Chapter 5 - No Restarts

  At the gas station, Reiji was fixing Vance’s GR GT. He popped open the hood and connected the battery terminal.

  “Alright, done…” Reiji yawned.

  “Oh yeah– we unplugged this last night while y'all were sleeping. Hehe,” Nina revealed.

  “Well… she unplugged it, I was just holding the flashlight.”

  Vance closed her eyes and her brows furrowed.

  “You litt–”

  Kaito laughed and jumped in.

  “Well well, it ended in your favour anyways, Ms. Leader, you get the gas station and you get to impress me. The kid’s driving was impressive.”

  Kaito looked at Mikey.

  “What’s your name, kid?”

  “Mikey.”

  “Can I call you ‘Mike’?”

  Mikey shot a look at him — his eyebrows tight, lips pressed thin, then looked away from Kaito.

  “It’s Mikey.”

  “Alright alright, Mikey, I didn’t mean to scare you back there. Chasing you like a mad dog… Can we be pals here?”

  Kaito reached his hand out. Mikey looked back at him.

  “What’s this?”

  “A Tokyo handshake!”

  Kaito grabbed Mikey’s hand as soon as he hesitantly lifted it up.

  “yoro-shiku o-ne-gai-shimasu,”

  Kaito said while shaking Mikey’s hand.

  “What does that mean?”

  “No idea! It's tradition! I think it means ‘sorry and hope we can be pals’.”

  Cipher held his laptop and walked up to them.

  “Guys, does anyone know where I can get a Telelink signal?”

  “Our hideout has it, right guys?” Reiji asked the rest of his crew.

  Reiji checked Kaito and Nina’s faces to see how they were taking it.

  “Come eat with us and use the Telelink!” Kaito said.

  Nina perked up like a cat hearing a can open.

  “Hibachi!”

  They drove to Tokyo crew’s hideout, the ground floor of an unfinished skyscraper– forever under construction…

  They all sat around a campfire Kaito had started in a metal barrel. Nina wandered over to a skid steer loader, its bucket propped up on concrete blocks with a propane tank tucked underneath. It was like some part of an improvised kitchen. She grabbed a chef’s hat from a nearby table stacked with canned goods and placed it on her head, wearing it like a badge of honor.

  Kaito smacked his belly.

  “Man, I’m hungry.”

  “Me too,” Reiji added.

  “Hibachi!”

  Nina poured a questionable mix of canned slop onto the repurposed bucket-turned-hibachi.

  “Woah woah woah, you are cooking on that?” Cipher sprang up.

  “That’s what you are complaining about? What the hell is that slop?” Vance commented.

  Mikey took a slow breath, savoring the aroma.

  “Smells good.”

  “Nina, I want eggs.” Reiji requested.

  “Roger, roger!”

  Mikey checked out the improvised kitchen setup.

  “Do you need any help?” Mikey asked.

  “Nope! No need for sous chef!”

  Nina opened a can filled with egg whites and yolks. She happily poured it onto her bucket. After the brown slop turned an even darker shade and the eggs became charred, she plated everything and served it.

  “You guys can eat as much as you want. Mikey, consider this my apology too."

  “Kid, this food deserves an apology.” Vance whispered to Mikey.

  Mikey took a massive bite.

  “Nooo, this is great. I haven’t had fresh food for ages.”

  “Mikey, where are you from?” Kaito asked.

  “The residential district.”

  “Which residential district?”

  “There’s more than one?”

  “District 12,” Vance answered for him.

  “What do you guys eat there?”

  “Mostly dried nutrition blocks soaked in water.”

  “Burgers– wait, Mikey, you eat those?”

  “It’s free and it’s nutritious.”

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  Cipher walked up to Nina with a plate of brown slop and charred eggs.

  “You burnt it! And your cooking pan can’t possibly meet FDA standards!”

  “Aurg… suck it up, loser!”

  “This– rat!”

  Cipher stormed off to a sofa with his laptop.

  “Hacker guy, you’re not eating that?”

  Reiji pointed at Cipher’s untouched plate of slop.

  “No, I’m not eating whatever that rat cooked…”

  “Can I have it?”

  “Sure, man…take it.”

  Reiji took the plate. He turned to Nina while eating the slop.

  “It’s good, Nina.”

  “Hibachi!” she said happily.

  Kaito brought out a crate of wine.

  “We got a bunch of fizzy wine.”

  “You can’t drink those…they are past their due date,” Reiji told Mikey and Vance.

  “Reiji is completely correct, because we are not drinking these… instead–”

  Kaito grabbed one of the bottles. Shook it and pointed it at an empty can on a table. The bottle violently erupted and sent the cork flying toward the can. The cork hit the can clean off the table.

  “Bullseye!”

  “Woah!”

  Both Mikey and Vance were impressed.

  “Let me try!” Mikey leaned forward, but waited for Kaito to hand him a bottle.

  Cipher connected to the Telelink and an ID password screen popped up.

  “God damn it– I forgot you need an ID to access the internet on a new device!”

  Reiji glanced at Cipher, but went back to join Kaito, Mikey and Vance.

  “My turn.”

  Reiji shook the bottle and aimed it at the side of the can. The cork hit the first can and ricocheted to another, taking both cans off the table.

  “Two for one.”

  “Woah, that's impressive!” Mikey said.

  Vance glanced at Mikey, who was practically glowing, and felt a flicker of jealousy toward Reiji.

  “I can do that.”

  “Aurgg– Vance!…I can only watch the news broadcast…” Cipher said.

  Vance shook the wine bottle.

  “Hmm…what are they saying about us?”

  “‘Suspect of the GRS sabotage broke into City-zone A District 1’s teleportation hub. Forefront sent Blacklines to intercept them.’ But Vance they haven’t stated anything else about the situation to the public…”

  “They are probably preparing for something. We should be carefu–”

  The bottle burst open, sending the cork up to the ceiling and soaked Vance with rotting wine.

  At a GRS media HQ, a pre-race interview was underway. First place winner, Joanna Nexi, replacement for Jett Cooper, Marshal Rinova, in second place, and 3rd place finisher, Caleb Garner, all sat waiting for the interviewer, Cruize, to speak.

  “Good morning, audiences! Good morning, racers! And good morning, Mr. Jackson! Mind if I ask you? Why have you replaced your son with Marshal Rinova mid-season?”

  “Good morning, Mr. Cruize. As you all know, my son was a victim in a terrible crash. I want him to have the best rest possible. Mr. Rinova is the key to helping my son recover.”

  “I might be new to GRS, but I am not new to racing! I will do my best to make Mr. Jett proud!” Rinova said.

  “What do you think of your new competitor fighting for first place, Ms. Nexi?” Cruize asked.

  “I’ll manage.”

  Nexi looked at the PR friendly Rinova without any emotion in particular.

  “Alright then, let’s move on to the secret GRS Endurance Rally’s stage reveal for this season!”

  “Finally talking about the important stuff…” Garner exhaled through his nose.

  Ahem… As you all know! The GRS endurance rally race is the longest race in the world! Physically challenging for the car and the racers! This year the race will be especially special, sinc–”

  “Get to the point… where is it?”

  Cruize ignored Garner’s disruption and continued.

  “This year's race will be the first to span City-zones! The first district 1 to district 1 race!”

  The audience gasped.

  “The racers will drive from the culturally significant District 1, City-zone B to the iconic Eiffel Tower in District 1, City-zone C! There’s a section of track where they will race entirely underneath the ocean… the Continental Linkway tunnel!”

  “No way– what a coincidence! That’s close to my hometown,” Rinova said.

  “You would need any help you can get, rookie.” Garner mocked.

  “I’ll take the gold medal away from you, Ms. Nexi, I’ll prove I deserve this seat more than Jett ever did!” Rinova said.

  “Uhuh…”

  Nexi got up and left.

  “Ms. Nexi?” Cruize asked.

  Rinova stood up, reaching out to her.

  “Ms. Nexi… I’m–”

  “Sit down, Rinova, don’t bother.” Jackson ordered.

  “Okay sir…”

  Rinova sat back down.

  Cruize awkwardly glanced at the camera crew then back at the camera.

  “Okayy… continuing on… the racers will not get a chance to practice the roads beforehand, they will be given pace notes from their respective race AI. Due to the length of the race, they will be allowed to use autopilot– but be careful! You might lose time because of it!”

  Back at the Tokyo's crew hideout Reiji was hanging out on the sofa while Cipher was typing on his laptop. Something popped up on his phone and he got up

  “Ight, I gotta go. GRS is calling.”

  “WHAT!?” Cipher and Nina shouted.

  “Reiji is a GRS racer,” Kaito explained.

  “Wow… is this true? You race in the Global Race Series?” Mikey asked.

  “Yeah man. It’s like a job… I gotta get money somehow.”

  “Wait? How are you getting there? By driving?” Vance asked.

  “I manually power the District 0’s teleporter for him. Can you guys help put all those gasoline cans in my car? We are heading to the pad.” Kaito explained.

  Nina trembled.

  “Kkkk– Kaito… Rrrr– Reiji races in the Global Race Series?”

  “Yep, I thought you knew already.”

  “NO, YOU IDIOT, YOU HAVEN’T TOLD ME!”

  Nina held Reiji’s gaze for a moment longer than usual.

  “Is that why you kept disappearing often…?”

  “My bad, Nina, I should’ve told you.”

  “That’s why you were beating me in that old EK! This is so unfair!”

  They rode the Chaser to the teleporter. Multiple portable gas generators sat in the teleporter’s control room. Kaito poured gasoline into each one of them. When all generators were filled, he started them and pulled a lever on a control panel. The teleport pad lit up.

  “Mikey, you’re cool. I’ll help you guys get home when I come back.” Reiji told Mikey and the rest of Vance’s crew.

  “We’ll be cheering you on, Reiji!” Mikey said.

  Reiji bowed and disappeared on the teleport pad.

  Cold.

  Overcast.

  Brutalist megastructures anchored to the snow-covered ground. Drones buzzed overhead.

  Crowds pressed against the barricades until Race-zone guards forced them back.

  Welcome to District 1 Cityzone B.

  Nexi prepared herself next to her Nexon’s race car, unfocused. The race was about to start. Reiji walked past her.

  “Best of luck, Nexi.”

  “You too, Reiji.”

  She fumbled putting on her racing gloves. Nexi’s phone rang– it’s Jett.

  “How you feeling, champ?”

  “Like a winner… like always.”

  “Your voice doesn’t sound like it.”

  Nexi was silent.

  “You don’t have to keep winning, just race for fun.”

  Nexi let out a breathless laugh.

  “Are you saying this to subdue me? You don’t want me to get first again… is that it?”

  “Nooo… I would neverrr…”

  They both giggled.

  “Thanks, Jett. But when I race… I race to win.”

  “Ight… I’ll watch. Go get 'em, Champ.”

  Phone call ended.

  At the start line, Nexi’s racecar rolled forward alone.

  “This is a timed section of the endurance rally. Starting order is determined by current season standings.”

  The GRS announcer started explaining.

  “The top ten racers will launch at sixty-second intervals.”

  “From position eleven onward, launch intervals are reduced to ten seconds.”

  “Any racer who finishes more than ten minutes behind the section leader will be eliminated from the second stage.”

  “No Restarts.”

  In the waiting room. Mid-pack racers bantered and top-pack racers composed themselves.

  An overweight mid-pack racer at P16, Kimbi Manju, was discussing the race with a sly fox-like P14 racer, Adro Zeeker, and Reiji, who was at P15 for this race.

  “Now hold on– we won’t be able to make it to the second stage at all! How is this fair?”

  “Then be faster in the previous races, genius.” Zeeker said.

  “Are you calling me slow? You weren’t much faster than me either!... Waittt you won’t make it to the next stage either, heh hehe.”

  “He can make it to the next stage. There’s no rule stating that you can’t overtake the other racers even if it’s a time trial.” Reiji added.

  “Really…? How many positions do I have to gain?”

  “You have to gain about six places”

  “You–! That’s impossible! They get a 10 seconds lead and I have to get past 6 of them? That’s like a minute lead!”

  “Ten seconds disappear fast over a distance that long.” Reiji said.

  In the same waiting room.

  Garner, P3, put his arms around Rinova, P2.

  “Let’s see how you perform, buddy…”

  Garner gave him a condescending smile before walking away.

  Rinova stared at Garner’s back, his smile was disappearing.

  Nexi was in her race car. Xogic, Nexon’s race AI, explained to her.

  “Updating rally pace notes information and installing new proximity chat function.”

  “Proximity chat?”

  “Due to the time trial occurring on the same track simultaneously, GRS racers might meet each other. Proximity chat will allow for racers to communicate, reducing conflict and ensuring efficient race flow.”

  “Welp, not gonna be needing that…”

  The race countdown began, Nexi tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She activated launch control.

  “Optimizing engine and electric motor power for maximum traction during launch.”

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