebody about this and give the management a heads up. In the meantime… I think we should call for a pizza. How's that?"
"That's… just what I need," replied the young toucan, as if a wave of relief washed over him.
"We can make Pedro pay for it," said Nico in a sneaky manner.
"What? No way!" Retorted the cardinal. "I paid for our last pizza last night's party!"
However, their banter fell on deaf ears as Blossom turned to Ricardo, saying. "A chicken and a beef supreme?"
"Sure."
And with that, she walked a few feet away from them to call for a nearby pizza place. Rico, also ignoring his friends, sat on his car's front bumper as he gazed at Blossom while she wasn't looking.
"What're you lookin' at?" Quizzed Pedro to the toucan. He then noticed the direction Rico had been looking at and glanced back at him.
"Just… respecting my friend there," he answered. "Why?"
"I dunno," teased Pedro. "Unless you got them stardust in your eyes…"
"Stardust?" After repeating the phrase, it was the moment where a chill ran down Rico's spine. "Oh, no! Not like that! We're just friends!"
"Oh, I see…" said Nico with a surprised expression on his face as he gave Rico the finger-guns. "It's cool. Your secret's safe with us."
"Yeah, you've probably got those little birds flying around in the air," teased Pedro.
"Whoa, whoa! Blossom is just… my oldest childhood friend. There's no spark between us," said Rico.
Not yet anyway.
He knew fully well that he was still admired and respected her for a good long time. However, he was pretty sure he was no husband material, though he did plan on working about that part. It's just there's no way he was gong to be taken seriously at his age right now.
He took in a calm and relaxing breath before facing Pedro and Nico.
"I don't plan on turning myself into a lover boy. And I'm not telling you when or who I'm gonna get hitched with anybody. But when the time comes, I'll certainly get some help from you. That clear?"
"Alright," agreed Nico, along with Pedro who nodded with respect to Rico's statement.
The cardinal and canary may be fun and amusing, sometimes acting out as hilarious jokers, but that didn't mean they would not respect the ideas of their friends. Especially when it comes to both Ricardo and his father.
"Thanks." The young toucan then straightened the bandanna on his head as he let out an exhale of relief. "I just gotta be real man when I do that kind of stuff."
"I can help you be a man," said Pedro, crossing his arms. "The procedure's simple; puff out that chest, swing that tail, keep those eyes narrow. Like some crazy love hawk!"
"Yeah, that's literally the only procedure Pedro knows for getting ladies," teased Nico, to which his brother retorted.
"The heck it ain't!"
"What procedure?" Declared Blossom in a witty fashion who appeared on Rico's left. This nearly scared the other birds present.
"What I miss?"
"Uhh, nothing much," answered the toucan.
"Yeah," said Pedro. "Nothing much." He then shot a sly wink at Rico.
Blossom on the other hand, shrugged her shoulders, despite catching Pedro's exchange. "Okay. The pizza's on the way in 45 minutes, shouldn't be too long."
Suddenly, an idea flew into Nico's mind. Sometimes in a Madison Grids event, the officials would hold extra activities such as the best burnout competition or letting drivers do donuts with their cars on a closed section of asphalt, and according to some friends he knew, there was one extra donut event happening right now.
"I hear there's a donut competition on the other side of this parking lot, anybody here wanna join?"
"A donut competition? Count me in!" Blossom turned to Rico. "You coming?"
"But of course!" Replied Rico boldly.
"Then let's make some noise!" Exclaimed Nico as they set off.
The four birds made their way through the many cars and people present in the car meet. As they got closer, the sound of engines aggressively pushing to their limits echoed in the distance. And soon they found themselves up against an eager crowd, who were all watching wild cars turning in wild circles as their tires made clouds and clouds of pale white smoke, which resembled cotton candy. Ricardo then made his way to the front of the crowd with his friends and looked ahead.
And then it happened.
Beyond the barrier that prevented him from exploring any further, there was a car engulfed in the smoke, though its headlights were turned on, it didn't help to fully reveal it. Parts of that car stuck out of the white smoke from time to time, but once it had finished doing donuts it rolled out of the smoke menacingly.
It was a Toyota GT86. A small 2-seater sportscar with a short wheel-base and eye-catching aggressive features. While there were many GT86's residing in Rio, to the young toucan, this one stood out the most. This one had received a metallic black paintjob, although identical to Tio's Saveiro, the paintjob was much more refined. It stood on gold wheels, which added to its appeal and had aftermarket body panels attached to which he never saw on any other GT86, along with a carbon fiber rear wing bolted to the trunk.
"You know, I'm sure I've seen that car from somewhere," said Blossom as she stood beside him.
"I have," said Ricardo. "My friend Sonny has one of those. He says he's got a Varis widebody kit on his GT86 just like that."
"Wait, Sonny… had a car like that?" Said Pedro as he slowly turned his head with a deeply concerned expression on his face.
"Yeah." The young toucan crossed his arms and chuckled. "The funny thing is that he says that he has the first Varis widebody GT86 in the city. And the only problem is that last time I checked, he's on vacation… and he took the car with him."
There was a chill in their atmosphere, despite the fact that it was only morning.
Pedro ad Nico looked at each other with wide eyes, as their senses peaked in urgency.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Quizzed Blossom.
"Yeah. Lets's go take a look at this car," said Ricardo as him and Blossom turned back around.
Once they had left, Pedro and Nico looked back as the two left and turned to each other, knowing whose help they need in order to solve this upcoming dilemma.
"We gotta call Jewel!" They exclaimed in unison.
Author's note;
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the plot thickens!
Also, if you are unaware, I actually planned on making this fanfic like a Need for Speed partial AU. And since I rarely see anyone who writes a bit of action among Rio Fanfics, I thought why not?
And also I might change Ricardo's name to Rico from time to time, so keep that in mind.
So, this has been The Red Rockstar, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Cheers, everybody.