=Evening, Rachel's Garage=
Even at the crack of dusk, the essence of high-revving engines could be heard in the many nooks and crannies of Bayview's alleys. It was as if the city was begging the sun to go away so it could shed off its skin, its mask, and embrace its true colors - swatches of rebellion, opportunity, and freedom. After everyone spent the day at their own leisure, they met back up at Rachel's garage once the clocks neared midnight, just like promised. Brian, Rome, and Suki found Rachel by one of her many desks, waiting for them with a smirk on their face.
With his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Brian returned the welcome and greeted her. "We finally get to see this mythical ride we were promised."
"Sounds like someone's excited," she taunted. "I think I've teased you long enough," she said, standing up so that her heels could click on the floor as she led the way. "Follow me."/
Drooling with anticipation, Brian, Roman, and Suki watched as Rachel lowered the mystery car down from the one of the lifts in her garage. Once down to ground level, she snatched the tarp off the car and let the white, red, and black color scheme bloom under the ceiling lights. The star of the show was a '00 Acura Integra Type R, the infamous one that was not-so-well regarded for its quad headlights. Even so, it still managed to enrapture the eyes of all three drivers as they took in its details.
From the aggressively wide and low stance body kit, to the caped-samurai decal that plastered its sides, this Integra was certainly not your ordinary import tuner. Brian was, of course, first to pop the hood - eager as hell to help himself to the sight of the engine. And when he was blinded by spotless chrome from every inch of the pristine engine bay, they could've sworn he started speaking a new language.
Brian shut the hood with a huge grin on his face and looked towards his buds. "Man, this thing is wild."
Suki had to agree as she squatted down next to the side skirts. "Damn, the airbrush job on this thing is off the hook! This is the kinda shit I'm gonna do one day full time!"
"You're a graphic artist?" Asked Rachel.
"Hell yeah! I'd love to show you some of my work one day, if that's cool with you! Even got a 350Z just like yours back home I'm workin' on. Buuut… it's not as dope as yours."
"No need to be humble, Suki, you should be proud of your God given talent," replied Rachel.
Brian nodded. "She's not kidding, Rachel. Suki can whip up some pretty sick artwork. Just give her the right set of tools and she'll blow your mind."
"That right? *Chuckles* Looks like I know who to go to if I ever cop a scrape on my car. Uhp! Knock on wood."
"*Gasp* You'd let me work on that thing?! Hell yeah! It's a deal!"
Rachel tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and got just a bit quieter. "My homegirl, Sam… she nicknamed this car the 'Vortex Integra.' Dunno why, but the name just stuck. Pretty badass anyway, if you ask me."
Brian could've sworn he saw a flash of sadness hit Rachel at the mention of her friend's name. He meant to give her a look, almost to communicate to her that he picked up on it. Instead, though, Rachel and everyone else turned their attention to Angie's Charger screeching to a stop. Then came Kenji coming from inside the house with wet hair. He probably just took a shower so that he could emphasize how much better he was with the scent of Axe body soap on his person. Wolf was nowhere to be found, but one quick call later, and everyone found out that he was already in Coal Harbor and had decided to get a head start on tonight's tour.
With a loud *snap* Rachel flipped her Sidekick shut. "Just got off the phone with our missing teammate. Looks like he decided to high tail it down to Coal Harbor already. He's uploaded his location on the team's GPS." Rachel let out a brief sigh and crossed her arms. "I really hope he isn't gonna be a hassle. But... *sigh* it seems like he's shapin' up to be one. I mighta made a wrong judgment call..."
"Leave him to us," Kenji confidently remarked.
Rachel nodded and flashed a thanks to Kenji. "Eh, forget about it, just… enjoy yourselves tonight. For real. Like I said, you don't have to race. Just get a feel for the atmosphere. I promise, you'll love it."
"It's gonna be hard not to race and put to use all the goodies I saw under that hood," Brian cheekily replied.
Rachel shrugged. "'Course I won't stop you if you do decide to smoke a few scrubs. Go 'head and cut loose."/
=Midnight, Coal Harbor=
Compared to the rest of Bayview, Coal Harbor held a gritty weight in its atmosphere. You could see it in the streets that've been ripped apart over the years by shredded rubber. You could feel it when you looked up at the towering power plant and its hazy red lights that blinked in and out, like ghosts spectating the chaos on the streets. Chaos, in the form of big block muscle cars and large SUVs, both of which were favorites of the racers in this district. From the backseat of the Integra, Suki watched the scene unfold as Brian pulled closer and closer up to a crowded lot filled with racers and bystanders. Specifically, it was a decommissioned train yard located toward the west of Coal Harbor. The multitude of crowds made use of the "leftovers", if you will, from the warehouses and turned the place from a sleepy train yard into a rock concert. Heavy riffs from the likes of Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, and Rob Zombie, rocked the empty shells that once carried freight.
"Feel like we on MTV or some shit," muttered Rome from the passenger seat.
"'Yeah. These guys know how to have a good time," Brian replied as he watched a pair of Ducatis rip wheelies past his door.
Along the walls of the aged brick warehouses sat muscle cars from every era. On the other side, you had your lowriders decked out in bright colors to make up for the bland monotony of the trainyard. Thanks to her small frame, Suki made do with the limited back seat space that the Integra offered and just rested her elbows on both front seats. Leaning into the cabin, she got an up close look as both sides of the many crowds that stopped to give their attention to the Integra.
Brian felt a tap come from Suki on his shoulder, and he turned his head accordingly. "Over there, Brian. See him?"
Peering through the slight glaze of fog, sure enough, Brian spotted the anomaly that Suki pointed out. "Uh huh."
Wolf's car could be seen to the right, parked off in the distance where it stood out like a silver thumb among the rat rods, SUVs, and muscle cars. Topping off the mysterious atmosphere of the vehicle was the trench coat clad man that stood up against the hood of his car with a curious crowd surrounding him. Some in the crowd were impressed with his ride and suave. Others not so much, and let it be known by their unabashed insults, which Wolf just shrugged off his shoulders anyway. Shining in his rearview, Brian could see the aged yellow headlights of Angie's Charger behind him, followed by Kenji tailing close by. Brian reached out his hand through the window and motioned for them to follow him.
In a single line, the three cars parked next to Wolf, letting the gravel crunch under their tires as they did so. Through the windshield, Roman could see a group of punks sizing up Wolf in an aggressive manner, to which he simply ignored. Wolf drowned out the jokes and insults with the sounds of his team's doors slamming shut as they got out of their cars and approached him.
Roman was the first to address the situation, ready to defend his teammate even though he was an arrogant prick. "What's up, man, these dudes givin' you a hard time?"
"Who the hell are these guys?" The punks said, turning their attention to the rest of the team as they walked up and stanced themselves by Wolf's side.
"You straight?" Roman asked Wolf.
"Yeah. Straight. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should embarrass these men in front of their precious fans." Wolf paused to casually glance to his right and left. "Not like there's anything else to do in this ghost town. Might as well give these people a reason to be here."
The crowd "Ooooh'd" at Wolf's challenge.
"Look, bruh, we supposed to be a team. Rachel wasn't cool 'bout you jumpin' the gun on us. This ain't no one man show, homie."
In a prompt manner, Wolf stood up from his car's front bumper and turned his body fully toward Roman. A second or two was taken to look Roman up and down, perhaps the first time since they even met, since Wolf paid attention to no one but himself. Wolf was taller than the entire team and his attitude carried into his posture. With his confident gaze firmly on Roman, Wolf reset his shoulders with a slight roll and angled his head.
"Listen. 'Roman,' right? Relax. I'm not stirring up any trouble for the team. As a matter of fact, our priority is to put our name out there right?" Wolf paused, turned his body slight enough to wave his gloved hand over the crowd. "Hmph. Look at these cavemen gawking at us. They look like they've never seen a true car before. I believe I've garnered us more than enough attention. Rachel should be thanking me."
Rome paused trying to decide whether or not he should laugh or take Wolf seriously. Though, the crowd of punks already beat Rome with their snickers and laughs.
One of them stepped up closer to Wolf, just on the edge of his personal space. "Look at his Inspector Gadget lookin' ass! Talkin' all that game, but rollin' around in some hot European garbanzo! We're what you call 'Street X experts,' faggot. There's no room for bitches like you who're too scared to get their wheels dirty. Lookin' like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood out here! Take your fruity little ass somewhere else and stay the fuck off our roads."
Wolf looked down on the man with his tired, careless, and judgemental eyes. Black leather crinkled as he flexed his gloved hands like a doctor prepping for surgery. Wolf didn't waver, even as the other guys and gals in the crowd whipped out their phones to get pictures of the heating altercation.
"Alright, ease up," urged Brian, playing mediator, and shoving himself in between Wolf and his bullies. Brian kept his hands up above his chest to prevent inciting violence between the two factions. "Hey, man, this isn't the kinda action we're here for tonight," he reasoned with the lead punk in front. "Let's just chill and talk motors, alright?"
One of the punks behind chuckled. "We could if y'all had some cars WORTH talkin' about!"
"Whoa, whoa, hold up," another one of the random bystanders interrupted, "You look familiar. They call you 'The Bullitt,' yeah?"
Brian shook his head. "Nah, just 'Bullitt' is fine. You're making it just a bit too much. It's nothin' special anyway, it's just a name."
"Look at you actin' all humble. I've seen what you can do. Hell, you're the only one here worth racin'." The bystander flicked his head up at Angie's car. "Maybe that Charger too. Too bad it's driven by a skirt, though. That's a grown ass man's car, baby. Do you even know how to handle all them horses, sweetheart?"
"Piss off, and get fucked," Angie spat back over the repeated "ooooh's" of the crowd. "You run your mouth about a 'grown man's car', but I've got more balls than you. You wouldn't even know what to do with these six hundred horses, so shut your trap and let the adults speak."
Roman cheered her on. "That's right, homegirl, let 'em know what's up! Y'all don't want none of this!"
"Alright, that's enough! Everybody, let's be cool for a sec." A voice louder than the rest came through the midst of the crowd.
Coming forward was a man that fit a close description of a person they just looked at the other day - T.K.. Then the dead giveaway came when Brian looked across the yard and spotted the green RX-8 that was also mentioned in Rachel's briefing.
This was T.K. for sure, and he stepped in between the two groups. "No need for us to get tilted. Let's save it for the street." T.K., along with his Urban Maulers that rocked demon tattoos and mohawks, approached Brian and co in a less hostile manner. "I heard about you all. You're Rachel's new posse, huh?" T.K. possessed a deep and lazy voice, almost as if he was perpetually bored.
"Word travels around fast here, I see," answered Kenji. "Good. 'Means people will come to know and fear our crew in no time. Easy."
"Maybe," T.K. replied. "You gotta remember this is a big city, man. Hella talent everywhere you turn. Your crew is just a drop in the bucket here, even with Rachel's blessing. Speaking of, will tonight be your first race as a crew?"
Brian uncrossed his arms and shoved them back in his pockets. "Nah, we're not here on official business, just a quick stroll to scope Coal Harbor out. But these fans of yours look a little bored. Which is why we're gonna do you a favor and entertain them for you."
"Practice laps, more or less," taunted Kenji.
T.K. gave no attention to both Brian and Kenji's disses and turned toward the crowds listening in anticipation. "I know y'all want to see the Urban Maulers take these guys on. Maybe you will, but it won't be tonight." A few disappointed noises came from the crowd and T.K. turned back around to address Brian and the others. "This part of town is mine, y'know. You gotta earn the right to race against the Urban Maulers. I don't care who you are, that's just the rules of the street."
"We get it," Roman nodded, "do your thing, man."
"Doesn't mean I won't send the crowds home hungry. I'll give you some action tonight," T.K. said, pointing to the group of hostile drivers that pestered Wolf and his team earlier with their homophobic and misogynistic insults. They weren't affiliated with T.K., but would follow any of his orders if asked. "Since you fools put yourselves on the spot, you represent Coal Harbor tonight."
They shrugged and tossed smirks onto their faces. "'Nuff said. I got dibs on the broad," one said pointing to Angie. "Easy money, honey. Bet she spins out in that thing before she can even taste my tail lights."
Angie rolled her eyes spun around to walk up to her car and let her driving do the talking.
Suki, knowing well what Angie was capable of, followed after her. "Yooo, I gotta get a front row seat for this!" She made a beeline for the Charger's passenger door, threw it open, and hopped in, much to Angie's pleasure.
T.K. counted with his index how many cars Team Underground had on standby. "I only see four cars. You got any more wheels on the way?"
"Our cars are on ice. Outta state at the moment," replied Brian.
"All good. So here's what we'll do. Two four-man circuits on the Street X. One races through the old shipping yard. Another one cuttin' through the construction site."
"What is 'Street X?'" Wolf asked.
"You're about to find out…"
Bright red flares danced in the hands of the flag girl. The start of Brian's race was in an old train yard, long abandoned but certainly not forgotten. Definitely not with the amount of people packed on top the railroads. Eager for the race to start, the flag girl snaked herself in between the four cars, making sure to hype up the crowd as she did so. On both sides of the yard, the crowd responded. Brian tuned them all out and focused on the distance ahead, just like he always did.
"Ready to smoke em'?" Rome's voice kept the grit in Brian's gut.
Brian turned to his passenger and answered with his foot on the gas. The high spirited VTEC engine, modded all the way up to the heavens, did the speaking for Brian.
"You know I got this, bro. Let's humiliate these guys."
The two brothers fistbumped and got ready to make good on their word. Of course, there was Kenji next door to them. Kenji flicked his head up at Brian and let his eyebrows dance with confidence. Brian gave a nod to his teammate, then looked out his passenger window, toward his direct opponents - that Focus SVT and the SRT Ram. It was easy to see that those guys had the advantage with their cars that were pretty much born to go off road. The concrete slates that surrounded Brian didn't do much to ease his concern about the lack of clean asphalt. Even so, he cracked his neck and got ready to do his best on this "Street X" track.
"Ready?!" The flag girl hollered with fireworks in the air. "Race!" Throwing her hands down, she felt a rush of wind, torque, and steel just inches away from her.
Curtains of gravel showered near her from the spinning tires. She twisted around as fast as she could, and jogged along with the rest of the crowd that pushed one another to follow the four cars./
=Meanwhile/Elsewhere, Down the Street=
"You got this, Angie! Keep it tight!"
If Angie grit her teeth any harder, they might just shatter. There was just too much going on. That damn supercharger whine from an SVT Mustang on her bumper. Then there was Suki cheerleading her on from the passenger seat. Angie appreciated the girl egging her on, but she had to admit that she found Suki just a tad bit annoying.
"Ergh!" Angie cut her Charger hard to the left, trying her damndest to match an effective line through the corner.
No dice. Not with how much torque and weight the Charger boasted. She found herself drifting instead, too wide, just enough for the Mustang to slip past her. "Fuck!"
One curse after another flew out of Angie's mouth. She and Wolf were at the back of the pack. Their rivals were up ahead, an SVT Mustang and a donked-out Crown Victoria. A breather came in the form of long block of street that would lead into the second lap. Perfect. Angie could take full advantage of her car's extreme acceleration. And you'd better believe she worked it with no hesitation, flying through her gears and pushing a buck-twenty on the straight. Bye bye, Crown Vic. So much for that Mustang; the driver looked like he'd seen a ghost when Angie took first out of nowhere.
"Ha haaa!" Cheered Angie.
Suki followed suit. "Shiiit, this thing's fast as hell!"
Angie was back to gritting her teeth as she pumped the brakes and dug into another tight corner that these "Street X" races boasted about. Once the car was straightened back up, they flew past the crowds and the flares that signaled the final lap. Prowling in the night, like his nickname suggested, Wolf was right onto the tail of that Vic. No more back of the pack. He adjusted his tie and got ready to devour his prey.
Passing through the flares for the final lap, Wolf shifted into forth, getting ready to make a move on the Crown Vic. The rival driver took a stab at playing dirty. He tried bumping Wolf in the middle of a sharp turn. Wolf saw it coming a mile away. He was on the outside of the turn, put the pressure on that Ford, and returned the favor by leaving that driver no room to breathe. The Vic ended up with a generous helping of concrete as he crashed into a barrier!
"Hmph." Wolf smirked and sped away for the Mustang next.
He could see it fishtailing right behind Angie's Charger. That driver was way too nervous. And as for Wolf? He was way too ambitious. Why not give that Mustang driver something to be really nervous about? So Wolf pushed his DB9 even harder, working his way through the gravel and tight corners until he found himself just inches away from the Ford. Now, his rival was sandwiched in between Angie and his own car! Back onto that extensive straight, Angie had already secured first and was taking full advantage again of her car's speed. Wolf kept up the pressure, drafting right behind the SVT Mustang that hung in there the best he could.
"Heh…" Just for shits and giggles, Wolf put on the high beams which were especially potent now that his front bumper was damn near teasing the exhaust of his rival.
Launching himself from the draft, Wolf shot his car toward the passenger door and gave a disapproving head shake to his rival. Unfortunately for that driver, he was too preoccupied with Wolf's handsomeness to notice the wall of concrete fast approaching! "Shit!"
He slammed on the brakes and spun into a complete wipeout while Angie and Wolf secured their victories. The 'Stang driver was alright. As for his ego? Eh. Not so much. Especially with the crowd that came clowning him out of his car. So much for competition.*
Speaking of competition, or lack thereof, Kenji proved to be a worthy opponent to Brian's skill. They were about halfway through the race, and although Kenji remained in second the entire time while Brian hogged first, he kept Brian on his toes. As for their opponents? They were getting desperate.
First came the shunt from the Viper truck to Kenji's fender, dropping him down to third. It'll buff out later, but it succeeded in pissing Kenji off.
Rome took note and warned Brian as that Ram approached closer. "Watch your ass, Brian, he's all over you!"
One glance to his rearview and Brian saw for himself. The Focus from before ate dirt as the Ram pushed it out of the way to make room for a clean stretch for Brian's Integra.
"Crazy bastard took out his own man…," mumbled Brian.
Rome shot his head over the backseat, peering out the back window to see Kenji hanging tight for now. He was most likely waiting for a good opportunity to overtake the crazed Dodge. Up ahead was a series of more tight corners and bends that was sure to give Brian the advantage. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. Dropping a gear, Brian used the Vortex Integra's tight suspension to its full capabilities.
Just like the katana-wielding samurai on the paint scheme, the Integra was sharp, and it helped Brian make quick work of those pesky corners. *Shing!* One slice here! Another over there! Brian slashed through the apex of the turns no sweat. Another quick glance to his rearview and he could see that Viper-powered truck still not too far behind. It must've been the four-wheel-drive and immense torque that kept its poison close to Brian. Still… steel beats poison.
The sparkling flares that signaled the end of the race was just ahead, and Brian got ready to fully unsheath that Integra's sword...
"He's all on your ass, Brian!"
"I got this, Rome!"
There wasn't anything much scarier than a big ass truck trying to take you out in the middle of an illegal street race. But Brian silenced his oppressors as he hit the nozzle jutting out from the center console of the car. And with one final slash, Brian cut through the hopes and dreams of his opponent. Not a sliver of mercy. Just a good old fashioned beheading, courtesy of nitrous oxide./
=After the Race=
Rome was the first to congratulate Brian as he dashed around to the driver door. "That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, Brian! Way to give it to 'em, homie!"
The two brothers dapped each other up, and Brian turned around to greet the approaching crowd with a big ass smile on his face, showing all his teeth and all his joy. Brian and Roman backed up to let fans get an up close treat of the Vortex Integra.
Then came Kenji with his trademark confident smirk; he gave Brian a congratulatory fistbump. "You can back up what you bark. That goes a long way in my book. Nice race." Brian detected a hint of defeat in Kenji's tone and teased him for it.
"Aw, don't tell me you were going easy on me! *Chuckles* Give yourself some credit too, bro, you weren't playing around with that rotary."
Kenji laughed at his own spite. "Let's just say, the story would've been different if gravel wasn't in the equation."
"Man, get your jealous ass over here," Roman joked, forcing his right arm around Kenji's neck. His other arm dangled over Brian's shoulders and all three of them basked in the collective victory that Roman made sure to remind them of. "We won this race."
Kenji let himself go for a bit and grinned. "Right. And with our talent, we'll have this city under our feet in no time."
"Damn straight, you heard me!"
"I dunno if it'll be that easy," Brian started, "but it'll for sure be fun." He said this while looking at Angie and Suki come out of the Charger laughing together. Then Wolf followed in his proud strut.
Everyone looked to be having such a good time, and if nights like this were going to be the norm, he'd wished he moved out to Bayview a lot sooner.
"Yo Brian!"
Through the bright flashes, hazy street lamps, and illuminated fog, Brian found a familiar face calling out to him in the midst of people. It was a face he hadn't seen in a long time, back when he was transitioning between L.A. and Miami, on the run from the police. It was a burly looking man that never failed to rock a wife beater that showed off his tattoos. Somehow, he sported a rugged, yet friendly demeanor that could make even the most rigid personalities relax.
"Oscar?!" Brian shouted back, a bit surprised to see an old friend.
The two men approached each other and dapped up.
"Brian! Where you been, homes?" Oscar spoke with a heavy Chicano accent.
"What the hell man, what's up?! Didn't expect to find you here of all places! What brought you all the way out to Bayview, man?"
"You kiddin'? Take a look around, bro, all the potential in the world for my kinda work right here. I moved Six-One-Nine from San Diego to up here!"
"Oh, no shit?"
"Yeah, yeah, I come out to races like these every weekend to scoop up any potential customers. Customers like you. Then again, you more like blood to me at this point now, homes. So how 'bout it, you still down to do business? My shop is just around the corner! Come by and grab a beer with your boy some time."
Brian chuckled and looked to his side to see his fellow racers take interest in Oscar and Brian. "You know me, Ozzie, I could always use a shop that offers the kinda TLC yours does." Brian paused to extend his arm out to his teammates. "But, how does five other customers sound to you?"