Asphalt Knight (Legacy Version)

Session Twelve: Cursed

Michael arrived home around 10:45. He was thoroughly exhausted. What a day. A date with his crush, an illegal street race, what next? He parked the Shelby next to the barn, and headed towards the house. He found his father sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, smoking.

"You've been doing Blacklist runs, haven't you."

"Excuse me?"

"The front tires of that Mustang have a few flat spots. You've been braking and swerving. You've been racing the streets long enough to know the formations AutoCabs take, so you wouldn't be surprised enough to pull such a maneuver during a normal commute. Which means one thing: You were forced into it. The most common thing that would cause that in this town would be avoiding the Police. So you've been racing illegally. But you made it back here unscathed, which means you were runnin' with professionals. So you've probably run with the local RA Blacklist."

"If it makes you feel any better, I won."

"Don't get me wrong. I am pissed. But... I understand. I thought your sister was the reckless one, the truth is, you're the one who's in it for the rush. This isn't just about money for you. There's something that drives you. Maybe you're trying to prove something, get a girl, whatever. Either way, it's clear that Racing matters to you. And since I can't stop you and your sister from doing it, I'm going to minimize risks."

"What are you saying?"

"It doesn't matter how much experience or talent you have behind the wheel. Sooner or later, you're gonna hit a wall. Only knowledge and physical fitness are gonna get you over that wall. Basically, you need to train better, and harder. I don't know much about what's going on under the hood of the cars you kids run these days, but you've got your new mechanic friend to teach you that. But what I can give you is pass on all of the shit I've learned from real racing: The driver that wins isn't the fastest. It's the one that makes the least mistakes. So every night, rain or shine, I want you two up in the east canyon, with the cup of water, for at least a couple hours each day. Don't focus on improving your times, focus on being more consistent. The same principles apply to your cars. You should spend that prize money on better tires, suspension, brakes, spark plugs... anything that makes your car more reliable and easier to drive. That will allow YOU to be faster. And lastly, get off your ass. Go outside, get in shape. A tired racer is one that WILL make a mistake. This goes for you and your sister. No go inside and get some rest. You've got school tomorrow."

Michael could've sworn that his father might've been just a little proud. He went inside and got ready for bed.

********

The next morning Michael got up tired, but in a good mood. Today he would get to see Amelia, check up on how Ed was doing with his Foxbody, and more.

But Michael somehow felt different. As he stared into his cereal, he couldn't help but think about what he had seen. That police Rhino must have caused a few hundred thousands of credits in damage when it plowed through all those poice AutoCabs. When Shiga rammed through Agent Shifter's Reventòn, the resulting crash could have seriously injured him. Or when Wall Street hit the GTR with the ESF, that might've well... killed... the driver.

Michael decided to force himself to not think about it. He wasn't paying for those AutoCabs, and he didn't know any of those cops. He skipped breakfast, and headed outside and got int the passengers seat of the Shelby, and Michelle drove them to school. As they drove along Michelle immediately bombarded Michael with questions.

"So... did you smash?" she asked eagerly. "I mean you were late last night..."

"What the! No!" Michael quickly said. "We just hung out and stuff and... never mind."