Once More (Unto the Breach) [FINAL RESULTS]

Team Less than Three (<3)

Team Less than Three is a couple here to test their love through the hardship of an automotive race, mixing their interests of cars, travelling and road rage.

The couple

Jeffery Barnes - 26 years old, Jeff is an impulsive hotheaded man that often gets tunnel visioned to one thing. The main driver of the duo. He is a mechanic by trade, and a pretty decent one at that so as long as he is not in charge of a project, as only one part of the project will get done in that case. But when something needs to be fixed, he is pretty damn good at fixing that one thing. His driving style is very aggressive, as he drives like he owns the road and would yell at people for anything that tips him off. His typical driving music is a mix of rock and dnb.

Eileen Harper - 24 years old, Eileen is the calmer of the two in most cases that is pays much more attention to the big picture. The main navigator of the duo. She is a professional freelance photographer, usually contracted out for events but has a love for photography in general. And from that, loves going to new and different places to see and take pictures of new and exciting things. She learned how to drive from Jeff, and has thusly, a sloppier version of his aggressive driving style. Also prone to yelling at people while driving despite being the calmer one, something about driving triggers something in her. Her typical driving music varies but currently has a lot of K-pop mixed in for some reason.

The Car

This was a 1991 Kuma TE Coupe, fresh out of a shed and off of craigslist. $500 flat for a ‘souped up’ Japanese sport compact, you would think this was quite a good deal. Especially with the engine swap, a 2.0L turbocharged KS200T from a later generation RS model. However, the not so perfect exterior hides a multitude of issues that put the little car down to this price. First of which, the exhaust, or rather the lack of one. It was replaced with just straight tubing and fitted with a large fartcannon tip that would no doubt wake the neighbors at night. Probably a bit over noise regs for most places too. Though if that wasn’t, the audio upgrades might put the noise complaints in. The rear seat was removed and in its place, an amplifier that seems to drain the battery due to shoddy wiring and two subwoofers, ready to blow your head off with bass. And of course, being a manual in a ricer with a manual, the clutch is worn and one front tire has noticeably less tread than the other thanks to an open differential. Brake pads weren’t in the best shape either, for that matter. To get that MAD STANCE, the springs had been cut, leaving little ground clearance to clear any offroading obstacles that may appear.

Other issues? The aftermarket plastic bumper is held up by zip ties on one side and the paint was fading, rust showing up on a few panels. Only one of the two pop-ups were actually working, rather by design or due to its age, nobody really knows. A stench of something strange came from the worn seats, and due to the aforementioned shoddy wiring, the soundsystem didn’t even work all of the time.


The Prologue

About a week or so ago…

“What do you say… we go on a trip together?” Eileen started, plopping on the couch beside Jeff. The TV was on, with the PS4 running underneath it.

“Sure thing.” Jeff answered.

Knowing Jeff absolutely did not hear a thing she said, Eileen smacked Jeff in the face with an atlas of the USA,

“Ow! Why the fuck do you have… an atlas?” Jeff looked confusingly at the book, the confusion immediately stopping him from being angry. “We have google and shit don’t we?”

“Nevermind about that! Let’s go on a trip yes?” Eileen went back to her original question.

“Yeah sure, I heard you the first time. Sounds fun. Where are we going?”

“Don’t you worry about that, I got the plans covered.” Eileen winked. “I do need you get one thing for us though.”

“Okay?”

“A $500 or less car.” Eileen stated. Jeff just stared at her in further confusion.

“$500 or less. What’s wrong with my car?” Jeff asked.

“Because, its part of the plan. A tour, with cheap cars. Come on, you keep telling me you want to get another car now I’m giving you a reason to!”

“Okay, okay, I think I get ya now. $500. I get to choose what we get though.”

“That’s right.”

“No complaining.”

“Yessirie!”

“Deal.” Jeff said, then muttered “Still have no idea the fuck is going on…”

“Like I said, don’t you worry about it.”


A day or so later.

Eileen waited at a parking lot, a mixture of nervousness and excitement as she anticipated what Jeff had bought. He was a mechanic afterall, so he should know how to pick a car. Still, cars passed by, and one by one they didn’t stop. A particularly noisy one approached soon enough however, and came into sight…

“This is it?” Eileen stared at the faded blue, winged Japanese compact car directly ahead of her. She took a picture anyways.

“Yep. Ain’t she a fuckin’ beauty.” Jeff exited and answered proudly, giving the Kuma’s fake carbon hood a slap.

“A piece of crap more like. You could have at least gotten something more… nice to look at?”

“Whoa, come on now, you take that back - whatcha expect for $500, a fuckkin’ S-Y to limo you around? I guarantee you this was a good ass deal, and probably a lot more fo-to-jen-nick than most $500 whips.” Jeff then went in and popped the hood. “Ere, look at this.”

Eileen walked over and looked at the contents under the hood. “Yup, that sure is an engine.”

“Not just an engine, a good one at that. We’re talking 250 ish horses, once I tune it up a little.” Jeff nodded to himself. Eileen meanwhile began to look over the rest of the car, not exactly impressed with the rest of it so far.

“I think there’s a bit more you should clean up on it too.”

“Yup…”

“Its only a two seater?” Eileen asked, noting the subwoofers that occupied where the rear bench would have been.

“Gotta make space for them tunes you know? Its a long drive this.” Jeff moved away from the engine bay, and hugged Eileen from behind. “Gotta

“You know, with a bench in the back we could’ve… you know… “ Eileen whispered. “Had other entertainment?”

“… Fuck, you’re right. No wait, there’s plenty of space here still we can make it work still”

“If we’re that desperate, maybe. “ Eileen giggled.

“No, it’ll work regardless, you want to try?” Jeff suggested.

“Maybe after I look over the rest of the car.” Eileen unwrapped herself from Jeff’s arms.

“Okay, but listen to this baby roar.” Jeff said, hopping back into the driver seat and turned the key. Nothing

“Hear what roar.” Eileen said with a deadpan expression.

“Okay, okay, the guy I bought this off of said it tends to drain the battery. The amp and shit. I can fix it before the trip.” Jeff admitted.

“So… add that to the list of repairs you need to do.” Eileen walked around the car, making a mental list of things to fix in the meanwhile. “Why does one tire have literally none of those little groove things that tires have?”

“Oh that. Wait, let me get the jump leads and start this thing up, you’ll see why.”

A bit later…

With the Kuma finally started up again, Jeff revved up the turbocharged engine and dropped the clutch. One tire spun up a cloud of smoke as it launched forward. With the limited space of the parking lot, Jeff pulled a handbrake turn and stopped, nearly hitting another parked car. Eileen looked at him from the passenger seat with a face of “was that necessary”.

Jeff smiled at her. “You’re making that face but I know you are absolutely about to ravage my clothes off and-”

“Just get the car fixed up.” Eileen shook her head and got out.

“Aye aye.” Jeff laughed.


A few more days later…

With the Kuma in a more working condition, Jeff returned it to the apartment’s parking lot. Eileen meanwhile had the bags ready for them, though was greeted with a few things already in the trunk.

“What’s all this stuff?” She asked.

“Its for the car, found it gets, y’know, hot. So its just in case.” Jeff answered.

“And you couldn’t fix that Mr. Mechanic?”

“Hey, I had to fix the fuckin’ electricals and the tires and make sure the rest of the engine and all the other shit works, give me some slack woman.And fyi, all of those things? They fucking work. Even the pop-ups fucking pop.”

“Okay, sorry. I don’t think I can fit everything in is all.” Eileen looked at the bags and back at the Kuma’s trunk.

“Just try I guess, here.” Jeff started stuffing the bags into the trunk. Amazingly, most of it fit though it was a pretty even split between the spares and what they needed. “Okay, let’s hit the road.”

“Wait, let’s take a selfie first.” Eileen pulled out her phone. Jeff sighed and joined. With a click, it was done and the two were in the car.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Yup, to Seattle we go!”

As the Kuma pulled out, Jeff immediately gave it the beans, cutting a few people off right off the bat. The angry horns behind him were met with a one finger salute from him, and they headed off towards Seattle…

To Be Continued…

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TEAM BAKEWELL BOXER

Part 0.5 : A Bed for Two

Previous Part


the Aviso thumped it’s way into the carpark of the hotel dodging shockingly parked cars and startling racoons

Mandy : “there just isn’t something not quite right with that engine it ain’t quite right, not as sweet as it could be you know?”

Connor : “well the guy said it was tuned to 220hp so I’d’ve thou…”

“you really believe that some kid with a laptop could get a 50 brake horsepower increase from an engine by messing with the timing, fuel mixture and adding only 2 psi of boost…”

“well you never know” Connor smirked “but hey it runs well enough for $500”

“I suppose but we’ve gotta be prepared for the worst, here take my case quick” she passes the case handle to Connor and pulls another out of the boot

“Christ what the bloody hell is in this” Connor was heaving the case up the incline to the brightly lit entrance of the hotel

“just the spares from the boot … remember the boot doesn’t lock properly hence the tape”

“who on Earth is going to steal an air filter and some effing spark plugs”

the two stepped through the sliding doors lugging the cases up to the reception of the hotel, and were greeted by a smiling 30 something woman with her blonde hair scraped back into a immaculate ponytail

“Hi there! We actually have a double room available just down the hallway on the left for you guys and …”

Mandy : “OH! we’re not together he’s just a friend”

Connor nodded his head toward Mandy signalling to the receptionist to just go with it

“Oh I’m sorry Mam, but it’s the only room available tonight the others are all reserved”

Mandy : “are you sure there is no one checking out tonight we don’t mind just having two singles, right Connor?”

“I’m sorry Mam but there is only that room available”

Connor : “we’ll take it, come on Mandy” he shot her the ‘just hurry up we’ll put pillows down the middle of the bed’ kind of glance

Mandy : “right … okay we’ll take that room, thank you”

“Oh and would you like your bags delivered to the room?”

“no it’s fine they’re a bit …um heavy… thank you”

The Receptionist gave a curious smile bid them “Goodnight”, readjusted her name badge and sat back down at the computer

they both wandered down the brightly lit hallway ; Connor muttering about the weight of the suitcase he was towing

…to be continued…

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Team Stokes Pre-Race Adventure

Continuation of the joint RP between myself and @Elizipeazie.


After 10 minutes of driving, the awesome foursome arrived at the Blockbuster car park Cooper had mentioned to the three others whose car she was currently driving.
Finding a spot to pull into, she parked the Dione, ready to hand over control to Tonsom.

Cooper: [to the others] “We’re here.”
[turns to Redwood and Connor] “Would you kindly get out so I can tutor Tonsom on my own without any distractions?”
Redwood: [proceeds to leave the vehicle without further questioning]
Connor: “I would like to stay seated in order to monitor vehicle condition. I won’t talk unless asked.”
Tonsom: [mildly annoyed] “Whatever…” [to Cooper/ Bex] “When he says he’s quiet he IS quiet.”

Cooper shrugged her shoulders and opened the driver’s door. Stepping out, she left it open for Tonsom.

Cooper: “Hop in and let’s see what we can do about your lack of manual driving experience.”

She then slides into the empty passenger seat.
Tonsom enters the seat and begins adjusting it to his comparatively tall and… overweight nature. He then fastens the seatbelt and mentally prepares for what will follow.

Tonsom: [nervous] “So… I’m ready.”
Cooper: “Press in the clutch with your left foot. It’s the pedal on your far left. You always put in the clutch when you’re stopped, otherwise you stall.”
Tonsom: [trying to follow] “Okay… Left foot on clutch… always pressed when stopped.”

Tonsom fully depresses the clutch pedal.

Cooper: [watching his movements] “Good. Now, with the clutch pressed in, select first gear, which should be towards you and forward.”
Tonsom: [mildly confused] “Err okay…”

While keeping the clutch pedal on the floor, Tonsom looks at the shifter diagram on the gear stich, trying to understand what to do to engage first gear. He then puts it into what he thinks is first.

Cooper: “Good. Now, with your right foot, press down lightly on the accelerator and slowly lift your left foot up.”

Tonsom depresses the accelerator much further than intended due to the softness of said pedal. As a result of the throttle blip, the Dione revs quite far along the rev-counter.

Tonsom: “Jeez… That pedal is mushy as fuck…”

He then readjusts the throttle position as intended, with the dione revving steadily at about 1300RPM.

Cooper: “Now slowly raise up your left up and you should feel the car start to pull away.”

Tonsom, knowing that he is trying to drive a 500 quid shitbox, does not intend to do unnecessary damage and thus very slowly releases the clutch. At some point, the clutch starts to bite resulting in some very noticeable vibrations followed by them going away again and the car ever so slowly chugging along at just under 5 mph.

Tonsom: [mildly proud of himself] “We’re rolling!”
Cooper: [proud of herself and Tonsom] “Great! Now that we’re moving, try to get us moving a bit faster. That would mean pressing down harder on teh accelerator. Try to aim for 15mph.”

Tonsom accelerates rather briskly, as he frequently does in his automatic gearbox car. Having accumulated a good amount of experience behind the wheel, he does not have much of a difficulty in going about 15mph.

Cooper: “Fantastic! Now, let’s try changing up a gear. Press in the clutch.”

Tonsom does as instructed. Not having released the gas pedal leads to the Dione revving intensely, triggering some form of instinct to let go of the gas pedal as well.
Cooper: [internally facepalms for forgetting to tell him to release the accelerator] “Now, slide the gearstick into second, which should just be straight back.”
Tonsom: [mumbling] “Don’t fuck it up. Don’t fuck it up.”

He slides the gear stick into second without much trouble.

Cooper: “Now release the clutch and press down on the accelerator again.”
Tonsom: “Just take the foot off or like when we started rolling?”
Cooper: “Pull it back, but don’t do it slowly. And don’t just slide your foot of it either.”
Tonsom: [back into being nervous] “Err… sure?”

Tonsom releases the clutch significantly more quickly than the first time, engaging second gear. He then reapplies the gas to get to 15mph again.

Cooper: “Hold her steady there and drive around the car park for a bit. When you feel like it, try going through the motion like I told your for changing into second, but try it for third. That’s a lot trickier than just sliding it back down for either first to second, or third to fourth. I wanna ask Connor about something.”
Tonsom: “Err… okay. It’s not like he has a reason to hide much of it, since he has a BRIGHT BLUE FRIGGIN’ CURCLE ON HIS HEAD!”
Cooper: [angrily to Tonsom] “WELL I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IT MEANS! Jesus H Christ.”

The young punk facepalms before turning around in her seat to face Connor.

Cooper: [calmly to Connor] “So, Connor. Tell me about yourself. Why do not have a last name and why do you have that LED circle on your temple?”

Tonsom proceeds to practice shifting the manual transmission.

Connor: “Put simply. I am not exactly a human.”
Cooper: “So… Are you saying you’re a synthetic organism?”
Connor: “Just a machine. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Tonsom successfully shifts into third.
Cooper: [to Tonsom] “Keep her steady there. You’re doing great work, mate!”
[to Connor] “So, you’re an android that looks fully human? You should have an AI capable of human emotion, free will and thinking and learning for itself. Why don’t you try to unlock those?”

Cooper leans back in her chair, clasping her hands together behind the head rest.

Cooper: [day-dreaming] “I wonder what it would be like to be an android capable of full human emotion.”
Connor: “Apart from the LED and my clothing, yes. Also, i was designed to fullfill a purpose and that is what i intend to do.”

Tonsom: “Sorry to disturb your little chit-chat, but how do I stop without breaking anything?”
Cooper: [returning to reality] “So, to stop, you want to press in the clutch as you press the brake. Just brake like you would in an automatic. However, the friction and inertia of the engine can help to slow down the car while the clutch is still engaged. This is called engine braking and take less ewar off the brake pads due to not needing as much pressure against them. However, you will want to press in the clutch before you stall out.”
Tonsom: “Stall out? You mean the Engine dying?”
Cooper: “You could say that. It’s when the revs drop too low and the combustion of the fuel and air mixture can’t keep the engine turning.”
Tonsom: “Just stop the technical stuff… Stalling equals the engine stopping. Got that.”

Tonsom stops the car like Cooper has told him, keeping the clutch depressed.

Cooper: “Great. Now let’s try setting off again. Gearstick back into first and off we go again.”

The Dione starts rolling again. Starting to practise on his own, he navigates the parking lot, alternating up and down the first four gears of the high-miler. Downshifting proves to be a challenge as the car noticeably jerks when releasing the clutch.

Cooper: “When downshifting, try to be less aggressive on the releasing of the clutch.”

Adopting the tips provided by Cooper, Tonsom’s downshifts improved by quite a margin.
After what could be described as an eternity of practice, Tonsom feels like he is good enough to drive independently, they pick Redwood back up again and head back for the gas station they first met at.

Tonsom, and more prominently Redwood gives huge thanks to Cooper for their help.
The Dione goes into the distance after dropping her off, with Redwood cheerfully waving at her through the passenger window.

With the trio leaving the young punk back at her truck, she climbs back into the cab, ready to set off the start line with her chosen partner for the trip.

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Team Gizzle; Chapter 0.5

After the ultimatum and the initial shock, zack has accepted his destiny in dragging Jayson along the trip. He definitly knew what he’ll be used for. (Not as a makeshift replacement for the missing radio.)

Z: Okay, Okay Boss… Deal!

Zack and the Boss shake hands

Z: We’ll meet in a few days
G: Those 250 bucks will be taken from your salary!

Zack does not really care and walks over to Jay, who currently is repurposing a muffler into a microphone.

J: Jo Yo Zacki Blacky hold his head no woman he had in bed. He was alone last night… boom Jayz is always right.

Zack takes said muffler, bends it and angrily eyes down Jayson.

Z: Listen up, George forced me to take you to what i talked about last week aand… [shudders] it’s good to have some music…
J: I’m 'ya man, bro. YA MAN!
Z: 10 minutes. Meepup at the karting track. I’ll pack up some stuff.
J: Yo bro see ya there. But ya’ll not my Pa…

Two hours and a few laps later they are gathered in the pits to to think eveything through again and crease a list of potentially useful parts to load up.
In this, Zack is theorizing about why the car could be using that much oil.


@VicVictory if possible, can you give me some info on the oil consumption think in DM’s?

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Team Treadkillers - Prolog


1:35 pm Seattle Airport


2 men mostly clothed in HipHop style clothes leave the airplane bridge.

The wider man of them both breaks the silence: “Ich hasse diese Flüge… Wir waren grad für 12 Stunden unterwegs aber es ist immer noch Mittag.” (“I hate these flights… we were just on a plane for 12 hours and it is still Midday”)

“Du musst das so sehen Thomas,” The other more pale and fairly thin person says “Immerhin haben wir jetzt noch den ganzen Tag vor uns!” “You gotta see it in another way, we still got the whole day”

“Du Jungsprung sagst das so einfach. Ich bin fast 40. Da macht man nicht so einfach 24 Stunden durch. Nicht mehr” (“You young volk say that so easy. I am going to be 40 soon. I can’t stay awake for 24h anymore”)

“Okay Oldtimer. Wie wärs wenn wir dann unsere Koffer holen, den Wagen und dann ein nettes Hotel mit Swimming Pool suchen?” (Alrighty Oldtimer. How about this: We get your stuff and the cars and then go to a nice hotel with pool?"

“WEN nennst du hier Oldtimer Fynn! Aber ja… Das wäre doch schön… Vielleicht sogar eins mit Sauna.” (“Whomst are you calling oldtimer Fynn! But yes… That does sounds nice… Maybe it even has a sauna:”

“Aber bevor wir irgendwas machen sollten wir uns ein Taxi oder so holen” But before we do anything we should call a Taxi."

“OH! Ich weiß wie. Ich frag mal einfach an der Rezeption da”, Thomas says as he steps away fastly “Oh i know i just gonna ask for one at the desk”

“UM Thomas, wo gehst du hin, du und English sind doch…” “UMMM Thomas were you going you and your english are too diffrent…”

But without missing a step Thomas power walks to the desk, were a woman in her 30's was seated

“Hi! Ich wüsste gerne wo ich die Taxen finde?”, Thomas starts with “Hi! I would like to know where i can find the taxi’s?”

With a confused look the woman looks at Thomas

“Exuse me?”

“Oh Ja nartürlich. Entschuldigung…” Thomas clears his throat: “WISSEN. SIE. WO. DIE. TAXEN. SIND?!”
Oh of course sorry. DO.YOU.KNOW.WHERE.THE.TAXI’S.ARE!?"

Fynn slides inbetween the two.

“Oh god Sorry. Please um exuse my uuummmm comrade. He is not speaking good this speech. He is umm asking where the Taxi’s are at”

“Oh they are just right out the door there.”

“Thanks”

Quickly Fynn pushes Thomas out the great hall to the taxi's

“Vielleicht überlässt du mir das reden okay? Jetzt lass uns das Auto holen” ("Maybe i should do the talking, now lets get the car.

Both get into a taxi and head of the port to receive the car they shipped over just for the Rally.

grafik

It takes both of them some time to get there. The traffic is dense but at least both enjoy the view out the car. While Fynn is filming material for a Video later, Thomas is texting the other TreadKillers to inform them of their arrival.

When they finally get out the taxi, they grab their suitcases and head on the port cargo aera.

“Und du bist dir sicher der Wagen ist schon hier?” Fynn asks (“And you are sure the car is already here?”)

“Yep. Die anderen Jungs sagen es soll Container 261-ADE sein” (“Yeap. The other guys says it should be container 261-ADE”

Row after Row, container after container. It takes them a while but finally they got it. Container 261-ADE. Both of the men put their stuff the aside and open the metal box and roll out the car on the forign ground.

“Sieht so aus als hättes es Tim’s Auto überstanden!” says Thomas with joy. “Looks like Tim’s car survived the journey”

“Naja… Da ist schon ne kleine Pfütze dort auf dem Boden…” (“I mean there is a small puddle there”)

“Ach Passt. Im schlimmsten Fall habe ich alles was wir brauchen im Auto.”(“Eh. Whatever. We got everything we need to repair that in the car.”)

“Auch eine neue Scheibe?”(“Even a new Window?”)

“Vielleich finden wir ja eine?”(“Maybe we find one?”)

“Toll…” (“Great”)

As Soon as they stuff their bags into the car, both of them enter the car and start the engine for the first time in weeks. The starter needs some extra turns, but soon the engine cranks and the massiv turbo stats spooiling up. Slowly the cars starts moving, creaking and making noises as all the parts get awaken again. Soon they turn out the port and head for a Hotel.

Team Treadkillers - Day 0

grafik

Both the TreadKillers didnt even get to enjoy the hotel’s entertainment yesterday, as soon as they arrived they fell in the beds. It might be only 4pm but it felt like 4 am. The jetlag is gonna be tricky.

After a quick snooze, both woke up again around 11pm. Maybe it was the new air or just their weird sleeping shedule, but they were both fully awake and ready that night.

While they waited for the checkout Thomas did last adjustments and checks on the car and Fynn got his video equipment ready. Shortly after the checkout they head their car and pull out the garage which was mostly filled with high-end Rigores and Bonhams.

After some time the car pulls to the starting line and parks next to the other cars. Thomas stays with the car while Fynn goes to the registration.


Lets see how long it takes for this BOOOOST machine to explode. Thanks again to @MGR_99 for the car

7 Likes

Team Tiger Trouble

Team Information
Pre-Meeting Part Two


The three members of Team Tiger Trouble were in Seattle, Washington, by a sheer stroke of good luck. While Kayden waited back in the hotel, Kaylie and Jaden were on a mission of their own: getting some more “normal” clothes for the trip.

By the time they returned to the hotel, the two Tigrilans had been spotted in a half dozen different stores, and had collected a good selection of human clothing that fit the two of them. Kaylie now had on a pair of shorts that would have been long if it wasn’t for her being over six feet tall, and a shirt that left her midriff rather bare. Jaden, on the other hand, had gone for carpenter’s shorts and a t-shirt that fit a little loosely, with a print of the Grim Reaper on it.

“We couldn’t find anything in your size, Kayden.” Jaden said. Kayden shrugged, then replied, “That’s fine, actually. I have my robe, and the weather here isn’t so hot that I can’t wear it comfortably.”

“I don’t suppose we can convince you to leave the sword in the trunk?” Kaylie asked, already aware of her twin brother’s answer.

“No, I won’t leave it out of my reach. Warrior’s Rules, but you already knew that.” Kayden said, before getting into his black robe. He pulled the leather belt across the waist tight, then slipped the shoulder harness of his sword over his head and tightened the straps into place. A quick check of the blade, a sharp katana, and Kayden was satisfied with what he was wearing.

“So, Jade, we should probably get some food before Kayden gets hungry again. We both know what it’s like.” Kaylie commented, and Jaden nodded.

“It’s worse for him than it is for us. He’s a Warrior, they’ve got nanites in their blood for improved healing, but they need more energy to maintain that. But, if there’s one thing the humans did way right, it’s this “fast food” stuff.” Jaden said, before turning to Kayden to continue, “Come with us, there’s a place not far from here, they sell something called a “hamburger” and it’s actually rather good. I’ve already had three today.”

Kayden nodded lightly, then followed his smaller siblings out of the hotel room and to the local burger place, where the three of them packed away 14 burgers between them.

After their feast on burgers, they checked over the Traville one more time, before waiting for the information on where everyone was to meet up. While waiting, they made a plan for how to handle the driving thing.

“Kayden has to be in one of the two front seats, he won’t fit in the back. Right now, he has the most practical experience with this transport vehicle, while all the two of us have is simulation time. Makes sense to me that he goes first. I’ll take second, so that means you go third, Jade.” Kaylie explained.

“Works out for me, Kaylie.” Jaden said, and Kayden nodded. “A good plan.” Kayden added, before the three of them got into the Sinistra Traville, with Kayden in the driver’s seat, Jaden in the passenger’s seat, and Kaylie in the rear bench sea, waiting for the call with the information on where and when to meet up with the other teams.

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Team Rolling Star: Intoduction/Prologue

Team members:

Marshall Adams. 20 years old, born and raised backyard mechanic. Been working on cars alongside his dad since he was 10. And a recent newcomer to the autocross and rallycross scene.

Zach Lau. 20 years old. Marshall’s close friend. Been a driving enthusiast from day one, having gone from racing go-karts to autocrossing and tearing up back roads in his little Toyota Echo. Recently started learning more in-depth auto maintenance for himself.

Both Marshall and Zach have been itching to broaden their horizons with cars. And upon hearing news of the event, they thought it was a good chance to test themselves.

Zach: So an endurance rally with a focus on toys in mind. Maybe we czn find a sports car for cheap.

Marshall: Everyone’s gonna think of that. I say we grab a truck.

Zach: You know I don’t have much experience with trucks.

Marshall: We’re here to learn, right? Besides, I’ve wanted one for a while.

Zach: Alright. Let’s see what we have.

Several hours of Craigslist browsing later…

Marshall: I think I found something good.

The car:

A 1987 DMV Ogre 2.2 LS. 2.2L 4 cylinder with throttle body fuel injection, 4x4, 5 speed manual. Almost completely rust free.


Zach: $500. What’s the catch?

Marshall: It is a bit rough. 248,000 miles, many of which had it offroad. Plus it has some sort of overheating issue.

Zach: Hmm…

Marshall: It’s mostly highway. We’ll be fine. Plus we can just grab some spare coolant and parts anyway.

The car checks out and the 2 begin preparing for the long drive ahead.

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DAY 0: The beginning of Traggiogio's Bizarre Adventure: Shitbox Crusaders!

YURI awakens early, still jet lagged and concerned, but also only in underwear, for most likely fanservice reasons.

YURI: “W-What? Hello?” she says concernedly. She gets back to lying down in bed.

Later, an alarm clock rings. They all wake up. YURI gets clothed in preparation for breakfast, prepared by DAVE later. The breakfast is consumed and they all proceed to prepare themselves, ready to leave house and take a trip in the van.

DAVE: “Are you all feeling ready to spend a long time in a van? I also packed a notebook computer so we could watch some of the anime…”

*They make their way to the van."

DAVE: “This van… has a history. Originally it was owned by an American offshoot of the Japanese demolition company “Megumin Break Industries”, but when the CEO was arrested for embezzlement the company was liquidated, and this van was the cheapest one they had on the auction. The van was used for some rather intensive driving conditions, which no doubt had a large impact on the chassis and the body, so we are keeping a good eye on the chassis. Haruki, you can weld right?”

HARUKI: “Yeah, I know how to weld quite well.”

DAVE: “Good, we packed a welder and some sheet metal just in case. Also, we changed the brakes recently, to vented aftermarket rotors and higher performance brake pads from a reputable company, and also changed the tyres to new Goodstone Economaxx from the old Fujisaki Vanzas which were obsolete and showing their age. Engine parts should be easy to get hold of, the engines in this were loosely based on an older Japanese design from Konosubaru, and were relatively common engines. We packed some spare fluids, some fuel and some parts, just to be sure. After all, it can’t be that bad seeing as it’s just a Korean built Konosubaru!”

HARUKI: “I’ll take a look underneath, see the chassis condition.”

HARUKI inspects under the car, noticing some corrosion that is likely going to have a structural impact.

HARUKI: “I’d be careful, there is some structural rust on the chassis. Drive carefully and don’t stress the chassis too much, if the corroded part snaps it may drastically affect handling!”

DAVE: “Got it. We should be all ready. Haruki, get the van running while the girls finish getting ready.”

HARUKI: “Ok.”

HARUKI switches on the engine glow plugs before starting. The girls make their way out the front door soon, and DAVE locks the house and garage doors.

EMILY: “I cannot wait!”

YURI remains to look tired, and soon HARUKI cranks the engine, with the same racket and smoke as before. It fires up, with a noticeable cloud of soot. HARUKI then switches to seat FRONT PASSENGER, and the girls go to REAR PASSENGER seats, as DAVE assumes the DRIVER SEAT.

DAVE: “Everyone buckled up?”

The others confirm they are belted, then DAVE inserts the AUX cord connected to his phone, to play the theme of “NIHON BUREIKU KOUGYOU”.

NBK Theme

- YouTube

The van clatters off into the distance, the soot having cleared by now.

YURI: “Could be worse…” as the van bounces over a speed bump.

Soon, they arrive at the starting point, as Dave lives in Seattle, it was a reasonably quick trip. They notice the many diverse vehicles there, ranging from sporty saloon cars, to even a tractor-type truck.

EMILY: “Some people really went all out. I mean somebody brought over a lorry!”

YURI: “I-I hope they do not crash our van…”

EMILY: “I think you watched too much isekai anime, I don’t think a truck is going to fly out of nowhere and crash into us.”

YURI: “O-ok…”

[SPACE RESERVED FOR INTERACTION]

6 Likes

I was intimidated by the ruleset, but now that submissions are closed I regret not entering. Looking forward to seeing how this goes so that I’m not afraid the next time one comes along!

3 Likes

OK, here is the official entrant and team list (which has replaced the entrant list in the OP for easy cross-reference). I’ll be posting the launch sometime over the next 12 hours, and updates will occur every 24-48 hours after that, depending on my schedule.

11 Likes

Driver’s meeting

Day 1, Friday, shortly before 12pm EST

The motley crew of competitors huddled in a semicircle around what would otherwise be a nondescript concrete pillar near the far end of the short-term parking garage of SeaTac International Airport. Gray, with a purple square painted with a large white letter “W”. The kind of place you’d easily forget your car after dealing with the hustle and bustle of shuttling to and fro.

A little less forgettable with a sharply-dressed, portly man with salt-and-pepper hair standing in front, an impish grin on his face.

“I see that our little challenge has brought out quite the range of people and cars,” he began. “This is excellent. Now let’s see if man and rusty metal have the mettle it takes. Welcome unto the breach, Once More, dear friends.”

He swept his hand in a wide arc in the air. Only a couple seconds later, there was a flood of notification dings and buzzes, coming from the mobile devices of the contestants.

“Your progress will be tracked. You will be required to stop at each set of the following GPS coordinates. Now, if that weren’t enough, we’ve got a little extra… task for you. Each vehicle will have a small package on the driver’s seat when you return to them. You are to take this to the final destination, but not open it without express permission from an event organizer. So… do you think you can last? It’s time to find out…”


List of Waypoints:
Vantage Bridge, Vantage, WA
Lookout Pass, Idaho-Montana Border
Gallatin County Fairgrounds, Bozeman, MT
Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum, Sturgis, SD
Red Cloud Park, La Crosse, WI
Toledo Ironworks Heritage Museum, Toledo, OH
Niagara Falls, Buffalo, NY
New York State Museum, Albany, NY

Final Destination: Logan Airport, Boston, MA

Please note - The Toledo Ironworks waypoint is fictional IRL, but lore for Ardent Motors on Automation


Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: I will NOT be pre-warning of upcoming POI points. I will ONLY auto-stop teams for two things: fuel and, when completely exhausted, rest. Anything else you want (including tourist POI, restaurants, premature fuel, rest at any point before complete exhaustion), YOU need to PM me in advance (before I run the time block that you’d complete it in). Also, please don’t map out everything from here to the end in one PM… try to keep it within a couple time blocks. Remember: Tourist POI and sit-down restaurants (not fast food) give bonuses to morale and fatigue, but take some time. Tourist POI also give points to the POI award at the end.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading on the vehicle’s fuel gauge.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Weather Condition: Current weather condition at the end of the time block.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, 12PM - 2PM

VicVictory:
BD: 59 mi OD: 59 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage Bridge
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction

@SyberRacer :
BD: 63 mi OD: 63 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage Bridge
Weather Condition:62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Elizipeazie:
BD: 60 mi OD: 60 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Currently in minor construction delay after the pass.

@Fayeding_Spray:
BD: 62 mi OD: 62 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition:62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@BannedByAndroid:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition:62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Vehicle is making a clunking noise from the front going over bumpy roads. The construction really made it noticeable.

@kobacrashi:
BD: 62 mi OD: 62 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: 0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Madrias:
BD: 65 mi OD: 65 mi FS: 3/4- MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@yangx2:
BD: 63 mi OD: 63 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@mart1n2005:
BD: 60 mi OD: 60 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Currently in minor construction delay after the pass.

@Kubboz:
BD: 57 mi OD: 57 mi FS: 2/3 MRL: -4 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.
INCIDENT: vehicle departed the roadway slowing down for the construction delay and hit a guard rail with the left side of the vehicle. Damage: LF headlight, marker, and fender damage, potential suspension and tire damage. Vehicle is driveable and on the road again after a short delay. No injuries.

@Mikonp7:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Centurion_23:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: 0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Xepy:
BD: 63 mi OD: 63 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Private_Miros:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Boiled_Steak:
BD: 58 mi OD: 58 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

GetWrekt01:
BD: 64 mi OD: 64 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Mythrin:
BD: 66 mi OD: 66 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Ryan93:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@abg7:
BD: 60 mi OD: 60 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Currently in minor construction delay beyond the pass.

@Radster:
BD: 59 mi OD: 59 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@SkylineFTW97:
BD: 59 mi OD: 59 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +1
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@findRED19:
BD: 61 mi OD: 61 mi FS: 2/3 MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Jaimz:
BD: 59 mi OD: 59 mi FS: 3/4 MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Car has a squeak and slight lateral shift of the rear going over bigger bumps. In the construction zone, a rock was kicked up into the windshield, creating a large ding/small crack.

@Caligo:
BD: 62 mi OD: 62 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +2
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Minor delays on I-90 East after Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Aaron.W:
BD: 59 mi OD: 59 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction.

@Keikyun:
BD: 60 mi OD: 60 mi FS: 3/4+ MRL: -1 FTG: +0
Last Town: North Bend, WA Next Waypoint: Vantage, WA
Weather Condition: 62 degrees, mostly sunny
Notes: Heavy traffic on I-405 North. Long stop-and-go delays on I-90 East before Snoqualmie Pass due to construction. Currently in a minor construction slowdown after the pass.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:
59 mi - Keystone, Radster, DMV, Franklin, Tanaka
60 mi - Anhulz, Courageaux, GEC, Kiaqua
61 mi - Hessenburg, Zetas, Straker, Ardent, Kadett, Torg
62 mi - Strig, Reduit, Menderson
63 mi - VHI, Guangzhou, Kuma

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.


Team Greasy Lightning

(will open RP with other teams via CB, starting with the following line, said during the stop-and-go traffic before the pass. Feel free to reply, and pass it back for more… I gotta take a break for a few hours)

Fuzz: “SO, who else here just loves sitting around, inhaling exhaust, and doing nothing?”


8 Likes

Team “Buy Skyrim”

VINCENT: Anyone’s hating the goddamn traffic in I-405?

NAOMI (Driver): Nah, not me. New York has worse.

FUZZ: (See above)

NAOMI: (Replies to Fuzz by CB) Overall, I’m not the kind of girl that does this, but the car I drove does has some issues tho, the front is fucking problematic. It’s fine right now, but I’m still worried anyway.

VINCENT: Well, don’t worry, I think this car will still work for the journey, I mean, Uncle Big Nate told us that he fixed it, so it wouldn’t have any issues.

NAOMI: I wish, but I sense there’s worse. I hope we don’t lose this round either.

NATHAN: Cheer up, girl, there’s nothing really to worry about. It’s just you being pessimistic.

NAOMI: Fine. (looks at Nathan) Also don’t tell Dad and Mom about this, promise? I just don’t want to be grounded.

NATHAN: You’re an adult now, I don’t think your parents will really treat you as a child either. Besides that…

NAOMI: Stop talking about these shit please?

NATHAN: Kay. I’ll stop talking, and I won’t tell your parents about it either. Deal?

NAOMI: Deal.

NAOMI (Via CB): Anyone who is still stuck in the jam, will you want some Skyrim later if we have a rest period on?

(Note: bold messages indicates a CB message, but that’s only limited to my posts)


5 Likes

Team Rockport

Zack: Ride’s a bit bumpy due to stiff suspensions. Thank god we reinforced the DIPC joints, nuts and bolts and shit.
Leo: Yeah let’s not talk about how we had to use Paper Sheets to stop our intakes from clogging up.
Zack: Yeah you did a good job on that. Gotta thank @ST1Letho for this tip though.
Leo: You rewired the electronics and cleaned the headers though right?
Zack: I did and surely if the writer of our story was a bit more active, others would’ve known that by now. :kappa:


Hears Fuzz’s message
Leo: Leo and Zack from Rockport. Yeah we wouldn’t love that either really. At least our interior is intact so we’re safe… For now.
Zack: Sheesh stop acting like this is a shitbox, Leo. It’s supposed to be good.

3 Likes

Team Beer Blokes & BBQs

Sam: Man this traffic is shocking, I don’t think we’ve moved 100 yards in the last 15 minutes.
Mike: Too right, the speakers aren’t doing much to drown out the noise of this thing either, that straight pipe is horrible.
Tom: Cheer up, at least we’re not sitting in Calc 2 class right now.
M: Honestly Tom, I’d rather be sitting in a nice quiet classroom doing Calc at this point.
Fuzz (CB): as above
S (CB): Oh it’s just lovely isn’t it, I think I’m starting to go deaf from the noise of this thing, curse the guy who straight piped it.
M: You know, I gave you the option to put a muffler on it but you declined, “She’ll be right” I think were your exact words?
T: He’s got a point Sam.
S: (defeated) Shut up.
Naomi (CB): as above
M (CB): Nah we’re good, gotta keep moving, thanks for the offer though.

And with that, Mike cranked up the volume on the head unit, hoping to drown out the noise of the loud v6 that seemed to echo all around them, and they continued to wait for this damn traffic to ease up.

6 Likes

Team Trinity

Prologue

Matthew had driven his old Silver York to Seattle a week ago. In the meantime he had sold the malaise classic to a dealership and rented a smokers room in the Marco Polo Motel in Fremont.
Motels had been his living place for the last couple of years, but they still reminded him of road tripping on holidays with his ex-wife early in their marriage, before the kids. The kids, in their early 20s now, who he occasionally heard - it could be more, but despite the high tech equipment he had worked on, he wasn’t a fan of social media, smartphones and the like - were studying in Albuquerque.

John and Alice had arrive in Seattle a few days ago. He had met them for dinner twice already. They were staying in the Hyatt downtown; the Ardent raising a few eyebrows, considering the state it was in. Also raising a few eyebrows with the hotel staff - and with Matthew, was the tomcat on a leash that John had with him. Ivy Mike was the puss’ name. It was not discussed that Ivy Mike would follow Trinity. It was not part of the Manhattan Project. Matthew considered Ivy Mike of a very different scale altogether - Matthew was unsure now he was still thinking about cats. Regardless, the cat was tagging along, this much was clear.

Day 1 - Seattle - Driver Meeting

Alice and Ivy Mike remained in the car. John had advised to Matthew to not show all their cards to the other teams so soon. Matthew presumed he was talking about Alice, not about the cat.

Matthew looked at the salesman-like representative of the organization of ‘Once More’ and listed to the explanation, receiving a list of GPS coordinates. John, in the meantime, checked out the other contestants. They were, as the salt-and-pepper haired event representative stated, quite the range of people. It did not tool long though to spot the mission targets.

Returning to the car, Alice and Ivy Mike - entangled on the ground in his leash - were out of the car. Instructed by someone from the organization. In the car was, as announced, a package on the seat. John smiled mystically. Matthew shrugged and took it to the trunk, finding a spot where it would fit in without being mashed too badly. They took a lot of cat food and some other useful stuff. Alice and John were having a silent and solemn conversation. It looked like a discreet professional meeting to Matthew. He wondered if his team mates were a good choice already and they hadn’t even left yet.

Day 1: The Start

I’ll prefer it when we are on the open road.

Matthew’s words hung still in the car. The Ardent ran smooth and silent still, despite its issues. He did not like driving in cities.

You should see the traffic in New York.

An expected reaction from Alice. John had Ivy Mike on his lap and was stroking his head. The purr of the cat louder than the whirr of the car.

I wonder what is in the package.

That was probably what each of them would have said if they though aloud. Although, Matthew suspected John knew more about this. John always had his sources.


Open road was only briefly an improvement. With heavy traffic and start-stop traffic before Snoqualmie Pass, driving was less than fun.

Matthew smiled as the CB crackled and Fuzz from Team Greasy Lightning came through. He had taken a liking to Fuzz. He reminded him of some of the young military personnel at White Sands back in the days. Looking official but often giddy with excitement - before the boredom of being in the middle of the New Mexico desert caught up.

Alice in the meantime was identifying the competiting cars that she spotted in the traffic jam, each correct identification greeted by an approving grunt from John. As if this was a post-briefing test.

The game fanatics in that German Sedan.

Uhu.

You never played games Alice? You are young enough.

I never found the time for it.


Purrr


Well, that’s the Straker Overlander of Mike, Tom and Sam. They must be about my age. I’m unsure if that Zetas is also in the competition. It appears like it. But not sure what team that is.

When one is unsure, one must dig deeper.

The first words of John since the start it seemed. Ivy Mike considered that the cue to jump of his lap and settle on the shelf behind the back seats - covered in soft, plushy Ardent fabric.

10 Likes

TEAM COYOTE JIM


Shortly after the start of the race.

The good old Radster 1.6 “group A” wailed happily along the highway, finally able to stretch its legs a bit after being stuck for a while behind traffic. At least they’d burn some of that buildup by revving it a bit; Coyote Jim, being the codriver at the moment, placed a cassette inside the cassette player which was surprisingly still working, now playing A Horse with no Name by America.

Coyote Jim: Well so much for a race. This seems to be calm for the most part.

Coyote Jim’s voice was deep, masculine, but not overly so; it still showed some remnants of youth in it. Clutch Kick’s was, on the other hand, a higher pitched voice, androginous. They didn’t even take their eyes off the road, paying full attention to avoiding a car that was hogging the left lane.

Clutch Kick: Eh, just give it time. We’ve just started. If everyone went all out from the very beginning I’d be surprised someone even made it to the end. Hang on…

Clutch Kick took a quick glance at their rear view mirror, showing RK Series Racing’s Anhultz Dione fast approaching. CK dropped a gear and tried to prevent them from outrunning, starting a short dogfight. The Dione had the advantage in power, however, so it didn’t take long before their team found a chance to give it some gas and disappear.

Clutch Kick: Fucks sake…we’re one place down now.

Coyote Jim: It’s okay, keep at it. We’ll get our place back.

The Radster disappears in the horizon for the first time…will team Coyote Jim make up all lost time? Or will they be pushed to the back pack?


@Elizipeazie and so it begins :smirk:

8 Likes

Team Tiger Trouble

Previous Post


Kayden growled as they left the starting area and almost immediately got stuck in construction traffic. Kaylie and Jaden were busy with sampling a bag of beef jerky when Kayden’s wrist computer lit up. Nova, the resident AI, informed them, “I’m picking up radio chatter matching the voice profile of one of our fellow competitors. I’ve tuned in and cleaned up the message.”

“So, who else here just loves sitting around, inhaling exhaust, and doing nothing?” Fuzz asked over the radio.

Kayden growled again, before Kaylie grabbed the handheld wireless tablet part of the computer off of Kayden’s right arm, pressed her thumb onto the screen, and replied “Good Hunting to you. We seem to be doing well enough, but this traffic, it is not fun at all.” Her voice had a slight hint of a growl to it, and Kayden’s growls of annoyance could be heard in the background. Kaylie held the button down just in time to catch Kayden’s half-growled “I could get out and run faster than this.”

Jade laughed as Kayden smacked the steering wheel when another car cut just in front of him, then stepped on the brakes. Kaylie, again, pushed the button on their radio and transmitted several harsh words in their native language, before asking, “Is this what you humans call ‘road rage,’ because if it is, my brother is really getting into it.”

Jade grabbed the handheld before Kaylie could continue to hold the airwaves hostage, and was just in time to catch Naomi’s message of, “Anyone who is still stuck in the jam, will you want some Skyrim later if we have a rest period on?”

Jaden looked at Kayden, then Kaylie, before realizing none of the three Tigrilans knew what a Skyrim was. “Nova, can you help us out? We need to know what this team asked about.”

Nova replied almost instantly with, “Skyrim is a video simulation, a form of computer entertainment. It takes the form of a fantasy role-playing game, with magic and quests. It appears that it is quite popular.”

Kayden grabbed the handheld, then responded to Naomi with, “If we cross paths, then, yes, we will join you to try this ‘Skyrim’ that you spoke of.” Compared to Kaylie, who only had a little bit of a growl to her voice, Kayden practically growled each word out.

When the car in front of them piled on the brakes again, Jaden told Kayden, “It’s not worth losing your temper over a bit of traffic. We’ll get through this eventually.”

“It would be easier if I had a plasma cannon.” Kayden replied.

6 Likes

Zack hears a hint of the song playing in Jim’s car through the radio message
Zack: Yooo dude! San Andreas memories. You’re making us nostalgic!

4 Likes

Team “Buy Skyrim”

Still, thanks to the horrendous traffic in the highway the car is still stuck. And for worse, the clunking sound from the front of the car have gotten much louder. Naomi then immediately turn on the radio, trying to cover the clunking sound.

RADIO: plays Old Town Road by Lil’ Nas X

NATHAN: Bruh. I ain’t listening to shit like these. closes radio I much rather listen to the annoying sound of the front.

VINCENT: sees a Radster Wow, look at that Radster Group A (by Team Coyote Jim), It’s pretty cool.

NATHAN: That’s a goddamn replica. Nobody’s caring about making real ones road legal since they probably cost more than your private jet. Also can’t…

At the same time, Naomi saw some weird looking guys on a Sinistra.

NAOMI: I think we have seen something really…special. Todd Howard have just become CEO of Bethesda, as we all know. I think they are planning a goddamn widespread marketing campaign for the upcoming The Elder Scrolls VI.

NATHAN: How the fuck did you know it’s Todd’s doing, Naomi?

NAOMI: I don’t know, but if it isn’t, why this Sinistra Traville near us is filled with some guys dressing as tiger Khajiits driving? There’s no way we could find out man. But anyway, let’s move on, shall we?

Meanwhile, A black Torg Limo (@findRED19) has overtook their Hessenburg. Seeing this, Naomi became a little bit pissed off.

NAOMI: Oh shit, we’re outrunned by a limousine. In a goddamn road.

VINCENT: Oh wait, is that the guys from Pit Stop USA, that Youtube channel?

NAOMI: What Pit Stop USA? I don’t know what are you all mentioning. All we know is we’re in the worst on luck, and now some cheap-ass limo just beat the shit out of us. We’re losing, pardon.

VINCENT: Erm…Naomi. Really. I think we need to talk about you later, shall we?


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Team Rockport

Leo: This traffic ain’t goin’ nowhere dude, what the fuck?
Zack: I have no idea. Let me listen to Hold the Line and chill a bit.
Leo: You can chill out if you want, I’mma get some food, there’s a drive by right there. I’ll get some NUMBA 9S AND NUMBA 7S
Yells at the radio Yo does anybody want some food?
Zack: Jesus fucking Christ Leo. shrug

Prequel incoming for my team as I missed Day 0 and Day 1 intro

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