Prologue Arc - Chapter -1 – Not so chance encounter (Paris)
Date: X/XX/2007

It was a clear and cold night in the mountains, the road ahead with me sitting as comfortable as I'll get in a bucket seat. I kept the car in 5th gear, visibility was not great but given how fast I was going… just over 40 miles an hour, I didn’t have much to worry about yet. I passed what most racers regard as the start on the downhill route when a pair of headlights catches my attention in my rear view mirror. I look to see what I could make out as an Eclipse, dark blue, almost black, and it was quickly gaining speed, it took me another second to realize just who was in that car.

I sigh… knowing the so-called ‘rules’ of street racing…

"... I should have known..."

I thought this to myself as slam in the clutch, moving the shifter into 4th and flooring it, hearing the howl of the horizontally opposed 6 cylinder bi-turbo power plant behind me. The tachometer jumped from 3000 to 6000rpm. I moved my right hand back onto the wheel and look up and right to the rear view mirror and still the Eclipse kept close. The fact he was able to follow me so well wasn't much of an alarm. It was simply the fact I wasn't planning on doing any street racing today.

It was my mistake to take my 911 turbo, the very same one that others in the area know me for. But I didn't think there was a point to bring the other car, besides how it was in the city I was going to.

You're probably wondering just what is going on here, I am getting ahead of myself, so I'll slow down, or rather start from the beginning.

Or better, pick up from where we are; When I decided to try and get from Summerville to Danver, via the Billmore mountain roads, as opposed to the other routes, including highway route 765. I didn't have access to any other car, and wasn't in the mood for a rental, or for a train ride.

I should have rented a car... I was stupid; of course if I were to appear in this car… who would not want to race me, I'm only one of the faster racers in this whole state, dare I say most of North America.

"I wonder sometimes if underground fame is a blessing or a curse."

That came to mind along with the decision to internalize this later and focus at the task at hand. I needed to keep calm; I needed to keep myself together. It wasn't because the 911 turbo is a hard car to drive... although it actually is a bit viscous if you’re stupid, inexperienced, or just plain unlucky, on the circuit...but in the right hands it's a monster.

This car is actually for me easier than others, but that's not why I wanted to stay calm. It was because I was on a canyon, or for those of us familiar with a certain Corolla GT-S and Mazda RX-7 FD3S in Japan whom have both been causing a stir, the closest thing to a touge.

It wasn't because of the assumption that a touge is worse than a track (and thus you get better drivers than on the track... and I’ve also discovered pigs fly too...). I've seen road circuits that make even the likes of Irohazaka look like a cakewalk in terms of skill to run them (forget race), but that wasn't the point either.

The point was your margin of error on the touge was far less than on a circuit. Even if you raced on Monaco, at best you'd have a dented machine or one totaled, but you'd still be alive. Although having to pay God knows what for the cost of the repairs, you're still alive.

The touge doesn’t have run-off areas, it doesn’t have gravel traps (even if they don't always work, and when they do, you can kiss any chance of getting back on the track goodbye), there aren't paramedics on the way to rescue you if things go really bad, and not every car travels in the same direction.

It's the simple fact for reasons which one would find thrilling or inviting... and I would find stupid... it's dangerous, stupid dangerous.

But then again who's the dumber one? I decided to drive this on this route, the fact I was a racer whom himself was in the street racing scene until recently, and it is a popular street racing route, and that GSX's driver has been causing a buzz in the underground circuit.

I was not at my most confident, because I didn't get into this with confidence first hand, and now I'm going to have to pull myself together fast enough to beat him, I mean sure, even if I loose... I could destroy him in a rematch on any route he chooses, but I didn't want to have to deal with that.

“Not today, screw that.”

I was in 6th gear, the downhill strait was curving left slightly, I could see up ahead the start to a moderate left bend, a guardrail was the only barrier between the road and the ravine below, on the far inside of the corner, and in this case to our left, was the mountain wall. To the right was heavy forest foliage, and leaves were starting to fall... which meant less grip... even with a 4WD. I mentally clicked the distance in meters before I could brake with the intent to attack the corner with as much speed, and as little tire wear as possible.

"...Three hundred...two hundred fifty...two hundred...one seventhly five...ONE FIFTY!"

My eyes open wide as I brake, the pedal is nearly down to the firewall, ABS cutting in at a minimal, I slowly ease up but not off the pedal, downshifting thru the gears all the while, heel-toeing into 3rd, the engine roaring to 8k. Before I even see all of the corner on the entrance, I turn in left, re-applying the gas smoothly, tapping the left brake and kissing the apex as I floor it. Decreasing steering gradually and as best I could to the bumps that I felt thru the chassis and wheel,, I gracefully exit the corner, letting the car drift to the outside, very dangerously close to the guardrail, counter steering accordingly and regaining grip as ahead of me is a short strait followed by a 'flat' right. I upshift into 4th…I enter the flat corner full tilt as then the road resumes going downhill, I upshift into 5th, and keep it there as the tachometer nears 8k.

I brake again, right foot off throttle, I step in the clutch with the left while throwing the lever down, right, and down again into 4th, I release clutch and press it in again as I move the lever up into 3rd, going to the outside of the next corner, a long sweeping right, turning in, slowly feeding the gas as I hug the apex, then letting the car go to the outside once more, it almost slides on the very exit as I correct it in an instant with opposite lock. The tachometer reaches the redline again, I let off the gas, slam in the clutch, and upshift into fourth before pressing down on the throttle, the action all in a heartbeat.
The road curves moderately right, before a sharp left, I lift while braking with the left foot and turn in, before re-applying the gas, returning my left foot to the dead pedal, nearly hitting the guardrail coming out of the sharp left as we both head flat out thru a long easy right sweeper. I shift up into 5th, and look in my rear view mirror to still find him very close behind me.

I was starting to see just why this guy was getting people’s attention, if he could keep up with me in even my state, with that car; he was a force not to be ignored.

"Persistent aren't we? Your car is impressive... but your driving is even more so remarkable."

I think and chuckle as I set myself up, the next corner is a left hairpin, and a tight one, no leaves.

"...but now you'll see what' you've challenged..."

I go to the far right; he does the same as I see the corner entrance. I keep my left hand hard on the wheel, my right on the shifter, as 170 meters before the corner entrance, I break hard and shift down the gears, 5th to 2nd, quickly, bouncing off the redline. As I hit second and turn in hard, diving into the corner, as I re apply the gas, nearly hiting the stones on the far inside as I shoot out of the corner to setup for the second hairpin, a right. I upshift into 3rd, as I see it come my way, before braking, I go for the far outside, downshift into 2nd and simply turn in, feathering the gas, nearly hitting the apex as I clear it, and floor it. The four tires try to rip the pavement out as a final hairpin, another left, comes up. I sigh, shifting into 3rd again as I approach the corner.

"Why not?"

I say out loud as I downshift again to 2nd, the instant I do, I turn in hard left, I move my right hand from the shifter to the handbrake, pulling it and making the car spin before letting go, while the car spins around, I countersteer as I see the exit and I floor the gas, the tires struggle for an instant before they grip and I shoot out of the corner, nearly hitting the apex as ahead was a very long downhill strait... one I intended to make full use of to get as far away from that Mitsubishi as possible, along with every other corner that was left.

He was good, but I was better, and he was now going to see the gap between us in terms of skill level and machines.

Several corners and nearly a minute later I had managed to do just that, as I passed the 'finish line', and continued on, not bothering to stop, let alone slow down, as I was approaching city. My opponent was a challenge, but he was just, only just out of his league.

But who isn't out of his league? I can be defeated, I have lost before, and no one is without defeat. Richard Arnold knows that first hand, since he’s the last one to beat me thus far on the street.

"He's even better than they said...for him to pull off what he's done, I can't ignore it. Sooner or later he may even surpass me, that's saying something. It's ability like that, that can't be wasted...once I can, in my way, I could offer him a spot in the Championship, his talents are far too great to be used here. But it'll be up to him in the end to accept my offer or not...it's his life."

This came to mind, as I made my way to the city...


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End of chapter 1