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[RFC][Story]It's not the speed....
 
#65
You know those gaming moments where the GM encourages you against your better judgement to go with the riskier option, for the sake of cinematics? The whole, 'you're rolling so many dice with so many bonuses there's no way you can botch' deal?

This is one of those.

Quote:Jet opened the passenger door.

“I’m going for entry.”

Springs held the door open, in spite of the stream of air rushing by. It roared into the cabin, curling around the sill of the door. It sucked the air out, drumming on Mackies ears. It might’ve been annoying if he was human. It dragged at his shirt and dragged his gaming cards out through the opening.

The Highway Star buzzed in the mirrors, waving around the trailing cables. It kept pace just off his door. It’s engine rattled the window. She lifted her hand from the throttle, offering him a thumbs-up.

He just looked at her, trying not to show how terrified he really was.

It made it hard to focus on keeping the car straight.

His Sister grabbed on to the open door, pushing it open wide enough to lever herself in. Her feet smashed through the dashboard, making enough room for her to sit comfortably in the passenger seat. Mackie couldn’t help but grimace at the wanton destruction of the car he’d spent so long working on.

Her metal hand pushed his off the steering wheel, taking control of the car.

“I’m aboard. I have control,” she radioed.

“Copy. Kohran, your turn,” broadcast Lebia. “Watch those cables.”

“Yeah, yeah. I see ‘em.”

Kohran swerved wide as one of the Tachikoma lines tangled in the turbulence coming off the wheels and whipped out to reach her. A solid hit at that speed meant a certain wreck - and a brand new body.

It thrilled her.

This was fun. Tweak the throttle and the Star would lunge forward. Ease off and aerodynamics would push back. Precision feathering of the throttle kept her level with the driver’s door. Mackie’s terrified face looked. Poor boy was learning this lesson the hard way, but they all had to go through it.

She pulled to within arm’s reach of the driver’s door. Buffeting shook the bike, sending a shudder through the frame that threatened to grow into deadly wobble that’d buck her out of the saddle. A quick tweak of the throttle let the two wheel drive system pull the machine straight. She locked the trigger at
a constant position, and reached for the doorhandle.

“Opening driver’s door.”

Lebia broke in. “Passing Charlie 4. You’ve 100 seconds.”

The slowing Stilletto flashed past on the far side, it’s rider quietly glad that it wasn’t him trying to make a high speed transfer between vehicles. Waved leathers or not, bouncing down the road at 500 kilometres an hour would be an unhealthy experience.

Lebia passed him a moment later, growing the gap between herself and the Griffon to allow sufficient space to react in the event of catastrophe. She could react in an effective instant, but the Tumbler took it’s own time to do anything.

Mackie’s eyes golfballed as he realised what he was expected to do. Kohran beckoned him to jump from his seat

His words were swallowed by the wind, but it was plainly obvious what he’d sait.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

A gentle smile from his sister, and a strong metal hand urged him forward. There was no way this would work - he was certain of it. He unbuckled his belt, sliding up onto the door sills. The wind grabbed

“Charlie 5,” Lebia announced. The green emergency lights were already receding into the distance.

Mackie stared at the Highway star, less than thirty centimetres away from the sill. He could feel the heat blowing off the engine on his face, it was so close. The wind dragged at him, threating to pull him off the door sill. He grabbed on to the roll cage with both hands to keep himself from slipping, tentatively edging forward.

The Highway Star swayed away from him, before swinging back to meet.

“Hold it steady Jet!”

“Try driving one handed,” Jet shot back, growling in frustration.

Mackie edged himself out of his seat. There was dangerous. And there was this.

“Oh fuck me,” He muttured to himself.

There was The Edge. There it was, right there. Just one slip away. One step and then BAM!, Good for Parts Only. It ripped along like a belt sander, just beneath his feet. Jump, or don’t jump... the choice between Now or Later.

Only his head and his body weren’t quite agreed on which meant which.

“Charlie 6.”

“Come on Boy!”

Mackie didn’t hear it, but he could still see the look in her eyes. He could still feel the wind pulling him back down the tunnel, with the Tumbler growling behind threatening a crushing end if he fell. He could feel the pressure on the door.

“Passing Charlie 7.”

A very deliberate notw of urgency had crept into Lebia’s voice.

Mackie steadied himself on the carbon door-sill, making sure he had a good footing. He crouched beneath the open door to keep himself out of the air-stream for as long as possible. Part of him started to wonder where the motorslaves were to grab him and his sister.

But it didn’t work so easily in real life.

“Charlie 8. 27 seconds.”

“Get a move on!” Kohran urged.

Mackie glanced back at his Sister. He saw her lips form one single syllable through her visor.

“Go.”

Even if he didn’t make it, landing on the road was a damn sight better than crashing face first into a brick wall. Especially without a seatbelt. Either way sucked. One sucked the least. It was just a matter of convincing his body to go along with the plan.

He reached out and grabbed Kohran’s shoulder, fingers gripping on the armaplas. He stood with one foot on the door sill, one hand on the roll cage to steady himself, and one leg inching forward to step on to the Highway Star.

“Charlie 9.”

His foot found the exhaust hanger. The smell of singed boot confirmed it. Holding his breath, he hauled himself forward out of the Griffon. The wind ripped at him, threatening the drag himself and Kohran off the machine. She grimaced and gripped on tight to the handlebars, taking the weight. The Star convulsed in rpotest as the weight shifted across its back, swaying towards the Griffon.

Jet pulled the car away, giving Kohran space to grip the throttle tight and straighten the bike out with a handful of throttle before pulling away.

Mackie felt himself sit down on the plastic tail section, and took the time to perform a quick self diagnostic to confirm the fact that he really was sitting their and safe.

For a relative value of safe.

Thank. You. Skuld. Thank you. Just... thank you.

“I’ve got’m. Gonna get this thing slowed down.”

“Nice one Kohran. I’ll give you space to stop.” Jet exhaled a long sigh of relief as she watched the Highway Star recede into the distance. behind her, Mackie safely aboard.

“Jet, wait until after Charlie 10,” said Lebia. Space for everyone to slow down safely. The cyber could hear the smile on her voice.

“Will do.”

There was nothing left to do but make sure it didn’t hit anything important. Aim it at the wall, then bail out before it hit. Nothing to it. She watched the lights of refuge Charlie ten flash by, a few abandoned cars still waiting for their owners and counted three heartbeats to be sure she was clear.

Jet released the Griffon and rolled out under the door, before lighting a flash of her engines to blast clear.

She felt something clip her leg. She had the merest moment to realise what’d happened, before the cable lashed itself tightly around her heel and yanked her backwards in mid-air. A cry of surprise escaped her lips as the cable snapped free, sending her tumbling.

There was a moment to brace for impact before Jet landed hard on her head.

The force of impact was enough to split her helmet and pop her visor off. The cyber had just enough self awareness left to try curl up into a ball before she tumbled, bounced and skidded along the tunnel floor, shedding hot sparks and shards of armour.

She tumbled like a ragdoll for nearly 20 seconds, over and over, before sliding to a dead stop face down with her right arm pinned under her body, not moving.

The Griffon carried on driverless for another half a kilometre, still trailing sparks until it reached another curve in the tunnel. It ricocheted off the wall, shedding its right front wheel before veering wildly back towards the centre of the tunnel.

A moment later the steering rack gave out. The ruined suspension dug hard in, gouging a trench into the concrete. The magnesium caught fire, igniting with a brilliant white hot flare and a shower of blazing sparks.

It pulled back to the wall, engines still screaming full throttle. The nose speared into wall at a 45 degree angle. The steel frame shattered. Every single weld in the chassis burst apart, turning the car into ball of wreckage still travelling at over 400 kilometres an hour. The turbine engine screamed as it ripped free, fuel and lubricating oils spraying from torn hoses.

The kerosene tanks ruptured, a cloud of vapourised fuel boiling through the burning wreckage.

Hot orange fire engulfed the remains, boiling forwards through the tunnel and smothering what was left of the destroyed car. Thick black smoke rolled along the roof of the tunnel, swallowing the striplights. A single hubcap rolled to a stop against the wall, before toppling onto its side with a hollow clang.

Jet lay in the road, silhouetted by the flames.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
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Messages In This Thread
[RFC][Story]It's not the speed.... - by Dartz - 01-17-2013, 02:38 AM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-17-2013, 03:19 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-17-2013, 01:37 PM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-17-2013, 10:49 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-18-2013, 04:00 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-18-2013, 05:13 AM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-18-2013, 06:40 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-18-2013, 09:57 PM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-18-2013, 10:36 PM
[No subject] - by Cobalt Greywalker - 01-18-2013, 11:23 PM
[No subject] - by HRogge - 01-18-2013, 11:24 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-18-2013, 11:36 PM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-18-2013, 11:44 PM
[No subject] - by Cobalt Greywalker - 01-19-2013, 12:09 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-19-2013, 12:27 AM
[No subject] - by M Fnord - 01-19-2013, 12:33 AM
[No subject] - by ECSNorway - 01-19-2013, 12:35 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-19-2013, 12:45 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-19-2013, 02:11 AM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-19-2013, 03:08 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-19-2013, 03:57 AM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-20-2013, 06:31 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-20-2013, 06:51 PM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-20-2013, 08:15 PM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-20-2013, 08:27 PM
[No subject] - by HRogge - 01-20-2013, 08:50 PM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-20-2013, 09:08 PM
[No subject] - by HRogge - 01-20-2013, 09:13 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-20-2013, 09:26 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-21-2013, 11:47 PM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 01-22-2013, 02:42 AM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-22-2013, 07:19 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-22-2013, 01:19 PM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-22-2013, 07:35 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-22-2013, 08:05 PM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-22-2013, 10:45 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-23-2013, 12:15 AM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 01-23-2013, 07:51 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 01-23-2013, 04:16 PM
[No subject] - by KJ - 01-25-2013, 04:26 AM
[No subject] - by ECSNorway - 01-25-2013, 08:05 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-28-2013, 02:48 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 01-29-2013, 05:25 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 02-03-2013, 06:37 AM
[No subject] - by LynnInDenver - 02-03-2013, 07:20 AM
[No subject] - by ECSNorway - 02-05-2013, 06:40 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 02-14-2013, 05:36 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 02-18-2013, 03:47 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 02-18-2013, 04:01 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 02-23-2013, 10:35 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 02-23-2013, 06:27 PM
[No subject] - by Foxboy - 02-23-2013, 07:25 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 03-08-2013, 11:59 PM
[No subject] - by Star Ranger4 - 03-09-2013, 01:05 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 03-09-2013, 01:05 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 03-12-2013, 01:15 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 03-24-2013, 05:20 AM
[No subject] - by HRogge - 03-24-2013, 06:06 AM
[No subject] - by Cobalt Greywalker - 03-25-2013, 11:43 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 03-26-2013, 01:00 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 04-09-2013, 12:00 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 04-14-2013, 10:51 PM
[No subject] - by HRogge - 04-14-2013, 11:04 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 04-22-2013, 02:17 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 04-30-2013, 03:52 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 04-30-2013, 04:08 AM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 04-30-2013, 03:12 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 05-01-2013, 06:27 AM
[No subject] - by robkelk - 05-01-2013, 02:14 PM
[No subject] - by Dartz - 05-06-2013, 12:34 AM

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