#jynx fushon

[theonetheycallsagey]

Ignition Chapter 2: New Kids on the Block

The opening race! Who will come out on top? Who is this mystery driver coming from the crowd? Find out on this episode of Dragonba- er, I mean, Ignition!

Riley Currant and Sienna Umberon belong to @gruntnuker-rwby

Sapphire’s heart was about to beat out of her chest. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. If they didn’t have to be ready on the pedals, her legs would’ve been bouncing with anticipation. Her eyes were transfixed on the skunk hybrid in front of her motioning for cars to line up. And behind that skunk hybrid, an empty city street under the lights of downtown ready for its players to take center stage. This was it. The crescendo, the beat drop that couldn’t even be rivaled by the ones she heard so frequently in clubs. It was exactly what Sapphire lived for.

The moment Royce’s arms dropped, Sapphire got her sweet release. A fleeting moment, but one she cherished nonetheless, as her suspense released into dopamine and adrenaline. Likewise, her Ford Focus RS felt that same rush as its 4-cylinder engine burst off the line. As Royce quickly disappeared out of view, she then shifted her priority to the car outside her passenger side window. The black Monte Carlo of Jynx Fushon was just beginning to poke its nose as they climbed through the gears. The 350 small block motor underneath the Chevy’s hood was putting each horsepower it produced to good use. As they continued down the initial straight, Sapphire’s rear view filled with the headlights of a Golf that was forced to fall in line after a poor start. And while she couldn’t see it, she knew that the RX-8 was fiercely keeping pace on the other side of Jynx. Sapphire kept her nose underneath the muscle car to hold onto the inside line for turn 1. But, Jynx didn’t drift up the track like she expected, instead remaining gripped to the street and keeping the two side by side. Now, Victoria was behind both of them, trying to pick a lane to apply pressure from.

Before they reached the next set of corners - a quick left-right flick one block over onto Odessa Avenue - Jynx's power started to pull him ahead. Sapphire groaned softly at the sight of taillights. Before Victoria could take advantage and follow Jynx past her, however, Sapphire sent her Focus through the cityscape chicane. The nimble hatchback had a much happier time going through the turns than her competitors. The gap to the Monte Carlo closed just as quickly as it formed. But, with Jynx on the apex, there was no opportunity for Sapphire to use her advantage and make a pass.

Facing the drivers next was a fast turn onto Summerwood Boulevard. Just outside the line of cones demarcating the track, a girl was sat in the back of a silver and black Chevrolet El Camino, with her phone out to record the action. First, she directed her camera on the lead as Sapphire tried to use the outside line to go the long way around, but to no avail. Then, she swiftly switched to Victoria defending a charging Cato. Just as she thought her filming job was done, though, the sound of an incoming V8 engine whipped her aim back to the street. As the Mustang flew through the turn past the girl, gaining ground on the others, she reached for a radio hooked to a belt loop on her denim shorts.

Back at the parking garage, everyone was abuzz with speculation at this new arrival. Questions kept arising like heat from the blacktop after a burnout, with no answers to appease them. Emotions ranged from bewilderment to concern to outrage. Who was this crowd missile? Why were they here? Were they looking for someone in particular? Everyone was looking to Royce for an explanation, but she had none to give.

“Yo boss, you’re seeing this right?” Royce’s radio hummed to life. “Whats going on? Who is that?”

“Harley, you’re like the 18th person to ask me that in the past two minutes. I have no idea,” she said back into the radio. The stress and frustration in her voice was a struggle to keep hidden. Meanwhile, the other three West Coast All-Stars were stuck watching the action from the sidelines. Solomon’s tablet displayed Sapphire’s onboard feed and the video Harley just messaged him. 

“C’mon, Sapph. Get around his ass!” Auburn yelled at the screen like a sports fan watching their hometown team.

“If she stays close and keeps biding her time, she’ll be fine. He’ll make a mistake long before she will. She’s got this,” Dash said.

“You guys are more worried about the race than the fact that there’s an intruder in it?” Solomon asked his teammates. He tried to keep his anxiety at bay and sound cool, but it still crept into his voice enough for his friends to recognize it. For his troubles, he received a hearty pat on the shoulder from Auburn. It took some effort to fake not feeling Auburn’s strength.

“She’s a big girl. She can handle it,” she said.

“That Mustang’s got no chance of catching up. Just some reject looking to cut the line and pull a fast one. So no, I’m not worried,” Dash added again with unwavering conviction.

“You should be.”

The trio all turned around to follow the trail of an unknown female voice. Stood behind them was the same biker Sapphire had taken a picture of before the race began. She faced them all with arms crossed over her black and red Icon biker jacket. Then, a pair of skeleton gloved hands moved to unfasten the helmet. The face revealed underneath had maroon shoulder length locks and red eyes that were staring down the All-Stars. The three of them exchanged glances and shrugs.

“Uhm, do we know you?” Auburn questioned.

“No, but you will,” the biker said.

“Ugh. The amount of corny ass lines I’ve heard from rookie nobodies,” Dash muttered while rolling his eyes so loudly it was a miracle the whole meet didn’t see it. The biker certainly took notice at his lack of care in keeping his words down.

“Watch your mouth, red. Name’s Riley Currant. I’m the leader of Garage 21,” she said icily at Dash.

“Never heard of it,” he scoffed.

“We’ve been going across the country beating the best each scene has to offer. New York, Chicago, Seattle. And now we’re finally at our last stop. LA, the origin of hot rodding and drag racing.”

“So, the Mustang. They’re with you?” Solomon asked the newcomer softly.

“Yup. That’s my babe. It was her idea.”

“Hmph. So you’re on a cute little road trip. Big deal. Why does that mean you get to just jump into a race you had no business even knowing about?” Dash said. Riley took one step toward him. She was the same height as Dash, so looking into his eyes as a smirk grew more and more across her lips was just that much easier. Dash furrowed his brow in turn.

“To get your attention,” she said. “We aren’t waiting. We wanna put the best teams on notice. And not gonna lie, when I heard you pull up in a Ferrari that sounded stock, I almost didn’t believe it was you.”

“How do you know about us?” Solomon jumped in again, inadvertently cutting his leader off before he could fire back with a comment defending his Italian baby.

“We got more reach than we thought,” Auburn nudged Solomon with her elbow, chuckling pridefully.

“Did you think we were gonna go into this blind? Besides, your influencer friend made it really easy to keep track of who’s who in this scene,” Riley said. Having heard bits and pieces of the conversation, Royce had joined the group at this point. She was eyeing the stranger cautiously, still demanding answers.

“Well if you’re as experienced as you say you are, then you should know this shit isn’t free to play. Barging in like this isn’t exactly how street racing works, sweetheart,” Dash said. With the grin still plastered on her face and without breaking eye contact, she withdrew a sizeable stack of cash from her pocket. She waved it in Dash’s face a little, prompting a swipe to knock it out of her hands that was too slow.

“You’re the organizer, right?” Riley addressed Royce. She nodded, still looking unsure as RIley handed her the wad of money. “We’re not looking for free rides. We’re just looking to make a name for ourselves. Just as we’ve done at every place we’ve stopped so far.”

“Oh you did that. But that’s not always a good thing,” Dash said, his words still armed defensively like daggers.

“Very ironic coming from you, silver spoon,” Riley said while desperately trying not to just laugh in his face. Meanwhile, Royce had been quietly counting the money during their back and forth. She had enough to cover her usual entrance fee plus a little extra. She stepped in between the two bickering redheads, waving them both off to shush them.

“She’s clear with me as far as money goes. Although next time, I’ll just text you when we get together,” Royce said. She stuffed the cash into her jacket pocket and in its place she pulled out a vape pen. One hit, a puff of smoke, the taste and scent of blueberry taking over. Her stress levels were finally coming down some. “Save me the anxiety, ok?”

The distance between Sapphire in second and Victoria in third had grown. It essentially split the race into two smaller battles. Cato was finding it difficult to get out of last. The RX-8 was doing good work keeping him behind, especially through the turns. If there was one benefit of being in the back, at least his attention could remain solely fixed on what’s in front of him. No reason to be glancing at his mirrors. Not like there was going to be a surprise fifth racer to defend from.

Wait, what?

Much to his surprise, a pair of Ford Mustang headlights were rapidly growing in his mirrors. By the time he noticed, it was too late to stop the charging blue oval. It breezed past him with enough straight line speed to make a defense almost impossible anyways. Now, the Mazda was next in their sights. As they neared, Victoria was unsure if she should even spend the energy on the tresspasser. She doesn’t count as an actual participant, right? But in the end, racer instinct kicked in. Nothing gets past. She threw a hard block on the Mustang. But, it could only stop their advance briefly. 

Back at the front, Sapphire was starting to get antsy. In her world, there were a lot more fun ways to get pinned down than being stuck in second place. But, that Monte Carlo was proving to be a nuisance to pass. In racing, catching someone is one thing, but getting around them was a whole different thing entirely. And if Sapphire didn’t know that before, she was certainly being reminded of that now. 

If she was feeling any kind of annoyance at her situation, however, she wasn’t showing it. Nothing was gonna shake her. She took a deep breath and instead of reaching for her shifter, she tapped the screen to the right of the steering wheel. On it was the radio tab left with the same playlist she boomed down the highway earlier on pause. The EDM made its return known with one subtle press of the play button. Jynx cocked an eyebrow at the mirrors he had been fixated on upon hearing the music.

Sapphire was all over his rear end. She first looked left. Then, she cut all the way to the right lane. Each move she took was countered by the Chevy, but the margin of error was shrinking. Every one of his safeguarding measures cut it closer and closer, looking more and more shaky. They began to approach a long right-hander that took them past the library, which had long been closed for the night. The turn tightened up on exit, meaning any passing here was going to be mere inches from ending in disaster. Upon entering the corner, Jynx’s car slid up just a little, leaving a gap just big enough to fit a Focus through. And right as the song’s buildup section was coming to an end-

“Got him!” The beat drop. Her eyes electrified. Her smile couldn’t be contained. She stomped on the gas pedal and gunned it toward the opening. It was a wild move, one that caused Jynx to stare outside his driver side window in near disbelief. She practically threw the car to his inside, but never once made any contact with the Monte Carlo. He was forced to listen to that beat drop as it passed him by. With that, Sapphire was now in the lead.

With the race well into its closing stages, Jynx had little time to waste in shifting to the offensive. He tried to put the power down on out the corner but Sapphire took his preferred racing line away. This halted his momentum for the moment, causing Jynx to growl under his breath. He barely had time to squint into a concentrated death stare at Sapphire before a glow from behind caught his eye.

“Heh, guess you don’t wanna lose that bet after all, Victoria,” Jynx said to himself. But, as the shine dimmed down and the front end came into focus, the invading Mustang made its presence known. “What the fuck? Who’re you??” he said louder in bewilderment. A blue car stuck behind him was a sight he welcomed, but with Sapphire in front of him, then..who was this? Likewise, Sapphire saw the fellow Ford slotted in line from behind Jynx.

“Party crasher, huh?” she said. Her voice did not express the surprise her eyes gave off at seeing this uninvited guest. There was no concern in her words, unlike her other competitors. There was no panic, no anger. Only a new thrill of someone new. “Ok, newbie. Better not miss your shot.”

As the now 3-way battle for the lead rushed toward the final turn, a left that would put them on a one-way track back to the parking garage, the Mustang suddenly darted out of Jynx’s slipstream and to his inside. Jynx moved down to try and squeeze them out of room, trying to force them to back out of it. But, the Mustang wouldn’t budge. With an impressive display of fearlessness, they kept on the throttle and turned Jynx’s move against him, practically powering him aside. The Chevy wiggled, forcing Jynx to give up the position as he had to let off the gas and recollect his car. With second now secured, all that was left was a last sprint to the finish line and a sporty blue hatchback. However, the battle for second cost both Jynx and the Ford too much time. Sapphire was able to streak across the finish line in first, securing another victory for the All-Stars.

“Yeah, baby! Yes!” Sapphire shouted in triumph. She eased on the brakes and gently brought the car back down to a leisurely, more speed limit friendly pace. The turn around and casual stroll back to the rest of her team was like a the drive to victory lane for her. And her teammates were the #1 fans to shower her with congratulations.

“That’s how it’s done!” Auburn said while pumping her fist. Sapphire gave her a quick nod of thanks as she got out the car. But, any further celebrating was cut short as her interest was peaked in something else - the mystery Mustang that had now pulled alongside her. Peering over the roof, she waited for the driver to reveal themselves. Her anticipation was first met by a pair of fox ears, both marked with several piercings, most notably one with a pentagram on it on the left ear. That was followed by long brown hair done in dreads with the sides shaved. And as she turned around to face the All-Stars, a pair of heterochromatic eyes, one a glimmering gold and the other an icy, metallic blue, peered back at her. Piercings dotted her face as well, including her nose, lips, and brow. The lighthearted smile she gave was a stark contrast to Sapphire’s confusion.

“Damn, you know if I had an even start I woulda had you!” Her voice was a bit deeper in pitch than an average female voice. Her words carried no kind of regret whatsoever for the race she had just broken into. As she stepped out away from the cars and toward LA’s established top racers, she revealed a busty chest hidden under a comfortable T-shirt and jacket.

“How’s the cheesy quote go? It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile?” Sapphire said. She flashed her trademark heartwarming smile, almost as if to the other girl’s nonchalance. She recognized the game being played. Auburn joined her side, staring down the fellow fox hybrid with equal parts defensiveness and curiosity. She seemed like someone Auburn could roll with. “Sooo who are you exactly?” Sapphire inquired.

“Oh, right! Name’s Sienna Umberon. Your favorite menace to society aannnnd-”. As she left her sentence on a cliffhanger, she made a gesture to the rear of her car. On the rear bumper, there was a sticker that said- “Fastest Fox in Town,” she finished. Auburn’s ears twitched slightly. 

“Wanna try that last part again?” she said, desperately trying yet still failing to keep her anger internal. Any interest she had in making a new hybrid friend had dissipated into the faintest scowl across her lips.

“What do you drive?” Sienna implored, almost in a tone of voice that was dying to egg Auburn on.

“Challenger Hellcat.”

“She’s our Hellfox,” Sapphire added.

“Hellfox, huh?” Sienna said. As the redhead Riley now joined her, arm wrapped around her shoulders, Sienna looked up in thought for a moment. “Where do I know that from? Oh yeah! You from Detroit by chance?” Auburn nodded. The Motor City was her hometown, born and raised, and where she first cut her teeth as a street racer. “Yeah, heard about you a lot when we passed through. Seem like the real deal. You had all the records up there.”

“Damn right,” Auburn said with a surge of confidence at the reminder of her hometown accolades. However, as she processed that last sentence again, that confidence quickly left her chest. Her fox ears shot straight up, and her face twisted with shock and outrage. “Wait. Had?!?”

“The sticker doesn’t lie,” Sienna tapped the front bumper teasingly like she was knocking on a door. “Riley and I built this thing to hurt Hellcats’ feelings.”

“I don’t know where you come off trying to step up to us like this. You snuck into a race just to have a shot at the champs, and guess what. You lost. So if you want another shot like that, work your way up the right way, then we’ll talk, ok? Back of the line,” Dash came in at last.

“Ooooooo, someone’s worried my degenerate ass is gonna whoop your ass,” Sienna said to him, her tail swaying as her sarcastically saccharine words were only interrupted by a snort of laughter.

“Worried? About you? Only thing I’m worried about with you is you trying to steal my watch.” His unflinching anger and commitment to the tough guy approach only caused Sienna to laugh louder.

“Yeah, this was the first impression I got from him too,” Riley said, joining in the laughter at Dash’s expense but much quieter.

“The first impression should be I’m above whatever hole you crawl out of that you call a home. If that makes you hate me, then I guess you can hate,” Dash said. Suddenly, Sienna broke away from Riley and marched forward towards the elite. The giggling was now gone. In its place were eyes of fire and a clenched fist poised to knock out the former shortstop. 

“I refuse to be lectured about ‘the right way’ by someone like you! You wanna talk shit to my Riley, then I’ll show you some hate!” But, an icy hand from behind promptly found her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.

“Babe. Not here,” Riley said. Her calming touch instantly caused Sienna to untense her muscles. It was always a certain level of soothing to her, even when she didn’t want to be soothed. However, the blaze in her mismatching eyes did not fade one bit. After a moment of neither of them backing down, Sapphire also stuck a hand between them to aid in defusing the situation.

“We should go, guys. Things are winding down, and we don’t need to risk police catching the afterparty,” she said. Even as Dash and Sienna both took a step away from each other, the two refused to break the staring contest for another couple uneasy moments. So, Sapphire kept going, “It was fun getting to race you. Hope we get to do it again more evenly next time. And welcome to LA.”

“Yeah. Welcome,” Dash said with biting mockery.

“Oh don’t worry. You’ll be seeing a lot of us soon enough,” Riley said. The two factions separated to their camps and began to disembark from the meet. As they drove off into the southern California night, the cast of characters returned backstage after another performance. No doubt that the next act had been altered by this meeting.