#although I haven’t successfully gotten his C1

[chillingpenalty]

we got him.

[shadowracers]

Shadow Racers - Reality - Prologue

Sunday, October 28, 2017

23:00

The Zoo Nightclub, Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan

Black and Mio sat in their new patrol car, a special R35 GT-R. The department had gotten a couple of GT-Rs last month to combat street racers on the Bayshore route. The impact it had on the scene is insane - the racers disappeared almost overnight. The new cars are pushing over 600 horses. It’s ironic, though, since the Nissans are so heavy and most of the drivers in the department aren’t the most talented. The racing scene moved to inner Tokyo again, where the fat lizards get dusted on the curves of the C1 and East loop. Paul grunted. He wanted to be chasing down those guys, but 3 years later he’s still posted at The Zoo. His frustration was made worse by him returning the Fairlady to his father. After owning it for 8 years, he figured he’d put it away so he could pass it down to his children. It’s better than wrecking it on the Wangan trying to chase nonexistent ghosts, he reasoned.

“Has it really been 3 years?” He thought out loud. “What’s that, boy?” Asked Mio. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking back. You remember when I first started here? That night we chased down that M5?” “How could I forget?” Mio wasn’t too excited to talk about this and it showed in his dripping sarcasm.  “You’ve been doing good here, kid. Don’t go screwing it up with fantasies of ghost cars. Jeez, your old man chewed me out when he found out about that stunt you pulled.” “Yeah, he didn’t let me hear the end of it either. It’s why I retired the Z.” Black was adamant, still. “The real reason I bike to work is to save up for something… nicer. Too bad that M5 disappeared after that night. Although I saw one like it at Jin’s shop, but I doubt it was the same one.” Mio raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, that old fool called me after you showed up that week. I never could get over that cackling laugh of his. Devils in these streets, bla bla. Said you might be getting into trouble and look out for you. Ironically it was a month after that when you put the Z away. I never did ask why, saw something that scared you?” Paul laughed it off, “Yeah, you could say that. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the club owner, that guy they call Boss, since then. Whatever. I’ve got some money saved up, think I’ll go put a down payment on a new ride tomorrow. Wanna come with?” “Nah, I’m working the auction with your old man. Why don’t you get something from there, you’ll save money.” Mio’s advice often went nowhere with Paul, who replied: “I got my eyes set on something new.“

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Saturday, 23:00

Konan Isle, Minatu

The elevator dings as it reaches the 20th floor. Its doors open and Snake steps out into the hallway, phone in one hand and a bag of food in the other. The Okonomiyaki restaurant across the bridge has become his favorite, especially since the menus are in English so there are no surprises when ordering. He responds to a text message. It’s work-related. "Not tonight, I’m tired.” He puts the phone away, reaches for his keys and enters the apartment. He’s lived longer in Konan than the house in Yugawara, yet the place still feels very new to him. Things are very different now. You could say things are quiet, but it’s always calmest before the storm. After his run-in with the Devil his desire for speed was awakened. What he didn’t expect was that creatures far worse than the Devil walk the earth. “Has it really been that long?” Once inside, he finds Matt asleep on the sofa. “Yo!” He smacks Matt’s shoulder and shook him awake. “I brought food.” Startled, Matt jumps up off the seat. “Whoa, Boss, what are you doing home so early? No going to the club tonight? Oh, hey, this came in the mail today. It’s from Sotheby’s … I think they found the car.” “It’s about damn time!” Snake snatched the mail from Matt’s hand. After selling his vehicle collection 3 years ago, he had put his motoring hobby on pause and just focused on business. He had to repair the damaged house and bribe the entire neighborhood to keep a lid on the incident with Aria. His prized M5 ended up having a cracked engine block and there was no salvaging it. And, the R33 he bought at the auction was so poorly maintained he blew that engine too before getting a chance to further modify it. Besides, Dagurasu’s sister instilled a fear in him he didn’t quite have words for. So he kept off the streets and moved into the city. Snake opened the envelope and proceeded to read the letter. “Crap!” “What, what it is?” Asked Matt. “So they didn’t find the car?” “No, they did. It’s going up for auction in a few weeks … in New York. Damn it, of all the places for one of the 77 made to be sold.” Snake didn’t want to think about going back. “I’ll have to send you in my stead to pick up the car and handle shipping arrangements.” “Yeah, yeah, no problem. I can do that.” Matt knew how to keep a low profile. Snake measured him with his look. “You’re gonna need a suit.”

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Sunday, October 29

15:00

BMW Premium Selection

Chuo, Minatu

“Ah! Mr. Tanaka, welcome! We spoke on the phone.” The salesman held the door open for Paul and led him towards the showroom. “Everything checks out and you’re approved. While we get your paperwork ready, have you decided on your options package?” “Yes, the competition package.” Paul was confident. He was financing this car and had no intention of voiding the warranty with aftermarket upgrades. “Excellent, sir! Right this way. We have 3 of those in stock, right this-” “Wait, what’s that over there? Tha-that black one?” "Where, oh.. well, that was a special order but the client defaulted on payments and the car was reclaimed successfully. It has under 5k kilometers.” The salesman walked over to the car with Paul. “It’s the executive package, so it’s heavier than competition, but has been fitted with Alpina upgrades. Breathing, and handling. As well as a special coat of paint that reflects radio waves.” He starts lowering his voice. “I’m only telling you that because you’re in the force. This may come in handy to a bad actor.”

The salesman smirked.

Paul sighed, “Sounds like it’s out of my budget.” The salesman made a new offer on the car: “It’s a CPO, I can include comprehensive maintenance including loaner car for the duration of your warranty, for free.”

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Monday, October 30

6:00

Konan Isle, Minatu

Snake had gotten out of the shower and dressed himself in a grey 3-piece suit, white shirt and no tie. He walked over to Matt’s bedroom door and struck 3 loud knocks on it. “I’m up, I’m up! Jeez Snake, what’s the deal?” “Shower and get dressed, we’re going shopping. I called Jin to let him know we’re not coming in today.” Snake threw a set of car keys and Matt caught them. “But first, breakfast. You drive.” “What!? The Lexus?! Sweeeet!” They went for breakfast at a local soup joint shortly after.

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Monday, 8:00

Kaigan Isle, Minato

After eating, they hopped back in the car. The high compression 5.0L V8 engine erupts into life and startled  the other foodies at the restaurant. Snake entered an address into the car’s GPS and Matt followed the guidance. “So where we goin, Boss, Ginza?” Snake scoffed, “Do I look like a tourist to you? Nippori, I know a guy that can hook you up. Also, the auction letter was dated a few weeks ago. The car is being sold this weekend, I went ahead and booked your flight and hotel. The suit should be ready the day of your flight. You leave Friday.” Matt nods as he pulls out and the engine’s throaty note burbles and pops. The factory spec was underwhelming for this 2-ton behemoth. Even though he helped design the modifications it currently sports, Snake never let Matt drive the 700hp land yacht. He was grinning just to be in the driver’s seat, even if it was just cruising at the speed limit in 10th gear. The interior was incredibly comfortable and luxurious. Snake noticed Matt’s grin.  "Go ahead, let loose.”

They came up to the tunnel as they head North and Matt dropped 4 gears via the magnesium paddle shifter and the car barked like a mad dog and as it warped to 150 kph, the hidden spoiler popped out to give the car extra stability.

Traffic wasn’t too bad but Matt lifted anyway and dropped back to legal speeds as the engine backfired and gargled.

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Monday, 9:00

Nippori Textile District, Arakawa

The Lexus pulled up to a parking spot on the busy street. Matt looked out at the small garment store. “This is the place? Looks a little… cheap.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. The old man that runs this shop is the best suit maker in town. He does all of mine. You’re gonna want a unique outfit if you’re to represent me at the Sotheby’s auction. After all, the car you’re to buy is very unique indeed. Only one of 77 made.”

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Tuesday October 31, 22:00

C1 Central Inner Loop

“This is amazing.” Paul whispered to himself.

The chassis is engineered to perfection. You barely feel the weight and it’s incredibly nimble. The twin-turbos have virtually zero lag, and power comes on instantly.  Paul came out of the tunnel a little sideways, showing off the German machine’s legendary handling whilst tackling the slalom with flair and ease. 

“Pedigree is an important quality to a Sports car,” he thought. “Only an ultimate driver can truly appreciate and feel the genius that goes into the ultimate driving machine. The unparalleled success as a touring car, it shows.”

A few more corners.  Double-apex right, then a sweeping left hander dives into another tunnel. Paul floors it for a brief second, then taps the brakes for the long uphill left before his exit.

“That’s enough for tonight,” he thought.

As he approaches the off-ramp, he puts on his turn signal. He looks in his rearview mirror for traffic and that’s when he notices it… He was so engrossed in driving that he didn’t realize he was being tailed. His senses are usually keen but he didn’t hear this guy come up.

He felt himself wrapped in an evil presence. It was Halloween, after all, and everyone was roaming the streets in character. But this malevolence felt real and tangible as he choked up on his saliva.

The mysterious car moved swiftly out of the lane from behind Paul and pulled up beside him. Paul turned his gaze out the window for a better view… and then he saw it. It was unmistakable. Berlinetta Boxer. He harkens back to his first time seeing it on Wangan. It moved with the same grace, yet there was something awfully wrong with it. It looked as if having just experienced a bad accident: Windows shattered, a tire in flames, the paint had been burned off - looked more like it had just survived an explosion. Then he saw the driver…

“This can’t be real…” It wasn’t the same man as three years ago, at least not in the same shape. For this driver truly looked right out of hell. 

The road dropped to street level and Paul slammed the brakes! “What WAS that?!” The timing couldn’t be worse. Or…was he the right man in the wrong place?

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To Be Continued.