A/N: How long have you been waiting for this? Not very long. Hell, some of you probably just want me to shut up. But here I am! And, here it is! If it's underlined, in bold or italics, then someone is probably singing. Oh, and you better pay attention to the next part, cuz I'm only gonna say this once:
DISCLAIMER: If I owned the rights to AcceleRacers, or worked for Mattel, Hot Wheels, or Mainframe Entertainment in any way, shape or form, do you really think I'd be posting here? Where I can't charge you for reading this?! We square? Good.
SOUNDTRACK: This song was originally written by Gary Numan, but I used the cover that Fear Factory did; I just liked it better. Links for the videos for the soundtrack will be posted on my profile shortly.
The sounds of a high powered drill and a welding torch echoed through the garage, ringing in Shirako's ears as he added the finishing touches to the former Honda Civic. It had been about two weeks since their misadventures in the Realms had come to an end, and they had lost their cars rescuing Tork.
The fun hadn't stopped there, though; as it turned out, Vert's father, Major Jack Wheeler, had been the head driver for a government funded rival team called the Silencerz. The Silencerz wanted to use the Acceleron's technology to take over the world before they moved on to the Acceleron's planet to rob it of its resources, but their rebellion against SHIELD was quashed, and the Teku and Metal Maniacs had come back to Tezla's mansion to recover. His plans for the Realms were put on hold, but he paid for cars and parts all the same. It was only fair after what they'd been through, and, besides, SHIELD had paid him for the Acceledrome, so it wasn't like the good doctor was short on cash.
Shirako had chosen a Honda Civic, and Teku-ized it in record time; the Japanese boy had first ripped out the trunk and backseat to make room for the monster speakers he installed, making it a close cousin to his beloved Bassline. After that, he compensated for the new weight distribution, went to work under the hood, and finally painted the whole thing sapphire blue with silver tribal markings.
It only took a few days, and today he happily sighed, polishing the tinted windshield. "My baby," he cooed, telling the car how beautiful she was in Japanese. He smiled widely, opening the driver's side door and getting comfy in his seat. He just wanted to test the speakers, though; she wasn't ready to see the world just yet.
Shirako's fingers gently caressed the touchscreen of the laptop he'd installed in the dash, and he uploaded the contents of his iPod, pumping the bass as high as it would go for his baby's first song. "Yo, let's hear some Phat Beatz," he said with a grin, and chose his favorite song. The bass was so high, that even the soft, high pitched opening synth lines and guitar shook the garage. He leaned back in his seat, immersing himself in the music and singing along.
Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
Its the only way to live
In cars
He did just as he said, locking his doors, and from there, it was as if Shirako was in his own little world. He stroked the dashboard and rested his head on the steering wheel as if it was his lover's shoulder, and he couldn't help but feel like Kurt would be jealous.
On the other side of the garage, Porkchop covered his ears and shouted for him to scrap that noise, but to Shirako it was only pantomime. All that mattered to the Teku mechanic was Phat Beatz. The doors were locked, the windows were up, and Shirako was sealed off from the rest of the world; it was just him and his baby.
Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars
He bobbed his head to the music, dancing a little in his seat; God, how he loved that new car smell. It was almost…intoxicating. The youngest of the Teku let his imagination take hold of him as he hit the option on the touchscreen to sync up lights with the music, running his hand gently, no, LOVINGLY, over the steering wheel. He pretended he was back in the Realms, evading the Drones.
Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please?
If I open my door
In cars
There might as well have been no one there to yell at him for the loud music; he couldn't hear them. He was back on the track in the Cosmic Realm, crushing an RD-S1 that dared to touch his speakers.
Here in my car
I know Ive started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars
Shirako's singing lowered to a hum as the song faded out, and he sighed, relaxing in the comfy driver's seat of Phat Beatz. After a little while, he finally got out as his stomach beckoned him towards the kitchen, but Porkchop was still outside, and still upset at having to listen to that lousy house industrial. But he had a plan.
"Two can play at this game," he muttered, and cranked the volume on Wrathchild's sound system. The garage erupted in high pitched, fast paced, screechy Southern Californian voices and guitars, the drumming so energetic you could barely distinguish the beat. Shirako nearly doubled over from surprise and covered his ears.
"Ah! This music is so angry!" he cried, and broke into a run. Porkchop laughed, and turned off the music, the sounds of 'Raining Blood' by Slayer finally coming to an end.
Kurt and Vert, who had watched the whole thing, had a good laugh over it, and Kurt went back to what was on his mind. "So, you were saying?"
Vert blinked. "Saying what now?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "How the heck did a suburbanite surfer like you ever learn Russian?"
"Ohhh, yeah" he said, smiling. "It's a long story, Kurt; I have to start at the beginning."
"We're not leaving until later, man. It's no big deal."
"So, my Dad's in the Army, right? Well, he got stationed at a base in West Germany. That was the free side during the Cold War. And there was this bar where all the officers would go on the weekends. The young woman who waited tables there, Svetlana, had come to Germany with her parents a year before to escape the oppressive communist regime in the USSR and worked at the bar to help support her family. Svetlana was very pretty, and Dad really liked her."
Kurt nodded, listening intently as they walked, following leisurely behind Shirako and Porkchop through the huge mansion to the kitchen. He was very interested in the story, though he wasn't sure why.
"So, they were dating, and they fell in love and stuff, and they got married in the chapel on the base. Dad brought Svetlana to America, and they got a house, and they had me, and Svetlana became my Mom!"
"Ohhhh" Kurt said, nodding. "So you learned Russian at the same time as English."
"Just as Nolo speaks both English and Spanish, comrade" the blonde said in a perfect Novgorod accent, and they laughed.
As strange as many thought it was, Monkey and Nolo were actually the best cooks of the whole group and had collaborated on every meal for the AccelaRacers since they arrived at Tezla's house. Today was no exception. Both the Teku and the Metal Maniacs were hurriedly eating up everything in sight; bacon, sausage, eggs, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and orange juice.
On one side of the room, Lani was trying to teach Mel to hula, while Karma and Taro discussed their excitement over the coming trip. Each and every last one of them was glad to be free from the Realms with a chance to relax and cut loose; almost as soon as they had arrived at stately Tezla Manor in Beverly Hills, the drivers had gotten new cars on Tezla's dime in gratitude of all their hard work and vigilance in the Realms. They had worked hard and fast to customize their new wheels, all save for Vert. After everything that had happened with the Drones, the Silencerz and his father, he only made some basic modifications. He said he needed a break from racing, so the others left him alone.
As he flipped the last pancake, Nolo complained loudly about his landlady. "Man, I can't believe she only rented out the place after a week. I was still paid up and everything and she just shoves my stuff in the attic and gives my apartment to someone else. What a total bitch!"
"The guy who owns my building did the same damn thing!" Monkey said, passing fresh cups of coffee to Porkchop and Shirako; the two glared at each other momentarily before heading to opposite sides of the room. "I was lucky to even get half my stuff, man; I had to call the cops to even get him to give it back. Big jerk went and took my CDs to a pawn shop…"
Karma nodded in agreement. "It was really sweet of Tezla to let us stay here."
"Yeah, what a nice guy," said Vert. The estate was huge, but he knew how annoying all of them could be when together. "Not to mention, agreeing to—"
Speak of the Devil; Dr. Tezla himself, who had chosen to sleep in, wandered in drowsily and yawning almost cutely. Just two days before he'd freed himself of the clumsy bio-suit now that his injuries had fully healed, and he had a surprising spring in his step for someone his age. He stretched, the morning sunlight from the large bay window reflecting from his purple silk pajamas.
Vert snickered, and then laughed. "Nice pjs, Doc. Did you borrow them from Hugh Hefner?"
"Oh, cute, Vert. Real cute." He graciously accepted the hot fresh cup of coffee Monkey passed him and sat down at the table with a smile. "Today's the big day, my AcceleRacers. This is going to be great!"
Indeed, they were all packed and ready. To save some time, and because Mel only had her permit and not her license, some of them were driving together, but it was only a six hour trip, and for them, would go by like nothing. Mel was riding with Wylde in a 76 Dodge Charger the two tricked out together and named Demonizer; Lani was riding with Monkey in Hell Razor; and if they felt like they needed a rest, any of the other drivers were free to hitch up to Porkchop's new rig, Holy Smoke, and sleep it off. (He had named the rig in loving memory of Old Smokey; who knew the big lug could be so sentimental?)
In any case, they were ready and waiting, and badly in need of the vacation they were embarking on.
A/N: I wonder if you saw it coming? I left clues in the end of Sweet Melissa; Not just what was said, but what they were playing...that last bit's the key to where they're going. I wonder...