“This story is fiction. All names of characters, places and organizations in the story are fictional. Follow the traffic rules and drive safely.”
The S13 drifted around a corner, just as a 18-wheeler coming from the other direction appeared from around the bend. Ben jolted as he realized they were going to collide!
Crap! Go into the inside!
Both Ben and the other driver gasped as they came so close, but barely managed to avoid colliding. Ben held his breath for a moment, and then looked ahead…
“NOOOO!" The incoming guard-rail was coming straight at him, and he was too late to stop or turn…
The sound of metal creaking hinted the evident crash that could be heard across the hills of Great Valley Interstate #74. The S13 lay in a smouldering wreck amongst the bushes. From up above, the sound of an angry truck driver could be heard. “That’s the craziest driving I’ve ever seen! What the heck is wrong with you?”
A moment later, another person came running up to the car. The first thing he saw immediately was the blood leaking down Ben’s head. “Oh no! Kid! Are you alright? Just hang in there…I’ll get you some help!”
Ben weakly looked up. “I’m…sorry…” he muttered. “It was all my fault…I’m…so…” Then his head dropped upon the dashboard.
“Just keep it together, alright?!” the man shouted. “Okay!? I’m calling an ambulance right now!” The sound of the man’s voice faded into darkness as the world slowly closed around Ben’s consciousness…
Act 3: The Downhill Hero Arrives!
Down at the diner, both Michael and Zachary were shocked…well, to be honest, Michael was shocked, while Zachary was traumatised. “WHAAAAT!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BEN WRECKED HIS CAR!? When did that happen?”
“Last night, he slammed into a guard-rail during a downhill run,” one of the Great Valley Speed-riders drivers who had stopped by told Zach. Michael listened from nearby.
“That sucks! Was he hurt?” Zach asked.
“Yeah, but he’ll pull through. Cuts and bruises, minor case of whiplash, you know, the usual. But mainly, he’s just annoyed about the whole thing. I haven’t seen it, but I heard his car got pretty jacked up.”
“But what about the battle on Saturday?” Zach whined. “He’s supposed to anchor the race!”
“Well, I guess that’s in the toilet,” the driver sighed. “We’ve gotta find a subordinate for him now. I just don’t know who.”
Both Zachary and Michael stared.
Meanwhile, down at a car dealership, “Welcome, sir! Oh, Ben! Hey, are you sure you should be walking up and about?”
“Yeah, the doctor said it’s okay,” the injured driver replied. “So how’s my car doing?”
“Still in the back garage. We haven’t done anything to her yet, but our hands are tied until all the parts from Nissan are shipped.”
Ben was escorted over to the garage. There, the S13 lay in one piece, but in bad shape. Ben just looked at it gloomily, before walking over to it and kneeling down to inspect it further.
How had this come to happen, he thought to himself. The meeting with Project D on Saturday, and now I, the leader of the Great Valley Speed-riders, just suffered a nasty accident and my car is in need of repair. Now what am I going to do?
A short while later, a motorcycle pulled up at the Great Valley Donut Shop. It was Ben, having borrowed the bike for the time being. He walked into the shop calling, “Excuse me! Can I get some Dounts please?”
“Sure, be right there,” Bunta came walking out from behind the curtain, and saw Ben bandaged up.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
“Just a little accident,” Ben replied.
“I thought you were supposed to battle here pretty soon but what do you plan on doing?” Bunta walked up to the counter.
“That’s why I’m here,” Ben told him. “I wanted to ask you for a favour.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. The battle’s on Saturday. I’d like for you and Christine to drive in my place.”
Bunta was taken aback. :blink:
“I’m begging you…I need your help!” Ben leant forward but unexpectedly pulled a muscle in his neck, causing him to cringe and kneel down in pain. “Ow, that hurts, man!”
“Don’t die here,” Bunta simply said.
“Mr. Fujiwara, you remember what it feels like to be a street racer,” Ben asked him. “You know I can’t let those outsiders beat us here.”
“Course I understand,” Bunta replied. “But if some old geezer like me showed up with all those kids they’d think I was senile.”
Ben’s eyes focused on Bunta, showing how serious he was. “I spent my racing life driving those curves on those mountains! Right now Project D is making all of our drivers look like unlicensed school kids! It’s annoying me to the bone. I can’t let this go on! I wanna show them that this prehistoric world has a gem that can never be sold, that we’ve got drivers up here with skills like they’ve never seen!” Bunta looked down as Ben continued. “You can do that! You’ve already defeated their fastest, the younger Takahashi brother before on Akina. This would be nothing for you!”
Bunta’s eyelids lifted slightly.
“I don’t have anyone else to turn to!” Ben yelled.
All Bunta did was look at him.
All was quiet later that night, as back down at the diner, the lights blinked off.
But suddenly, a car came driving straight up to the station, honking loudly. Oskau Everfree, the boss of the diner, came walking out of the door. “Can’t you see the lights are off? We’re already closed!”
But the car simply came driving up as Oskau approached. “Ah, shut up grease-monkey, fill Christine up with high octane!” the driver replied.
With a slight smirk, Yuichi leaned down to the window. “You’re crazy if you think I’ll dump high octane into this old Fury.” Suddenly, Christine roared it's engine in anger, and this made Oskau change his mind.
A moment later, a lighter flicked. Both friends simply enjoyed their cigarettes.
“Had to be you!” Bunta finally spoke.
“Who else would have told that kid all those stories about me? Yeah, that was me. But it’s not like I was lying about it. I just couldn’t see the harm in telling him." Oskau replied.
“He came into my temporary store today with a bandage around his head and a neck-brace on asking me to drive in his place on a battle Saturday night. Gotta say, I was actually a little flattered.”
“If you were flattered, then go for it. It’s not like you’ve got other plans. I know the kid, he’s got good people.”
“No thanks. Sticking your nose into these kiddie fights is a good way to get it knocked off. Anyway, that’s not my style.”
“So, then it wouldn’t be a problem if another kid showed up for the kiddie fight?”
Bunta’s eyes widened at that. “What? You mean Michael?”
“That’s right,” Oskau smirked. “He's developing some real skill.”
“Yeah, but he’s still got a ways to go. If it’s Great Valley Interstate #74's downhill, he’s racing on then it’s for sure he wouldn’t lose to anyone…well, anyone except me and my son Takumi, if he was around.”
“Always the competitive spirit,” Oskau smirked. "Besides, he and Takumi are fast drivers."
“Michael’s the same way but he won’t get out there and race unless he wants to do it for himself, and he sure won’t go if I say I want him to. But seeing Ben all beat up made me feel bad for some reason. Might be worth trying.” He dropped his cigarette and snuffed it out with his shoe.
A little while later, Bunta had returned back up to the manor where he was staying. The sound of the door opening and closing hinted that Michael had just returned. The ranger walked past the lounge where Bunta was watching the TV, and was about to walk up the stairs to his room when he suddenly remembered.
“This counts as a verbal contract so I hope you realize,” Ruby told him. “If there’s anything I hate more than smokers, and I hate smokers, it’s people that can’t keep their word.”
Michael turned back into the lounge. “Hey, Bunta, I was thinking I’d take Christine out this Sunday if that’s cool by you?”
“Nope, not this Sunday you can’t,” the reply came.
Michael was surprised. “Why not? I’ll take care of the morning delivery of dounts and everything just like I always do.”
“Oh, I know you will,” Bunta agreed. “But that’s not the issue. I gotta use the car to go to a town meeting in my home diemension on Sunday.”
“You’re kidding me,” Michael was bewildered. “That timing sucks. You have no idea how much I needed the car this weekend.”
“Hmm?” Bunta started to get suspicious. “Must be about a dinosaur girl, huh?”
Michael jumped, his cheeks going red. “That’s none of your business! Come on! Don’t be such a pain and let me take it out! It’s my private car after all anyway! You can take another car from my garage if you want to!” He turned and went up the stairs to his room.
“For your infomation, I modified Christine so she won't start her engine on her own unless the key is in the ingtion, and that key isn’t going anywhere and it's gonna be on a string around my neck!” Bunta simply spoke calmly, causing Michael to shoot down the stairs again with an annoyed look.
“What’s your deal?”
“Fine. You want it that bad I’ll think about it.”
Michael brightened at that. “Thanks, Bunta-san.”
“On just one condition…” Bunta continued, however.
“What’s that?”
“On that mountain range this Saturday, find some punk in an FD people say is one of the fastest on Project D. And beat the crap out of him!”
It was Michael’s turn to become suspicious. “Hold on, you want me to…why?”
“Do that, and I’ll let you take the car out. No questions asked. I’ll even put in a full tank of High Octane gas for you.”
Michael just stared. “A full tank of High Octane? Hmm…” he put his hand up to his chin, lost in deep thought. Wow, a full tank. That’s too good an offer to walk away from. After all, gas isn't cheap these days!
“So, what’s the predict?” Bunta asked.
“I’m gonna need a few minutes to think about it,” Michael replied.
“You take all the time you need to, buddy, after all, you helped me with the tofu when Takumi was here.” Bunta simply said as Michael trotted up the stairs.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the Takahashi brothers’ cars were parked outside the hotel. Within the hotel, Ryosuke Takahashi was looking upon a graph on his laptop. He let out a sigh.
Just then a knock on the door distracted him. “I’m coming in,” the voice of his brother spoke as the door opened. There stood Keisuke.
“Perfect timing,” Ryosuke smiled as Keisuke sat down upon the nearby bunk. “I had a question I wanted to ask you.”
“Yeah, sure. What’s on your mind?” Keisuke asked.
“The Fury that you ran into when you were driving on the Great Valley Mountain Range; do you think you could describe the speed of the car, theoretically speaking?”
Keisuke flinched at the question. “Seriously? C’mon, give me a break, bro! I’m not like you; I can’t rattle that kind of info off the top of my head!”
“Like I’ve always said,” Ryosuke continued, “the most important instrument when it comes to driving technique is right here.”
“All I know is that whenever you’re battling someone you can learn pretty much whatever you need by driving behind them,” Keisuke told him. “You can get a good gauge on their habits, their weaknesses, even how their suspension is set up. How you get all that stuff out of your computer simulations I’ll never know.”
Ryosuke smirked. “In my opinion, the fact you can get out there and drive the way you do without thinking about it and still keep up with me makes you the scary one. If you could just apply theories to your skills, you’d be the perfect driver.”
“I only lost because I was careless and I didn’t know the road. That’s all it was!” Keisuke raised his voice as his mind reflected back to the moment he saw the Plymouth Fury perform the inertia-drift. “I’ve never been embarrassed like that before. I’m telling you that Fury has got to be Christine and it had her license plate CQB 241!"
“Christine, you say?” Ryosuke calmly spoke. “This gets more interesting by the second!” He turned back to his laptop. “Maybe I actually should show up and see how the battle goes.”
* * *
The next morning, at the school, Michael just sat at the window looking bored. Suddenly…
“MICHAEL!” the voice of Zachary hollered towards him, followed by Zachary himself running up. “It’s Saturday, the big day is here!”
Michael just looked at him in a bored way. “Okay, what’s today?”
Zach almost fell over. “What do you mean, what’s today? It’s the day of the battle between Project D and the Great Valley Speed-riders! You said you were gonna borrow the Fury so we could watch and go down, REMEMBER!?”
“Well, I…I wanted to talk to you about that. It’s just…well, it’s just a little more complicated.”
“What do you mean? You’d better not be telling me that you’re gonna bail out on me just because you don’t have time.”
“Time doesn’t have anything to do with it! Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“You back out on me and I’m stuck here tonight, you can kiss our friendship goodbye!” Zach turned away and crossed his arms. “I’ve counted the days I was committed to this race! I can’t wait! I’m falling into bits here!”
Michael just shot him an un-amused look. “Really? Well, I couldn’t tell!”
Meanwhile, back at the donut shop… “Shop owner! Box of dounts!”
“Well, whaddya know? It’s the return of the mummy!” Bunta turned towards the bandaged Ben. “You sure are a persistent one, aren’t you?”
“I still haven’t given up on trying to convince you to race for me tonight!” Ben clenched his fist.
Bunta lit his cigarette. “I’ve thought it over and spoke to Christine. And we might race for you.” Ben immediately jolted at the sound of those words. “You heard me say might,” continued Bunta, “and that’s all you heard me say. We might race for you.”
Ben looked as if he was about to explode. “You’re not gonna regret this! AHHHHHHHHH!!!” another pained muscle in his neck forced him down to his knees again in the excitement. “Ow! My neck…again!”
“Remember what I said about dying in my dount shop…” Bunta sneered.
“Wait, so you’re really gonna show up tonight?” Ben asked as he got back up to his feet.
“I’m not making you a pinky-swear. But you can count on about a fifty-fifty chance of me showing up. What time does the party kick off?”
“Everybody shows up about eight, but the time attack starts at ten on the dot!”
“Ten o’clock sharp? If you haven’t seen the Fury show by ten, you can stop waiting. Any later than that and it’ll be up to you to clench the weight for Great Valley.” He turned his back to Ben.
“Until then I’ll be waiting on you sir!” Ben felt his spirits renewed. “I got all the faith in the world that you’ll show up!”
“It’s not for sure, kid. I said fifty-fifty.”
“That’s wrong. I can tell you’ve already decided you’ll be there and our team will be there to cheer you on the whole way! So Mr. Fujiwara, guess we’ll be seeing you at the top of the Great Valley Mountains at ten o’clock sharp!” He turned and immediately ran out the donut shop door. Bunta turned slightly as he heard the loaned motorbike take off.
Then, Bunta smiled as he took the cigarette out of his mouth. I can’t find it in me to being mean to such an eager kid, he thought to himself. I wonder if I should go up there if Michael won’t. Nah, I’ll stay here…I’m just excited for him.
The sound of honking echoed out upon the road as a car drove down with gentle music playing on the radio.
“You have a good day today, sweetheart?” the driver asked.
“Huh?” Ruby looked at him, obviously not paying attention as she had been staring out of the window.
“You seem…different, brighter.”
“Really…I do? I thought I was always this cheerful around you.”
“There’s something more…I can tell.”
Ruby chuckled. “Actually I’m supposed to take a road trip up to the beach with a friend of mine tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Friend, eh?” her father rolled the word around his mouth. “Is it a boy?”
“What? No, uh…it’s just a girlfriend of mine. I’ve known her for a long time.”
“Ah…well, in that case why don’t we go to the mall? We can get you a new bathing suit to show you off.”
“Oh no, that’s alright,” Ruby told her father. “I already have one bathing suit. I can’t imagine why I would need two of them.”
“But I’d like to see you try a few of them on at least,” her father insisted.
“You’re funny, you know? You’ve seen me in a bathing suit before. You’ve got a one-check mind, don’t you?”
All her father did was chuckle as their car passed underneath a bridge…
And at the same time, who else but Michael and Zachary were passing over the bridge?
“What do you think, Zach? Is it gonna be sunny tomorrow?”
“What do I look like, the weather man? Don’t ask me stupid stuff like that. The weather’s great this time of year. Why…you planning on going somewhere?”
“Yeah, heading out to Oceanside beach,” Michael told him.
Zach turned towards Michael. “Hmm…the beach?”
Suddenly, Michael was pounced on by a desperate Zachary. “WWWHHHHHAAAATTTTTT????? Oh, I wanted to go to the beach! Why didn’t you ask me to go with you!?” He began wailing his head off again. “Wait, you’re going with a chick, aren’t you? You jerk!”
“Yeah, kinda,” Michael kept his cool.
“Who is it? Do I know her? Is she cute? Does she have big knockers or maybe a hot available sister?”
“She has sisters, but they are living with their Mom. But, the girl is cute.”
Zach suddenly twigged. “No, not Ruby!” Michael simply traced his cheek with his finger.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Zach moped.
“Sorry, but it’s not exactly the kind of situation where I could have invited a friend if you know what I mean, Michael spoke with a slight smile on his lips. “Maybe next time, okay?”
Zach now looked as if he was going to mentally break down anime style. “You don’t have to cry about it,” Michael pointed out.
Eventually, the sun was just starting to set over the horizon. Over at a dine-in restaurant…
“So, what do you think’s gonna happen tonight?” one person spoke up. “I’ve heard Project D have never lost battles on the road. Doesn’t sound so good for those Speed-rider characters.”
“Not too much of a big mystery what’s gonna happen tonight,” another replied, by surprize, it was Takumi Fujuwara, the famous 86 driver. “Great Valley going down. It’s pretty much common knowledge that the fastest racing team in the multiverse is none other that Project D, we never lost a battle and we never will!”
“It’s about that time, Takumi,” the first person told him as the sound of a horn beeping echoed outside.
"I actually was thinking, it's been a while since we last saw them." The others who were Iketani and Itsuki were confused. "Pack your bags boys, we are heading back in time!" said Takumi and he was serious about it.
They all departed out of the restaurant and headed to their cars. Takumi took a good look at his car, which was a Toyota AE86, with a Panda bear colour.
This car was designed for pure speed, he thought to himself, it was were I began the feeling for racing. A real thoroughbred that can't be copied. Gunma's AE86. Project D's secret dowhill weapon!
Dozens of cars drove up the road, and passed by a familiar diner. Oskau simply watched them from the window as they drove past. Would you look at that, he thought. The mountain’s lit up like New Year’s tonight. Rumours about this battle between Ben’s team and the team that’s calling themselves the fastest in the Inital D diemension has seem to have spread from coast to coast.
He stepped away from the window and sat down on the couch, lighting his cigarette. As if I didn’t wonder who’s taking home the gold…I mean, Michael’s Plymouth Fury can’t actually lose. Guess it feels good to be excited about a race again.
The roads of the Great Valley Interstate #74 were lit up by cars speeding past corners everywhere.
Over at the meeting spot, the Speed-riders cars had gotten together on one side.
“Wow, there’s so many people up here!” somebody commented.
One driver, called Jeremy Skyline, looked unfascinated. “I’ve never seen the size of that group here in my life. What’s up with that?” he asked.
“Project D must have brought them out here to show off,” Ben snorted. “Intimidate us, force us into a mistake. We lose tonight; we’ll look like the biggest bunch of boneheads.” They looked past their cars to where Project D was parked over on the other side.
“So, uh…Ben…that Fury you were telling us about…” one Speed-riders asked him. “Do you really think it’s gonna show up?”
“Yes,” Ben turned towards him, with determination in his eyes.
“All I know is if I was that Fury I’d stay as far away from this place as I could,” Kenji complained. “I heard Keisuke’s FD3S is only lightly-tuned for mountain-driving, not like it matters from what I’ve heard, cause everyone says it’s kicking out like 350 HP. And there’s too much of a power difference.”
“Even on the downhill, the Fury can never compete with that kind of power,” another driver commented. “How hard did you smack your head when you wrecked anyway, man?” he asked Ben.
“A Fury is just a Fury, yes,” Ben replied. “But this one’s not normal. Keisuke said it himself. On the outside, the thing’s a normal car, but on the inside it’s a beast like you’ve never seen! Trust me guys, he’ll show!”
There was a hiatus. Silence befell the Speed-riders for a few seconds.
“And if he doesn’t, what are we gonna do then?” Jeremy asked Ben.
“There are more people up here watching than I’ve ever seen watching anything,” Ben sighed. “I can’t have them saying we backed out. But if he doesn’t show…”
“That’s what I asked.”
“I want you to represent us and drive like your life depended on it. Got me?”
Jeremy was stunned. “You gotta be out of your freakin’ mind, dude!”
Another moment of silence passed down through the group, until suddenly…
The sound of a car in the distance could be heard.
“Hey, I think I hear ëem coming now!” one of the drivers spoke. Everyone turned, even Ben. “Yeah, those roaderies are really kicking hard, aren’t they?”
Far off in the distance, a group of cars appeared and began to approach. "Project D is here!” Jeremy began to panic.
“This night’s about to get pretty wild, man!”
“Took ëem long enough!”
The crowd was eager to see the new challengers arrive. But Ben and the Speed-riders just plainly stared, not liking one bit what they were about to face. Both Ryosuke and Keisuke climbed out of their cars.
“I never realized how popular the Takahashi brothers are,” somebody in the crowd muttered.
“Yeah, I heard their dad owns a big hospital in Takasaki so you know they got cash to burn,” somebody else agreed.
“We don’t stand a chance against rich guys,” Jeremy complained. “Other than time spent behind the wheel, driving skill is based on nothing more than how much dough you can drop on gasoline and tyres.” Ben tried to cheer them up "Relax, the DPF has loads of money to spare, but it's important to spend it on important things" The other Speed-riders gave a huge groan.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Great Valley, Zachary tapped his foot annoyingly upon the road as he waited at the meeting point. He was expecting Michael to appear at any moment with the Plymouth Fury. The sound of a dog barking in the distance could be heard as he looked over at an electrical digital clock. It read 20:25.
“What’s taking Michael so long? The battle’s probably starting as we speak! He knows where to pick me up at what time I’d be here! I hate that guy! I’m gonna kick him square in the nuts when I see him!” He angrily kicked the nearby post which resulted in him getting an injured foot. He grabbed his foot and hopped around annoyed. “I can’t wait anymore…I gotta go! I’ll just take my stupid scooter if I have to!”
Back over at the meeting spot, Project D and the Speed-riders had begun to converse. One of the Project D members from the first meeting was going over their plan. “Let’s begin the time attack at ten o’clock according to the schedule. It’ll be late enough so there should be fewer convictional cars on the road. We’ll use radios at the start and at the finish line so we can coordinate and time the runs. Also in order to allow the drivers to cope loose and go as fast as they want, we’ll put officials at all the blind corners. In the event of any incoming traffic, we’ll use lights to signal the drivers. Sound like a plan?”
“Works for me,” Ben replied.
“I’m getting the feeling they’ve done this before,” Jeremy muttered to a nearby driver.
“No joke. They’ve probably run this time attack game all over their home diemension,” was the reply.
“Now that we’ve gotten the protocol all out of the way let’s take advantage of the time and enjoy some free runs until ten o’clock hits,” the Project D member suggested. “The galleries are packed.”
Everybody immediately began dashing to their vehicles. Engines fired up, lights flashed up, tyres screeched, and the cars all took off one by one. However, the Takahashi brothers still appeared to be waiting beside their cars.
“Where’s Christine?” Keisuke muttered. “I figured it’d be here.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to keep their secret weapon under wraps until the big reveal at the start,” Ryosuke replied.
Back at the Mansion, Michael walked into the lounge and stared at the clock. It read: 20:50.
“What’s up?” Bunta asked. “Thinking about heading up there?”
“Nah, I’m thinking I don’t really wanna go,” Michael replied.
“Why not? Think you’ll lose? Cause if so, just loosen up. Drive like my son Takumi usually does. You’ll do fine.”
Michael put his hand to his head, thinking deeply.
The RX-7 throttled down the road, catching the attention of fans all around the racetrack.
“Hey guys! It’s here! Keisuke’s FD3S!” a voice yelled out. The crowd watched as the FD drifted neatly around the corner, passing dozens of people sideways along the lanes.
“Sweet! You see how fast he went around that corner?” a witness pointed out. “Ryosuke is coming up right behind him!” Ryosuke’s Savanna RX-7, the FC3S, came shooting up towards the guard-rail, and much to the crowd’s astonishment and fright, it looked as if he was about to plow right into them! But right before the gap was closed, the FC3S quickly drifted and shot past, narrowly missing the guard-rail.
Amongst the crowd, Takumi Fujuwara watched the performance. “Well, that’s Ryosuke’s game for you. A real showoff with skills to back it up.”
The two RX-7s came alongside each other and drifted together without even a care. “I can’t believe they can get their cars that close to each other without touching!” another viewer noted. "That's their famous Parallel Drift!"
Takumi just smirked. “Approaching the other car in full tilt is the toughest part because if you don’t have the driving skills to change your speed and your line during the drift there’s no way you’re gonna be able to pull it off! But what those guys are doing now is just for show…you’re competing for time, it’s just an entirely different story!”
The Takahashi brothers continued to throttle on down the road, seeming as if they didn’t have a care in the entire world. But still, Keisuke was hoping deep down. Come on out, Ghost of Great Valley! I’ve got a race tonight and you’re the other half! Show yourself, Christine!
At that very moment, a car fired up inside a garage. The lights flicked on as the door opened. The car revved a few times before pulling out, coming to a stop outside the front of the house where Bunta was waiting.
“Do you want me to take the paper cup with me tonight?” Michael asked from the driver’s seat.
“You don’t need it. There’s not any donuts in the back and you’re off the clock until the morning,” Bunta told him. “This isn’t a regular delivery so drive your old girl as fast as you can.”
“Well, don’t forget, it’s a full tank of gas when I win,” Michael pointed out.
“We’ll talk when you earn it,” was the reply.
“Fine. I’ll see you when I get back.” Michael pushed the gear down, and the Plymouth Fury began to roll and headed toward the distant mountains.
To be continued…
