27 - Kill the lights, and drop the flag: its go time Bitch

~Brooks~

As she sat at the microwave: watching the bowl spin, Brooks glanced over her shoulder as hooves alerted her of Stone. Brooks nodded to Stone as the teen began rummaging through the cupboard nearby, turning to check the microwave before doing a double take at what the teen was wearing.

Brooks raised an eyebrow: It almost looked like Stone was wearing racing gear, it being similar to that in movies. The faun must have noticed Brooks watching her since her head popped up from under the counter “Everything good?”  Brooks blinked before turning as the microwave beeped “Oh, yeah just wondering about what you’re wearing”

Stone chuckled, sitting back on her heels “Oh yeah, I got a race in like an hour” Brooks tilted her head, completely confused “Race? What race?” Stone stood, a packet of ramen in her hand “Oh right! it was Willow that was there last time” Stone opened the noodles as she continued “Anyway, I street-race, hence the outfit”

“Isn’t it, kinda -” Brooks began, setting down her bowl before Stone cut her off “Illegal? Only if you get caught” as the two sat, Stone pulled a set of keys out of her pocket “You should come, West and some of the others are” Brooks shrugged glancing up from her food “Where even is it?”  the teen smirked, a spark in her eyes “the others know, just hitch a ride with them”

~Stone~

As she finished eating she stood, bringing the bowl to the counter “Anyways I gotta head out, I’ll see ya later” Brooks gave a thumbs up as Stone made her out of the staff room, and down the hall. Stone made her way over to the car she used in her races, unlocking the doors and starting it. “Ready for another win under our belt?” She asked open air as she pulled out of the parkade, and on to the main road.

After a short ride, Stone pulled into the alley. She gleaned in the rear mirror just in time to see West and the other’s pull up behind her, and as they pulled up beside her Stone rolled the window down  as did West “See where most of the cars are parked? Just drop the car off there and meet me by mine”

“Alright, will do”  West stated as Stone drove towards the racers’ stations, parking the car and heading over to Jackdaw to sign in “What up Hell-Fire?”  Jackdaw asked as Stone checked over the list and added her name and bets where needed “Not much, pumped for this one” Once she was finished with the sheet she glanced up at Jackdaw “So who am I racing this round?”  “You’ll be racing the rookie who won against Axel”

Stone gave Jackdaw an unimpressed look, eyebrows raised “You mean the arrogant little shit who thinks he owns the alley?” Jackdaw gave a apologetic grin “I know, I don’t like him either but he specifically requested to race against you”  She sighed and adjusted her gloves “Whatever, thanks anyways”

~Brooks~

She glanced around the dimly lit alley, realizing Stone heading towards them. “I see y’all managed to find your way here” the teen teased, a smug smirk plastered across her face as she reached them. Before anyone could respond a new voice joined the conversation “Well, If it isn’t Hell-Fire” They turned to see a guy who looked roughly Willow’s age striding towards them, a cocky attitude radiating from him.

“Well if it isn’t the rookie” Stone replied, dislike and disapproval clear in her voice. “Who’s this?” Brooks asked turning back towards Stone “I’m Bur-” Stone cut him off, a look of annoyance on the teen’s face “You’re the rookie, not whatever nickname you’ve given yourself”

Brooks watched as Stone took a step toward the other racer, head held high “because around here, nicknames are earned and given to you by the others, not one you gave yourself” the ‘rookie’ looked Stone up and down before replying “oh yeah? Well then what about yours, hm?”

“I’ve earnt my name, and I’ve also been here a lot longer than you have hotshot” the two racers were now only inches away from each other’s faces “So get that through your thick fucking skull”

~West~

She watched as Stone and the other racer continued to face each other, tension growing the longer they stood. Eventually the rookie backed off “Whatever, we’ll see who’s the fan favorite”  Stone laughed loudly at this, drawing the attention of another racer nearby “No one here fucking likes you bro” Stone counter as the nearby racer made their way towards them “What’s going on over here Hell-Fire?”

West recognized the third racer from the last time they were here: It was the guy Stone had raced against before. “Oh hey Harley, just the rookie thinking anyone here actually likes him” West chimed in “isn’t that a little, i don’t know; Rude?” Harley glanced over at her “nah it’s true,  none of the other racers like him because he acts like he owns the place” Harley than turned to face the rookie “when in reality, he’s only still here because as per the rules of the alley, we have to allowed all to race”

The rookie rolled his eyes before storming off, heading towards a group of other racers. West glanced at the car Stone had come in “So are you two racing against each other again?” Stone shook her head “nah, I’m actually racing the rookie” Harley chuckled, placing a hand on Stone’s shoulder “Eh don’t worry man, you’ll wipe the floor with him” Stone smirked “Oh I know, he was nearly beat by Axel of all people, and I like Axel but we gotta admit that he’s the slowest racer here” West saw Harley nod “Well anyways, good luck tonight”  he stated as he made his back towards his group.

~Stone~

As Harley walked away, a voice rang out in the alley “Alright, would Hell-Fire and the rookie please make their way to the start, also Hell-Fire it’s your pick tonight for who does the flag drop” Stone smirked upon hearing this and turned toward Michael “Go up to Jackdaw, and let him know you’ll do the flag drop”

Michael’s eyes widened as he took a step back “m-ME?! Doesn’t that mean standing in between the cars?!”  Stone laughed, slightly enjoying Michael’s panic “Don’t worry, it’s only for my race and plus Jackdaw will show you where to stand”  Michael sighed “alright, but you owe me”

Stone rolled her eyes as she stepped into her car, starting the engine “well see you guys after the race” She called out the window as she made her way towards the start.

~Michael~

He made his way up to the guy at the desk, weaving through racers “Hey, is there something you need?” Jackdaw asked, as Michael reached the stand “Hey um, Hell-Fire said she wanted me to do the flag drop” Jackdaw raised an eyebrow “Oh course she’d pick one of you” Jackdaw stood, grabbing the cloth on the desk “Alright come on, I’ll show you what ya gotta do” Michael nodded as he was led towards the cars.

“Okay so alright you’re gonna do is: when you hear three beeps, dropped your arm quickly” Jackdaw stated as he passed Michael the cloth “and what about after that” Michael asked as he made eye contact with Stone in the car “Don’t and I repeat don’t move until the racers have gone past”  Michael nodded as Jackdaw walked away.

Michael’s heart pounded in his chest as Stone and the other racer revved the engines of their cars, and seconds later a series of three beeps were heard from somewhere in the alley.

As soon as Michael heard the third beep he dropped his arm, a cheer erupting from the crowd as the racers darted past him. A gust of wind nearly knocked Michael over as the cars rushed off down the track.

~Stone~

The second she saw Michael drop the flag, Stone slammed her hoof down on the gas feeling the car jerk forward as she did. Adrenaline began coursing through her blood as her and the rookie fought for an early lead, the rookie nearly colliding with a curb as they sped around a corner. Stone laughed as she saw the rookie’s car nearly flip after he tried to use a sidewalk to gain lead, mild panic clear on his face.

She turned the wheel sharply, forcing her car into a drift as she pulled far ahead of the rookie. Stone quickly glanced down as the radio crackled “Yo Racers, heads up, Police reported along the east side of the route so just look out” Jackdaw’s voice came over the radio “State that you’ve heard” Stone reached over grabbing the radio “Copy that, Jackdaw”

“Rookie, do you copy?” Jackdaw called out, there was no response “Rookie, I repeat: Do you copy?” yet again no reply, Stone sighed and spoke into the radio “Yo shit for brains, if you don’t answer, you’re gonna be disqualified from the race” it was only after this, did the rookie finally respond “okay, whatever, yes I heard you”

She rolled her eyes as she taunted the rookie “See! That wasn’t that hard, now was it?” a smirk formed on Stone’s face as the rookie snapped “Fuck you” She smirked as the rookie attempt to pull ahead of her as they grew closer to the east side of the track.

~Willow~

She cheered as the racers sped off down the street, before noticing a snack cart “Hey, was that here last time?” The others turned as she pointed out the cart “They only bring it out during main event races or tournaments” a nearby racer explained having overheard Willow. “Is the stuff there free?” Michael was the one to ask this time, and when the racer nodded her and Michael darted towards the snacks.

Willow saw West shake her head as the two rejoined the group, a mass amount of food in their arms. “So, think you guys think Stone’s gonna beat the rookie?” Willow asked as she munched on the food, glancing at the track “oh hell yeah, she’ll probably sweep the floor with him” Michael replied.

The group turned as a voice echoed through the alley “Code Grey, I repeat Code Grey” It was the guy from the sign in stand “Everyone is to be on high alert and have their radios on channel 3” Willow saw West glance around, her expression that of confusion “the hell does code grey mean?”

Suddenly Harley was hurrying towards them “you guys should probably stick close to my crew” Willow stood, and brushed herself off “Why, what’s going on?” Harley paused before motioning for them to follow “right, y’all aren’t regulars” Willow and the others had to pick up the pace in order to keep up.

~Stone~

She gripped the wheel tightly as she rounded a sharp corner, the rookie close behind. Adrenaline rushed through her as she glanced out the window, only to see a cop car sitting in an alley. “Fuck, probably saw us” Stone cursed as she continued to speed down the street, but to her suprise the car made no move to chase after her, maybe they got lucky?

Suddenly the rookie decided to taunt the police by drifting as he passed the car.

So much for not drawing attention to the race..

Stone cursed the rookie out under her breath as the sound of sirens blared to life, the blue and white car speeding out of the alley. Stone grabbed her radio as she pressed the gas harder, pressing the button “Yo we got a Code Grey on the far east of the route, Cause: the Rookie” there was static for a split second before Jackdaw responded “I swear that little asshole is just asking to be kicked”

She heard him sigh as the rookie chimed in “I can fucking hear you, you know” Stone rolled her eyes, checking her mirror to see the officer still chasing after them “Yeah well, THEN STOP FUCKING AROUND!” Jackdaw was the one to reply, clearly pissed off “Whatever I’ll alert the alley, try your best to lose them” Stone adjusted herself “Copy that” she tossed the radio onto the seat beside her, and slowed down slightly coming up beside the rookie.

She motioned for him to roll the window down, and when he did she leant toward her’s “I’ll get them to follow me, you just follow my lead or I will personally wreck your fucking car” The rookie didn’t seem pleased but the message was clear and he nodded- even he wasn’t about to risk his chances of racing again.

~Brooks~

She glanced around the alley, noticing how the entire energy of the meet had done a 180. Brooks could feel the unease flowing through the race crew that was circled around her and the others, all of them talking in hushed tones, occasionally checking in with their racer. “So what is a code grey?”

Brooks asked turning to the racer who had brought them over “right, sorry forgot to answer” he apologized, staring towards the start of the track “It means a police chase is going on” Brooks nodded, turning to West and the others “Do you think Stone’s gonna be okay?” West shrugged, stretching her wings slightly “I think so, but who knows”

~The Rookie~

He adjusted his mirror, checking if the cop was still following. He started to grow annoyed following Hell-Fire and decided to take shit into his own hands, suddenly speeding up and darting past her car. As he sped past Hell-Fire, the wind from his car cause her’s to nearly spin out.

As he raced down the street -police in tow- a voice came over the radio “YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE, I SWEAR TO GOD I HOPE YOU FUCKING CRASH”  Hell-Fire’s anger was clear, and the rookie just laughed it off, unaware of what he had just started. The rookie took a sharp turn and managed to shake the officer off their tail, he grabbed the radio “Yo, I ditched the Blue, safe to finish the race” Unlike the responses Hell-Fire got, all the rookie received was an “Alright” from Jackdaw.

At the lack of decent response, the rookie snarled as he threw the radio down and hit the gas, speeding back towards Hell-Fire. As he finally caught up with her, he pulled up beside her while they drew closer and closer to the alley. Hell-Fire saw the rookie beside her, and ignored him almost completely: the only acknowledgement being a strongly shown hand gesture.

~Stone~

As they sped closer to the finish, Stone adjusted herself and prepared for her signature finish. The second they rounded the last corner, Stone used the speed and momentum to force her car into a drift. The rookie realized what was happening just a split second too late, costing him the race as Stone shot sideways far ahead of him.

Using the built up anger from the rookie nearly wrecking her car, Stone floored the gas pedal and with one final burst of speed: she sped across the finish markers. A crowd of racers formed around her car as the rookie crossed the markers seconds later and when she saw him step out of his car, she followed suit.

“Let’s gooo! I knew I made the right bet” a series of voices cheered and whooped as she stepped out of the car, pushing past the wall of people “Hell-Fire?” Stone glanced up to see Harley standing in front of her, the rest of the Chaos fam standing behind him “You good?” West asked as Stone pushed her way past them as well “Yeah, just gimme a sec”

She made eye contact with the rookie, and her intent must have been visible in her expression since upon making eye contact the rookie’s cocky attitude quickly fell and he attempted to back away. Stone quickly blocked his path and the second he was within reach, she took a swing at him: catching him across the face.

“You fucking shitbag” Stone cursed the rookie out as she swung again and again, the rookie only just dodging some of the punches thrown. Finally after taking so much of Stone’s swings, he aimed a throw at her “You could’ve fucking got the entire meet arrested” Stone leant back as his fist brushed past her face “Yeah well, why should I care? What’d they do ‘bout it, hm?”

Stone managed to get one last hit in, before being pulled away from the rookie. “First off, you’d no longer be allowed to race, Anywhere” Stone watched as Jackdaw grabbed a hold of the rookie yanking him away as well “Second, both of you calm the fuck down, what even happened” Stone glanced over her shoulder to see Harley holding her back.

“During the chase, shit for brains here broke code and darted past” the rookie sneered as he struggled against Jackdaw’s grasp “nearly fucking wrecked my car in the process”  Jackdaw spun the rookie around to face him, towering over the rookie “since this is the first time you’ve broken code, I’ll let you off” Stone watched as Jackdaw stood straight, using his height to cast a shadow over the rookie “But fucking do it again and you’ll be lucky if just your car is wrecked”

~Michael~

He watched as the guy towering over the rookie turned towards Stone and Harley “Let her go man, I’ll deal with it”  Michael saw Harley gently let go of the teen, stepping back. Stone and Jackdaw exchanged a few words, too quiet for Michael to hear. Suddenly Michael watched as the rookie walked towards Stone’s car, shoving past the crowd of racers still standing around it.

Stone must have noticed as well, since both her and Jackdaw turned towards the car.

~Rookie~

After Jackdaw began talking to Hell-Fire, the rookie stormed over to her car, shoving the others out of the way. With a quick glance to check if Hell-Fire was watching, he took his keys in hand and ran them along the side of it.

The second it registered to the other racers what he just did to the car, they were on him. He had no time to realize what just happened before he was on the ground, nose broken and lip busted. The rookie squirmed as he was suddenly lifted into the air, only to come face to face with Harley.

As the tall racer held tightly to the back of his shirt, Harley snarled “You just fucked up, pal” The rookie attempted to shrink into himself as Harley leaned closer. The sound of a struggle made both of them turn, only to see Hell-Fire being held back by her group: rage clearly visible in her eyes. “I’ll fucking kill you” the racer growled as she writhed against the hold of her friends.

~Michael~

As he and West struggled to keep a hold of Stone, a long string of cursing and threats came from the teen. “Hell-Fire, stop” Michael jumped as Jackdaw appeared behind him, towering over all three of them. “Let go” Michael saw West look up in confusion “but she’ll go after the rookie” Jackdaw held up a hand “I got it, don’t worry” West shrugged and nodded to Michael, both of them letting go of the angry teen.

Michael was shocked at the speed of the dark-haired guy, since he was able to grab a hold of Stone right as she realized they had let go of her. Upon grabbing a hold of Stone, Jackdaw picked her up -holding her with one arm at his side- and strode towards where Harley still had a hold of the rookie.

~Jackdaw~

He sighed as Hell-Fire’s friends let go and he grabbed a hold of her, before she could do anything stupid. With Hell-Fire in hand, Jackdaw made his way over to Harley and the rookie “I suggest that you get the fuck away from here” Jackdaw nodded to Harley, silently telling the racer to put the rookie down.

Harley let go of the shorter racer none too gently, and Jackdaw made no move to correct this “If you refuse to leave or decide to show your face around the alley again” He adjusted his grip on the furious and writhing racer he currently held, before continuing “I’ll have no issues with letting the other racers put you six feet in the ground”

Jackdaw grabbed a hold of the rookies shirt collar “Do I make myself fucking clear?” The only response from the rookie was a growl, before suddenly something collided with Jackdaw’s face.

~West~

She watched as Jackdaw towered over the new racer, too far to hear but even to her the message was clear: Leave. Suddenly West’s eyes widened as the rookie took a swing at the looming figure, and was about to dart towards the crowd before being yanked back by Brooks “I don’t think we should get involved” West thought for a second before nodding “yeah, probably right”

West watched Jackdaw drop both Stone and the rookie, bringing a hand to his face. She couldn’t tell whether the dark-haired figure was hurt or just shocked, nor did she really even have the time to worry. The second Stone hit the ground, she was on the rookie -hands tightly around his throat-

~Stone~

As Jackdaw let go of her, Stone darted towards the rookie wasting no time. As she held the racer down, Stone snarled “I don’t care if you’ve got an issue with me, but you don’t get to take it out on Jackdaw, or my fucking car” Stone was knocked off as he sat up and swung at her, missing pathicaly. Stone got back on her feet and rushed at him, slamming into a nearby wall.

“I shoulda wrecked you” The rookie snarled as the two grappled, other racers either cheering on the fight or attempting to pull them apart. Stone snarled back, grabbing a hold of his head: slamming it into a wall. The rookie folded like a chair and before Stone could continue, she was picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder “Okay, that’s enough Hell-Fire”

She twisted to see Harley holding her gently, as he stood over the bloodied rookie. “I suggest you leave, because trust me” Harley adjusted his gripped on Stone “If it isn’t Hell-Fire that does it, the other racers are gonna put you six feet under”

Harley stepped back as the rookie stood, before turning to a nearby racer “Make sure he’s escorted out”  Stone saw the racer nod as they roughly yanked the rookie away, Harley making his way towards the others.

~Brooks~

As they reached the group, Harley set Stone down and grabbed ahold of her shoulders, turning her to face him “Harley, I’m fine you don’t need to check me over” Brooks could see genuine concern on the taller racer’s face “Hell-Fire, come on, you haven’t gotten fired up like this since the accident” Brooks raised her eyebrows, Stone never told them about any accident “Accident? What accident?”

Harley opened his mouth to respond but cut himself off, after noticing the look Stone gave him. Before anyone could say anything, Jackdaw appeared behind Stone placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder “normally I’d have dealt with that shit show, but I’m not gonna punish someone who was clearly provoked” Brooks knew he was talking about Stone without directly calling her out in front of the other racers.

Brooks glanced around at the other racers as Michael leant towards her “what do you think he meant by accident?” He asked as they watched Stone, Brooks shrugged as West chimed in “who knows, but I’m surprised Stone hasn’t told us” Again Brooks simply shrugged as she saw Jackdaw raise Stone’s arm and a cheer erupted from the crowd.

~Stone~

As the other racers cheered, Stone attempted to make her back to her car. Racer after racer came up, ruffling her hair or patting her on the back. Not wanting to be rude, Stone forced a smile despite each touch making her want to gag.

Eventually the other racers backed off, and Stone sighed in relief welcoming the much needed space.When she finally reached her car, Stone knelt down and ran a hand along the long scratch across the side.

Stone turned as she heard someone walk up behind her “doesn’t seem deep, could probably get it painted” Willow said as her and the others approached, Stone standing and brushing herself off “yeah, I’ll probably just ask Harley if he’ll paint it” Stone cringed slightly as Willow grabbed Stone in a headlock, ruffling her hair.

“I say we head back to the site and crack open some of Stone’s ale” Willow stated boldly as she let go of Stone,  West raising an eyebrow in response “and who said you were gonna be drinking any?” they all chuckled as Willow’s shoulders fell in mock disappointment.