Regona City: Phantom

Forming a Plan

After shaking hands with Troy, Terrell got back on his feet.

"Well, we'll be on our way."

Troy nodded, not saying a word as he watched Terrell turn to the other two standing behind him. The groaning guys on the ground and the girl standing to the side were ignored.

"Ready?" Terrell jerked his head down the road.

Noah responded by motioning his board over. "Want a lift?" he asked.

"Nah. Walking's good for you," was Terrell's reply. He headed for where his own boards were dropped.

"Wait a moment." Ezra pointed a finger toward Troy. "Aren't we going to ask the stray to join?"

At the word "stray", Troy's eye brows rose.

"Join what?" Terrell asked in disinterest as he picked up his boards.

"If we're going to be making a crew, we need recruits." Ezra explained as Noah walked by him, board in tow.

"Ah. About that." Terrell gave a sheepish grin. "I lied."

Ezra froze.

"I think he's going to take that really well," Noah informed Terrell as he passed by and continued on the way. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to Troy who drew up one knee, rested an arm on it, and calmly watched the exchange.

"Wait..." Ezra came out of his stupor. "Really?"

Shrugging, Terrell turned and followed Noah.

"Whoa. Wait!" Ezra grabbed his board and sprinted after them. "What the heck, man!"

The three left Troy behind, seeming to forget about him instantly. The boy watched them go. A groan turned his attention back to the group of injured teens. He saw the girl watching the retreating backs, an expression of confusion on her face. With a snort, Troy struggled to his feet. Once up, he shot one more glance at the boys who were leaving behind the chaos. Then, he turned and limped in the opposite direction, one hand clutching his side.

"Explain!" Ezra demanded as he fell into step beside Terrell.

From where he walked a little way ahead, Noah shot a look back.

"One moment you say we're making a crew then we aren't...which is it?" Ezra narrowed his eyes, peering at Terrell.

Terrell cocked his head. "When I say let's make a crew, what do you picture?"

Ezra furrowed his forehead. "Huh?"

"What's a crew? What do they do? Who are they?"

At that Ezra's eyes lit up. "A unit that acts as a family and races for territory and points."

The boys turned a corner. There wasn't a sound other than their feet as the area was pretty much abandoned.

"A family, huh?" Terrell asked.

"Not for much longer," Noah interrupted. "Once the Creed is fully adopted it's going to become all about trying to become the strongest."

"And what's wrong with that?" Ezra asked.

A gust of wind blew the stench of rotting trash their way. The boys barely reacted. They were used to the smell. Nowadays, the outer city was used for trash disposal since not many people lived there anyway. Though it kept the inner city somewhat cleaner, it wasn't exactly a hygienic solution.

"Let's put it this way." Terrell's eyes followed a can as it rolled across the path before them. "Which would you rather have? A group where you know you've got each other's backs, or racing for the top but always having to look behind you?"