No! Who could've...

Grimm went right at the fork and stayed on the highway whereas Crunch had gone left and taken an exit ramp back into the city. A Daimant parking garage building spanning the length of a block sat across the road with a clear view of the entire highway. Someone was up there, and they weren't in a vehicle.

A voluptuous figured woman with a long a black ponytail and an all black, skin-tight combat uniform could be visibly seen pumping her fist in the air. Her face was also painted black and white, though with a more feminine evil skull design. Quatro knew who it was the instant he saw her. There was only one person it could be. Formerly Angela Sanchez, Daniel's girlfriend of eight years and wife of two. Mrs. Grimm. She slung the strap of the single-tubed rocket launcher over her shoulder and disappeared from sight.

Clearly, Grimm was taking no chances and had called in all the big guns in order to win. He raced down the highway and off the next exit with Quatro hot on his tail, looped around the side of the long building and down an even longer, lone road behind it adjacent to an elevated section of raw land. He heard Grimm yell, "Get rid of this motherfucker!"

Seconds later, Grimm quickly swerved around something in the road, something Quatro didn't see until it was too late. Something with a blinking red light. It exploded under the nose of the hover bike and popped him up high up into the air. He turned a slightly overshot backflip and knocked against the outer wall of the building before he managed to level out. He was glad Calypso allowed repairs and restocks before and after each match. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived that blast.

More gunfire, this time from behind. Quatro looked in his rearview as he continued after Grimm. Crunch. The VP and his Uzi toting passenger were coming up quick. A side compartment slid out of the side of the street bike, same as on the highway, and shot another EMP Projectile toward the hover bike.

Not this time, Quatro thought and thumbed a button on the dashboard. With a whooshing hum, the hover bike "hopped" about ten feet in the air. The freeze missile passed under him and locked onto Reaper, the Harley Davidson.

"No, no!" he heard Grimm complain as he kicked at the chopper's gas pedal.

Crunch had caught up to Quatro and his passenger used her Uzi to put the hover bike's bulletproof dome to the test. The three of them soon caught up to Grimm, or more likely Grimm waited, and soon Quatro found himself sandwiched between the two bikes. An opening, a gap between the buildings was coming up on their left. When it arrived, Quatro sent out a microwave shockwave. Crunch, who was on the left, was shoved sideways into the gap and barley steered away from the wall of the next building before he was out of view.

Grimm knocked against the rock wall on the right, then bumped into the hover bike and started losing control. Quatro sent out another shockwave. Reaper's front wheel turned all the way to the left and flipped forward with the back coming up and launching Grimm like a catapult.

Quatro stopped the hover bike. This chase was over. For four long seconds he saw a display of flailing arms and legs and vine-like dreadlocks wriggling like snakes on a hot plate. Then Grimm was no longer flying through the air. He'd gone from around sixty miles an hour to zero in an instant. Or at least down to thirty to be more precise. It was like watching a slinky go down stairs, except all on flat ground and with a human being in place of the slinky.

Soon Grimm stopped moving altogether. There was a long pause, followed by further moments of silence. Quatro started to think the ever punctual announcer was losing his touch, but then, Grimm stirred. Quatro didn't kill him right away nor did he go to rejoin his team. He just watched in utter fascination as Grimm shakily climbed to his feet. He stood, staggered, steadied himself and stood upright, held his head high.

Quatro's warbled, mechanical voice boomed from the PA system.

"You should not have fled Grimm. You should have stopped when I gave you the chance. Out here, I am the judge, the jury, and the executioner."

"Come on then motherfucker!" Grimm spat. "Bring it!"

Quatro armed and launched a fire missile, missed Grimm, and hit the rock wall beside him. When it exploded, it sent out a gust a fire that washed the nearby space in flames, including where Daniel Grimm was standing. He screamed agony as he ran forward, slapping at his body to put them out. It was futile, and he collapsed to the floor a moment later, burning. Quatro guessed stop, drop, and roll didn't occur to people in intense pain and panic.

Showing that yes, he knows what he's doing, the announcer finally declared, "Mr. Grimm destroyed. Four opponents remain."

Invitation to Twisted Metal (2023)

Mrs. Grimm