Asphalt Knight (Legacy Version)

Session Thirty Two: The Kempton Mile

Michael followed Michelle home, trying to get a feel for the Mustang. It now sounded as if it was running properly, and now stayed straight without Michael having to pull the steering to the left.

The chassis definitely felt stiffer, but it creaked and rattled over every small bump, and made much more wind noise. It did however feel a small bit lighter, Michael suspected it having to do with the lexan windows and removal of several body panels.

*********

They arrived home around 1:30 in the morning. Michelle went inside to go to bed, while Michael shuffled into his room, cautiously checking to see if Evelyn was hiding in the corner. Thankfully she wasn't, so he pulled his shirt off and went to bed.

He then realized Amelia still had his jacket and be hadn't bothered to ask about it. He cursed silently under his breath, and gradually fell asleep.

**********

Michael awoke at noon the next day, feeling well rested and determined. He took a shower, got dressed, and took the Foxbody up to the West Canyon to get some practice in. He found the extra grip from the new tires to be quite helpful, but he still didn't have full confidence in the car's performance or his own safety.

He practiced for a several hours, then got a text from Michelle that it was time to go.

Michael drove out of the mountains to where Nick lived in Kempton to give him a ride to the race.

When he arrived at the low income housing neighborhood where Nick resided, he found Nick nervously pacing up and down the block.

He quickly got in the car with Michael.

"Look man, real talk..." Nick said quietly to Michael after a few minutes of driving.

"You're one of my only real friends, like seriously man. I'm no math genius, but like 1000 tons of train versus 1 and a half tons of car ain't gonna end well, so if you feel like it isn't safe when we get there, back down from the race... I don't want to loose you man- No homo."

"I'm not gonna crash man. You helped tune the suspension on this old rust bucket. I'm sure I'll be able to dodge whatever comes my way down those train tracks." Michael said calmly.

"Alright man, but seriously. Don't die."

"I won't.

*********
Heavy AutoCab forced Michael to slow down on his way to the race coordinates the RA app had given him.

He found the route to become tighter and lower down into the city, as if the land itself was descending into madness.

The neighborhoods Michael and Nick found themselves in felt more and more empty and industrial, factories pumped smoke and ash into the air, and drones carrying packages buzzed over head.

As the sun finally began to disappear over the horizon, the ash tinted sky glowed a deathly red.

After a while, the streets were completely devoid of AutoCabs, and just as Michael was wondering if he had gone the wrong direction, Michael reached the parking lot of an almost empty train yard.

Except the parking lot was filled with several tuner cars, and bustling car enthusiasts. One of the armored security trucks sat towards the edge of the meet, and a a camoflauge painted food truck stat in the center. Notably, the entire 21st Street crew hadn't arrived yet.