#yeah yeah father figure/ mentor/ hero complex and all that but just hear me out

[ex0rin]

Pike & Boimler | Strange New Worlds: Those Old Scientists

+BONUS!! La'an fresh off from having fucked Kirk while time travelling recognizing That Look ™️:

[the-glitter-acetylcholine]

Harry Potter characters that were criminally underused (in no particular order)

(MAJOR SPOILERS)

Luna Lovegood - literally only introduced like halfway through the fifth book, yet probably the most influential ravenclaw character. Her odd mannerisms and odder outlook would have made her a fabulous addition to the golden trio’s shenanigans, yet she only serves this purpose in one case

Mad-eye Moody - he’s “well-developed” in the fourth book, and we get a lot of content of him... only to discover it wasn’t him at all. Then, he briefly appears with the order and then dies. Great. What a wonderful use of a skilled fighter and mentor.

Remus Lupin - okay, so he does get the whole third book but then... he just fucks off? Ofc then he, too, returns to fight with the order, fall in love with a woman half his age, have a baby with her, and then die immediately thereafter. He’s just such a cool guy with so much to offer to Harry and to readers (when it comes to insight on discrimination in the wizarding community) and he just doesn’t get a chance to do nearly enough. What a wasted opportunity.

Pravati and Padma Patil - yeah, these are two different characters, but we know so little about them that I can’t even discuss them individually. They’re twins in different houses! How cool! There’s so much to be explored there, especially considering the competitive atmosphere among houses that Harry perceives. Not to mention the fact that they inexplicably agreed to go to the Yule Ball with Harry and Ron respectively despite a) apparently not knowing them very well and b) not even being all that desperate to hang out with them at the ball (I think Padma asks Ron to dance a few times and then gives up) (side note: this made me extremely mad when I was little, because I had I major crush on Padma). What compelled them to do that? What are they like? What are the differences between them that caused them to be sorted into different houses? Gah, they could have been so interesting!

Cho Chang - this is one that makes me genuinely a little mad (same goes for #6). She’s just so two dimensional, and that’s really not fair. She’s a decoration on Harry’s arm for what? A year or two? And she then cries, dates Diggory, and then she cries again (I think she dates Diggory first but you get the point). HER PURPOSE IS NOT JUST TO CRY OVER GUYS. She’s a ravenclaw. Let’s hear about that. Where do her interests lie? Is she an academic? Is she an artist? What kind of intelligence does she have, what kind of knowledge does she seek? What made her like Harry to begin with? Did Harry ever like her for more than her “sleek black hair” (not a direct quote, but I’m sure it’s described as something to that effect)? I want to knowwwww

Lavender Brown - aka... Ron’s brief, annoying girlfriend? The precursor to Romione? I mean, was this girl even in the D.A.? Maybe she was, but I don’t remember, and that’s the problem. She’s a Gryffindor. She’s brave, she’s headstrong, she’s proud! But she’s only ever portrayed as overbearing and clingy which SURE, may be some of her traits, because she’s allowed to have flaws, but that’s not all she is. I want to see her relationship with Pravati and Hermione, who she roomed with for six years (beyond her annoying Hermione when she dated Ron). But nope! I guess she’s just another accessory!

Nymphadora Tonks - i.e. Tonks. She’s funny and brave and powerful, but we barely get to see her in action (yes, before you ask, i had a crush on her, too). She’s interesting, so interesting, because her emotions are often expressed through her appearance, and she undergoes like two full personality shifts throughout the books (it’s worth noting that she’s also introduced pretty late in the series, book five, i think). She’s depressed for a while, then she falls in love, gets married, and has a son (and then dies), and, while it seems like this is a lot of usage (which it is), I can’t help but wish we had seen a little more of it all, specifically of her falling in love and of her married life, of her motherhood, before she died.

Xenophilius Lovegood - literallly (i would argue) one of the most interesting characters in the series, despite the fact that (I think) he is only featured heavily in one scene. I would definitely call him a more complex character than Snape. In his one scene, Xenophilius offers the golden trio one of their most important lessons through the Tale of the Three Brothers, the story which ultimately wins them the war against Voldemort. And yet, it’s a trap. He’s stalling, keeping them around so that Voldy’s goons can come pick them up and presumably kill them, or at least imprison them until Voldy comes ‘round again. But, and here’s the important part, he does it to save his beloved daughter. His daughter, who is the only family he has left, after his incredible scientist-witch of a wife died doing what she loved. The Lovegood’s are a family of inherently good people, yet Xenophilius sides with the very people who took his daughter in a weak effort to get her safely back. His plan won’t work, they won’t return Luna. They DON’T return her, but Xenophilius is fundamentally weak, made weak out of his love, and his fear of losing the last person in the world he has to care about, to protect, to love. He’s just SO DAMN INTERESTING ughhhhh give me more Xenophilius pleaseeeee

Kingsley Shacklebolt - he’s??? so cool??? Literally he’s just awesome, but we barely see him. He acts as a spy, essentially, when the ministry gets taken over by the death eaters, and helps the order actually get shit done, but he’s just so underused. Idk, I don’t have much to say except that he’s awesome and I want more Shacklebolt content

Cedric Diggory - he’s actually talked about a fair amount, so I don’t think I need to say much, except that he is literally the nicest guy ever, and, despite Harry actively hating him for like a whole year, he helps him in the Triwizard Tournament and represents Hufflepuff beautifully as being more than just the “miscellaneous house”. But then of course he’s killed before he and Harry can become friends, and before readers get a chance to understand anything about his social status (is he the asshole popular guy or sweet quite guy???) or motivations. Of course.

Percy Weasley - aka MY FAVORITE WEASLEY KID. R*wling did my boy so dirty. He’s cool because he’s kind of a stuck up academic asshole stereotype, or at least Harry perceives him as such, and then he changes slightly over the years as he and Harry both grow and mature and then it all culminates in his great moment of emotion and humanity! Fred’s death is, without much contest I think, the most devastating death in the whole series (Dobby could admittedly give him a run for his money, though), in part because he’s just so damn sweet and funny and innocent, and in part because right before it we FINALLY get to see Percy smile. He smiles at a dumb joke Fred makes, and then Fred DIES (a well placed death, I’ll admit begrudgingly), and just the juxtaposition of the moment... *chef’s kiss*. And then we never really check back in on Percy, and we don’t really get enough closure on that moment. :/

Colin and Dennis Creevy - again, two characters stuffed together, this time because we actually know a fair amount about them and... they’re kind of the same character. Colin is obsessed with Harry, and so is Dennis. That’s about it. I just WISH we got a little more on these kids, on why they felt so drawn to him as this apparently untouchable hero among them. Were they abused? Orphaned? Abandoned? Did they have some sort of trauma in their lives that made them so attached to the idea of a savoir? Or did they simply regard Harry as most little boys might, as a cool sort of action figure character? The world may never know :(((

Susan Bones - God, I wish I had more to say about her. She’s sweet, she a hufflepuff, I think she helps Ron at one point in Herbology. Her aunt dies I think. Is she the one who had the rabbit at one point? Idk, she’s just one of those characters who’s so far in the background that she almost stands out, and I kinda just wanna know more.

Fawkes - yeah, I know he’s a bird or whatever, but he’s fucking cool, and we get a Fawkes-ex-machina in the second book and then he’s essentially inconsequential for like... forever. I want to know how he and dumbledore bonded, why his feathers in those two specific wands were so attracted to Harry and Tommy boi specifically, other than symbolism uwu. Does Fawkes have a moral compass, or does he simply follow Dumbledore’s orders? Could his loyalty potentially be changed?

Narcissa Malfoy - please, for the love of god, give the Malfoy’s a chance. At least Draco and Narcissa. Narcissa is essentially the flip side of Xenophilius’s coin. Her side of the family is shrouded in dark magic, but her priority is keeping her dear son safe. I just want to know her and her inner struggle more intimately, because she’s such a contradiction, she’s a death eater who loves and protects, a dark magic user who wants to create something warm and beautiful for her family. She’s scared for a husband, a top death eater, one of Voldemort’s personal faves, and scared for her son, who she knows is good at heart but who struggles through the first steps of death eater initiation out of a sense of duty, a duty to her and his father. She’s the intimate mother figure, yet she’s an antagonist, fundamentally speaking. Fascinating.

These are just some I thought of off the top of my head, I’m sure there are literally hundreds more, from the two guys from the Knightbus to Bathilda Bagshot to Nagini the legend (also wtf happened to her in the Cursed Child?? Nvm, I can’t even get into that shithole right now), and I have to admit that I still love Harry Potter, for its characters and it’s incredible world building, though R*wling is a massive piece of terf-y shit.

It’s important to note that I understand the purpose of flat characters, I understand the purpose of background characters, of undeveloped characters. What I’m pointing out here is that there was a lot of potential in these characters that was largely squandered because R*wling focused her energy on attempting to redeem Snape without a redemption arch, attempting to redeem Dumbledore with an inadequate one, and refusing to properly redeem Draco despite his well-developed arch, for some fucking reason. If you can’t tell, I’m salty, but I’m only salty because I care. Ily, have a good day!!

[schrijverr]

All you need are some friends

An Endgame fix-it, because yeah I’m still not over that.

They get thrown back in time till just before the snap and save everyone, but recovering is a hard battle. Peter has a flashback in school and gains a protections squad.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: flashback, ptsd and vague description of a battle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And I. Am. Iron Man.”

Peter looked up just in time to see his mentor/father figure snap his fingers. Peter ran over, because this wasn’t looking good and this, this just couldn’t be happening. He just got back, he couldn’t lose Mr. Stark again. He fell down, not caring about the tears, and said: “We won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark. We won, you did it sir, you did it. I’m sorry, Tony.”

Mr. Stark didn’t respond and he felt Ms. Potts tug on his arm. She knelt down in front of Tony and told him how he could rest. Peter wanted to scream and kick her and tell her that Tony fucking couldn’t. That he had to fight and stay, that he couldn’t leave them, leave Peter.

Then he felt, what he could only describe as, a tugging sensation as he left his body and got yeeted right back into it. He looked around and saw what he had seen not even an hour before: Doctor Strange, the Guardians, Mr. Stark, the sand of Titan. Wait! Tony! The man was breathing heavily and patting down his body with wide eyes. He looked completely fine. He looked up at Peter and said: “Did it work?”

“I don’t know, Tony, but you’re okay!” Peter ran forward and hugged the man.

Tony hugged him back and said: “I tried to get everyone back into their body before the snap, they had their memories of the past years or what they lived, but no one died yet. I guess I got back into my mostly okay body.”

“What do you mean, mostly okay?” Peter Quill asked.

“I got stabbed, dipshit.” Tony quipped back.

That made Doctor Strange function again. He sprung into action and started bandaging Tony with some stuff of his outfit and told Tony to have the nanotechnology keep pressure on it. Tony nodded and Peter dropped down next to him. Doctor Strange rounded the Guardians up and told them to get ready to fight. The he opened a portal to the battle of Wakanda.

Peter helped Tony up and then through the portal. Normally he would jump back into the fight, but now he was more focused on getting his mentor somewhere safe where he could be cared for. He set his sight on the city and started carrying Tony to it. The man started protesting, but Peter cut him off: “You just practically died for the universe and you’re not doing that again. They can do the work now, I’m getting you to a doctor.”

~

That was now a week ago. They discovered that every hero remembered the last five years, or just the battle if you had been dusted, but the average people, the ones that hadn’t been present didn’t remember. Tony had stopped that future with his sacrifice and because Steve now realized how Tony had been right the Avengers were back together with a new and revised version of the Accords that had been signed.

Aunt May had come to stay with him in the compound while he got over the shock of dying, coming back to life, seeing his third father figure die, traveling back and fighting against an alien army. But he had to get back to school if he didn’t want to raise any suspicion.

He had called Ned and MJ on Skype and told them everything that had happened. They had cried together and he was so grateful that his friends were there for him. He couldn’t imagine how it would be if they weren’t there for him. He never regretted telling MJ he was Spider-man after they had become friends when she had become Decathlon team captain.

He was extra grateful when they were waiting for him at the school entrance. He and Ned did their handshake and they both gave him a hug. MJ glared at anyone who came close to him and Ned kept a comforting arm around him the whole way to the classroom.

Teachers were informed that something had happened, but none of them knew what. Aunt May had also assured them that his disappearance at the field trip to MOMA was completely justified and that they were sorry that it had been such a short notice. Flash of course noticed that the teachers were nice to Peter and had to comment. “Hey, Penis. Why is everyone being nice to a loser like you. Did something happen to the baby?” he taunted.

Peter just turned around to him, the haunted look still hadn’t left his face completely, and in comparison to what he had seen Flashes words meant nothing to him. He then looked at the bully for a second with those empty eyes and slowly said: “Yeah, something.”

After that rumors flew, but he was mostly left alone. No one wanted to face those hollow eyes with big bags under them.

Peter didn’t sleep well, his dreams were haunted by too many things: Ben dying is his arms, a building falling on him, drowning, dying on an alien planet, Tony dying and the list went on. He had now fully joined the insomnia club in the Tower. Each night you could come to the kitchen and there would be something to drink tea with and just sit there and look at the skyline. Nothing was said, but you felt less alone.

He was so glad May had decided that it would be better for him just to live there permanently. She herself still lived in the apartment, but she visited every weekend. He brought himself back to the lesson, it was Physics. He liked Physics, but this was easy. He, Tony and Bruce worked together in the lab, it helped to take his minds of things and it turned out he was pretty smart, but life circumstances made that he’d never skipped a grade, even though he probably should have skipped at least two.

He didn’t mind all that much. This way he got to befriend MJ and stayed in the same class as Ned. He looked to the side. Ned was taking notes with a serious face while MJ held her Physics book in front of the book she was reading. He focused on listening to their calm heartbeats.

Listening to heartbeats it turns out is great for comfort. He listened to Tonys every time he could, it helped him stay grounded in reality. He had come back many times from a PTSD flashback this past week only to collapse on, well with everything that happened he could technically say this, his dads chest. He just hadn’t counted on having one at school and what to do when that happened.

It happened two weeks after he came back, and when he thought about it he was surprised that he lasted so long without having one there. It happened during Decathlon practice. Flash was on question reading duty. He read the question: “What was the name of the alien race that came through the portal in the sky in New York, 2012?”

Peter hadn’t been Spider-man during that attack, he had been small and he had just hid with Aunt May and Uncle Ben in the basement of the apartment complex, but the question reminded him of the alien ship that had taken him to Titan, which in turn reminded him of everything that happened after. He could feel the flashback creeping up on him, but he couldn’t stop it. Before he knew it he was sitting in the rubble of the Avenger Compound and Tony was dying right in front of him.

The Decathlon team had no clue what was going on. One minute everything was fine, Flash was asking a question and then suddenly Peter was scrambling off his chair to fall on the ground. He was reaching forward to nothing, his eyes unseeing. He started talking, more mumbling really, but they could still hear what he was saying. He was telling Mr. Stark that they won and that he did it and that Peter was sorry. He was crying and no one really knew what to do, even Ned and MJ had never really witnessed a flashback, but they did know what Peter was seeing and they knew one way to maybe help. Ned texted Mr. Stark.

Peter was still on the ground crying and Ned and MJ were doing everything in their power to give him space and to stop the team from crowding him. They thanked the heavens when they heard repulsors outside a minute after the flashback had started. Not soon after Tony came running into the room Iron Man suit still disappearing. The whole team stared at him, mouths open in shock. He ignored them in favor of dropping to the ground by Peter and enveloping him in a hug.

He gripped him tight and stroked his hair. Peter sagged into his dads chest as the man whispered into his ear: “It’s over Peter, you don’t have to fight anymore. We’re here, I’m alive. We made it, we’re okay. It’s over, Peter, it’s over.” and other variations.

Slowly Peters breathing evens out, he then blinked slowly and his eyes came back into focus. He lifted his head from Tonys chest and brokenly asked: “Da- Tony?”

Tony nodded: “Yup, buddy, it’s me.”

“Good.” Peter nodded absentmindedly and patted Tonys chest. He blinked a few times and then fell asleep.

Tony smiled softly and picked up the limp boy. He was walking out the door, but before he could walk away Flash said: “What the actual fuck just happened.”

Tony turned around and put his finger to his lips. He softly replied: “Peters life hasn’t been all that fun, I’m just glad he’s sleeping a bit. And don’t start spreading rumors about this, I’m not his lost dad or something, yeah. And he doesn’t need that attention. If you want to help him, just watch out for triggers and don’t tell anyone about this.”

They all nodded, most had taken one look at Peters broken face and then Peters innocent sleeping face and decided that this boy must be protected.

Peter apologized the next day, but they all told them he shouldn’t and that it was fine. They also made him tell them his triggers so that they could avoid them and Flash even apologized for his behavior. Peter might not have realized it then, but he had gained one of the best protection squads in the school. They told people off who speculated about Peter, they censored stuff and sometimes literally formed a barrier between Peter and others. Peter wasn’t okay and they knew that, but they could at least try to make their friends life easier.

[shadowracers]

Shadow Racers - The Hero - Prologue

In a junkyard, somewhere in Massachusetts, rests the burnt and destroyed chassis of a Ferrari 512 BB. It once belonged to a legend of the streets, a man who was feared by all but loved by those who knew him.  On one faithful day in 2015, the man made a brave and heroic sacrifice in order to protect his family and friends from an unstoppable foe.  His sacrifice led to his loved ones’ victory and survival.

That Berlinetta remains there as a memento to the legend this man once was.  He was the scum of society - a street racer - and yet, when he died, he died as a hero.

He told a young man close to him, before his heroic sacrifice, that he wanted the young man to continue his legacy - to take up the throne he worked so hard to claim and defend it from their enemies on the road.  

So much for that.

===========

Present Day

November 3, 2017

7:00 AM

Boston, MA

A Condo in Downtown

A light turns on in a dark room.

A young man, still drowsy, walks over to the bathroom. There, he brushes his teeth, washes his face, and wanders to the kitchen to get some breakfast. After pouring himself a bowl of cereal, he moves towards his table to eat.

It’s like this every morning. Get up, eat, get ready for work. For Dillon Tsuchiya, age 23, it’s always been the same for the last two years. Ever since his life got turned upside down due to an...incident, he’s been struggling to find a purpose in life. At one point, he was a rising star in the world of street racing in Japan. Then, after moving to America, became the most feared driver in a high-stakes rally competition. But this is now ancient history, according to Dillon. Now, he works at a retail store, helping to stock shelves of food, appliances, and so on.

While he eats his cereal, he notices a bird outside his window. Strangely, this reminds him of his past life.

Dillon: The memories of old… The Complex, the cars, the smells… the life.

A phone buzzes near his table. An alarm is going off. It’s time to go to work.

After showering, and putting on his uniform, Dillon heads to the condo’s garage, where his car awaits him. Pulling out the ‘Acura’ key, he starts it up (rather quietly), and drives to the store, where he’s spent the last two years trying to find a life for him.

On the way, he reflects on what he thought at the table, the memories of former glory.

Dillon: There’s nothing left for me in that world. You told me to continue the trend… but I can’t without you.

With that, he continues on his way.

===========

8:00 AM

Cambridge, MA

“Another day, another car.” Steel thought to himself.  He was up early, and had been occupying himself by reviewing his to-do for service work this day.  A bunch of everyday commuter cars...And a Ferrari. A 458 Italia, in bright red.  The Ferrari was a regular at his workplace, and the man often bragged about being a street racer.  Every time Steel hears the stories, he dies a little inside.  He lost something valuable to him -- his mentor and father figure.  Dag died two years ago.  Since then, he hasn’t been able to look at a car without flashing back to that charred chassis.

“Well, ain’t much to do without the boss.” he muttered to himself.  He grabs a Chevrolet key off the coat rack in his apartment and heads down to his car to drive to work.  He had to give up all of his monster cars when the Mafia came for him.  They took all of the cars as collateral.

His phone buzzes.  “Unknown Caller” comes up.

Steel: “Yello, Jacob speaking.”

???: “Have you seen him?!”

Steel: “Oh...Hey Aria.  No, haven’t seen him because he’s dead.”

Aria: “HE IS NOT DEAD!  I WILL FIND HIM!”

The call abruptly drops.  Steel shakes his head and goes to another boring day of work.

“I wonder how the kid’s doing…?”

===========

11:30 AM

Service Center on Interstate 93

A little Toyota SF-R pulls into a service center and parks near a gas station.

For October, it was surprisingly humid.The owner hops out, heads to the restroom, purchases some food, and heads back to the car. While eating his burger on the hood of the Toyota, his phone rings.

???: “Hello, Eddie Wood speaking”

???: “Hey Ed, we got the parts you asked for. Shall we send them to your house?”

Eddie: “No no, actually I’m out of town at the moment, so just hold on to them for now.”

With that, he hangs up his phone and returns to his burger.

Eddie Wood, age 18, graduated from high school back in June. His parents don’t really care what their son does with his life, as long as he stays safe and always comes back home to visit. He probably didn’t get the “safe” part, since Eddie wants to be a racer. He wants to be at the top of the racing world, and be admired by millions of people, around the world. However, with only a little Toyota sports car, nobody’s taken any notice of him. But it doesn’t phase him. Eddie’s main inspiration to becoming a racer stems from a team he used to follow intensely, known as the “Shadow Racers”. They won almost every event they entered, and had a vast amount of cars to choose from. Two years ago, they mysteriously pulled out of every single racing event in the country, and disappeared. From that point, Eddie always planned to find out what really happened to the famed team, and join them. So much did he want to join them, he decided to drive 500 miles from his hometown down to Boston, where the team was based.

Eddie: Oh, better get a move on. I need to start my search for my dream team.

With that, he threw out the wrappers of food, hopped into the SF-R, and headed back out onto the interstate in search for the legends of his childhood.

2:25 PM

Downtown Boston

Eddie: “EH?! You’ve never heard of them before?!”

???: “Nope, sonny-me-boy.”

Eddie let the old geezer continue his walk to the park. That had to the 52nd person he asked if they knew what happened to the “Shadow Racers”.

Eddie: I for sure thought they would be big here! The amount of attention they got… HOW CAN NO ONE KNOW ABOUT THEM?!

Frustrated with his lack of progress, Eddie leaps into the Toyota, revs it to the redline, and peels rubber out of the car park. For a mere 150 HP, it laid down a decent set of elevens.

Eddie, determined to not give up, decided to drive around and look for street racing hot spots in the hopes of finding any clues related to the Shadow Racers.  By chance, he keeps finding himself at the same junkyard over and over again.  Something seems to be pulling him in from outside…

After coming to junkyard for the 4th time, he decides to look around. It was an average place; minivans, Corollas, pick-up trucks, the usual sort of crap.   And yet, something called to him.  Some kind of intangible presence that he could not identify.

On his fifth drive-by, he spotted something vaguely familiar deep in the back of the junkyard.

A burnt chassis of a 70s supercar, but he couldn't tell what. Intrigued, Eddie got out of the Toyota, and walked over to the block of steel. Once he got close enough, he spotted a name on the chassis rails.

“Ferrari”

Then it hit him. The low slung body, the four round taillights, he was staring at the shell of a Ferrari 512 BB, one of the more underrated cars the company made.

This made him gasp.

Eddie: The leader of Shadow Racers had a Ferrari 512…

And once he realized that, he went berserk.

Eddie: “I’VE FOUND IT!!! THE LONG LOST RELIC THAT IS THE DEVIL!!!”

Steel: “And you’ll be quiet about it.”

A powerful hand comes down on Eddie’s shoulder.  When Eddie turns to look, he’s met with a muscular, large man.

Steel: “Couple of fellas told me you were looking ‘round for the Shadow Racers.  That charred chassis is all that’s left of the team leader.”

Steel sighs.  He glances at Eddie.

Steel: “You look like a high schooler.  They had a kid a little above your age on the team.  He watched this -” He gestures at the Ferrari. “ - unfold before his eyes.”

Eddie: “Wow… That must have been painful. What happened to this kid?”

Steel: “Ain’t seen him since.  Story goes that he was supposed to inherit the leadership.  Never heard from him again.”

Eddie ponders this. If the old leader...died, then this kid must be the guy to talk to.

Eddie: “But wait, how do you know this? Were you a member?”

Steel: “Nah.  Ain’t that dumb.  You’d be surprised who comes through auto shops these days.  If I were you, I’d keep this Ferrari a secret, yeah?”

Eddie: “Y-yeah, of course.”

Steel: “After all...Hiding in the shadows is what we do best these days.”

Steel pats Eddie on the back with a bit of force before turning and walking away.  Eddie only catches a glimpse of Steel’s Camaro before it peels off for destinations unknown.  Now he’s alone with the destroyed Ferrari…

Eddie: No… It couldn't have ended like this. I'm sure the old leader would have wanted his legacy to continue. This kid, I must find him.

With that, he hops into the little sports car, and drives to the hotel where he is staying at for a few days. After obtaining his room card from the receptionist, he opens his room door, puts his bags near the TV, and flops onto the bed. His head is spinning with how he could find this kid. A kid? Owning one of the most popular teams in the country, and abandoned it? It didn't make sense.

6:00 PM

Then, he remembered what the muscle man said.

“After all...Hiding in the shadows is what we do best these days.”

Eddie: We… He was one of them, and there's more out there.

This got his attention. If there were more, there was still a chance of finding someone who wants to bring back the team to it's former glory.

But, the search would have to wait till tomorrow. It had been a pretty long day for Eddie, since he was driving for most of it. It was late afternoon, on a Friday, all he wanted to do was relax.

Except he remembered he had no food.

Unwillingly, he got up from the bed, exited the hotel, and walked two blocks over to a big superstore. It looked pretty new, since it had a modern design on the outside. The theme continued once he entered. Eddie thought he was in a hospital, given how clean the floors were. Snapping out of his daze, he heads over to the ready-made area. He figured he eat something light and reasonably priced, given that he had Mexican food for the last week. Eddie couldn't decide what he wanted. There are so many options, you would have thought that this was a restaurant. Seeing a worker over at the produce section, he hollered the guy over. The poor guy nearly dropped all the boxes he was holding when he heard Eddie's cry of dismay. Setting them down, the man walked over. He was a young chap, average weight, with thick, black glasses.

???: “Yeah, what do you need lad?”

Eddie: “I was just wondering what you would recommend from this selection?”

The worker looked at the menu for a long time, before finally saying “Get the roast chicken”. Eddie thanked him, and the worker turned around to finish his task. The guy had a moody expression, liked he was suffering from some sort of illness. As Eddie looked at him, his chicken arrived.

Eddie: “Ah, the perfect meal for a Shadow Racers recruit.”

A large crash follows immediately after Eddie said that sentence. The worker knocked into the boxes he set on the floor. Luckily, they were empty, so no mess was made, but the sound of the crash pierced that section of the store.

Bewildered, the worker got up, and walked over to Eddie. He looked a little pissed off about something.

???: “Hey kid, forget about that team. It's dead.”

Eddie didn't understand...

…for about 10 seconds.

Eddie: “You… You’re the kid that inherited Shadow Racers!”

===========

6:00 PM

Canton, MA

Steelworks Auto Shop

“I wonder where that Ferrari went…” Steel thought to himself as he waited for another client to come in.  He looked over at the work floor and a decent-sized crater that sit in the middle.  He shakes his head.  He was trying to work on Dillon’s AE86 a second time before the engine block dropped out and damaged the floor.

“Glad that thing is gone.  What a piece of shit it was.”

He sighs and starts scrolling through local and foreign BBS services.  Some talk here about a Corvette, some talk about a LaFerrari, bla bla bla.  “As active as ever, huh...” he muttered before moving on.

He looks over at his Camaro.  He can tell it wants to be free of the traffic and road laws.

“Not right now, old girl.  I gotta live my life.”

===========

A Superstore in Boston

The two men locked eyes. The air was cold. It looked like a heavyweight title fight was about to take place on the produce aisle of the store.

Despite the fact that both men looked skinnier than strands of noodles.

The worker, who was indeed Dillon, the inheritor of the Shadow Racers team, spoke first.

Dillon: “Who told you about...it?”

Eddie: “I’ve been a fan of the team ever since it started, back in 2015-”

Dillon flinches a little, upon hearing “2015”. The year where everything changed.

Eddie: “- and I’ve been a fan ever since. Watching you guys tear up the Gumball Rally tournaments, you guys are my heroes. Or should I say, were.”

Dillon: “Why waste your time finding them? They died two years, along with their leader!”

Eddie: “Whose Ferrari still sits at a junkyard? That’s how you honor him? Whatever happened, he died for the team, for you! To continue the life he wanted! You can’t let the legacy die, when there are other teams out winning races, your races!”

Dillon looks down, his hair covering his eyes. He knows it. Dag wouldn’t have wanted this. He said it himself. But how, how could he bring back the team out of the shadows?

Eddie feels saddened. He never thought he would meet his heroes this way.

Then, he asks Dillon the nagging question.

Eddie: “Why did the Shadow Racers end?”

Dillon turns away, thinking, remembering the past. He promised himself he would never think about those times again, that it will only bring him sadness and pain.

But he couldn’t help it.

He sighs deeply, and motions Eddie to follow him. Dillon mutters “It was the end of my shift anyway”, and takes his keys out.

Eddie follows Dillon to the back of the store, and out to the employee parking lot. There, he sees a silver NSX light up.

Eddie: At least he still drives a sick car.

Dillon again motions to Eddie, this time to get in the passenger seat. Eddie does this, and Dillon hops in the driver’s seat. After closing the door, Dillon sighs again, and begins to tell his story.

Dillon: “We weren’t a normal team. Usually, racing teams sign their drivers through contracts, and they have a working relationship. We weren’t like that. We lived under the same roof, bonded with each other, and deeply cared for one another. All this was possible through the leadership of one man, Dagurasu Trenton. To the outside world, he was a dark, cold man. The “Devil”, as they called him. But to us, he was a gentle, kind, respectful man, with great wisdom, and good sense of humor. He helped train me and a couple of others to be better. Not just as drivers, but in general, too. That rally championship….. the Gumball, as you called it. That broke us. At first, all seemed well. We were competitive, and managed to win some events. We raced with all our strength, but respected every other competitor to the fullest, and they did so to us as well. Except the organizers… They had other plans. Little did we know the Russian Mafia was behind the whole event, which makes sense now, given the prize for winning outright was $50 million. They went to great lengths to stop our progress, and when we discovered them… We fought back. One day, in California. Me and Dag were being chased by a group of them. His Wangan Devil 512, and my White Rocket Mazda RX-7. Gun shots flying everywhere. Suddenly, Dag slammed the brakes, and trainwrecked the Mafia SUVs. Next thing I know, I hear a giant explosion, and turn around to see fire everywhere. I had to keep going, knowing that's what he would have wanted. When I got back to the team in Easton, news broke of his death from our trusty mechanic. After the hearing of his will, I received ownership, 3/4s of his wealth, and the property that was our base. But I’ve done nothing since then. He was the man, the one who lead. I, meanwhile, was just a bratty university student trying to drive faster.”

Eddie was shocked, to say the least. He could NEVER imagine what they could have gone through. The pain, the sorrow, a life-changing experience.

Time passed as both men sat in the hybrid supercar, motionless. It was now 7:00.

Eddie: “I met a man at the junkyard where the Ferrari is, he told me about you, and what happened to your leader. Drove a red Camaro, says you two haven’t seen each other since the incident.”

Dillon chuckles to himself.

Dillon: “Ah Steel, that mechanical genius. We really haven’t seen each other in so long…”

Eddie: “Then, let’s go see him!”

Dillon turns to Eddie slowly. He knew the memories would keep coming back if he went there. But, seeing Eddie’s expression, it reminded Dillon of how he was when he first joined the team. Maybe, just maybe, the racing bug was coming back to him…

Dillon: “Well…. Alright. Put your seatbelt on.”

The NSX roars into life. Despite the electric motors, it still sounded like an event. It pulls out of the lot, and onto the busy streets of Boston, heading for what used to be the old base.

===========

Canton, MA

7:00 PM

Steel stretches out as he checks the lobby to his business one last time.  Nobody came after the cancelled Ferrari appointment.  He locks the doors to the building and arms the on-site security before turning to his car.

“Well, seems like traffic sure died out.  Maybe I’ll take you to extra-legal speeds.”

Steel gets in the car and cranks the key. The Camaro lazily rumbles to life and then grumbles as Steel drives off towards his house in Cambridge.  After a few minutes, he pauses and contemplates something...He makes a U turn and starts driving towards Easton.

Once he reaches a quiet part of Route 138, he takes a deep breath and checks his mirrors.  No one in sight.

Perfect.

He pins the throttle, causing the car to sink hard as it digs in.  It takes off accelerating with a vicious roar, and he tears through traffic light after traffic light.

It doesn’t take long until he tears past Town Spa Pizza, a popular joint in Easton.

“Oh, shit.” he says out loud.  He quickly gets on the brakes, causing the car to throw itself forward against its tyres.  The strips of rubber can only let out agonized screeching in response to this, as they cling to what’s left of their traction.

Steel made sure everything was sorted out and drove like a good boy the rest of the way.

He pulls into the complex he used to call home.  Outside is a rotted Lotus Esprit, a project he never got to finish.

“Heh.  Wonder where Erich went…”

He hears a car in the distance…

===========

At the Same Time…

Eddie: “Hey… Is that big building it?”

Dillon: “Yes. It hasn’t changed a bit.”

As they get closer, Dillon notices a red Camaro parked in the driveway.

“Never remembered a Camaro being part of the fleet”, he thought. He switches off the NSX, and steps out into the dusk-environment. The air is cold, like a spirit hangs over the place. Nevertheless, Dillon tells Eddie to get out, and the two start walking up towards the front door.

That is, until they notice someone standing by the old Esprit.

Dillon: “S-steel?”

Steel: “Well, shoot!  Dillon, what brings you around here?  And who’s the kid?”

Dillon: “Me? What brings the ol’ mechanical genius back? And as for this lad, I thought you would know…”

Eddie steps forward, looking a little shy.

Steel: “Ain’t you that kid from the junkyard? ...Right, you are.”

Steel shakes his head and glances at Dillon.

Steel: “Ya make sure you weren’t tailed?  Aria’s back in town...Got a call from her this morning.”

Dillon: “Oh for God’s sake… Probably the only thing I didn’t miss was her craziness.”

Dillon turned to Eddie, and then back to Steel. His expression dampens.

Dillon: “This boy showed up at my store, talking about the Shadow Racers. Apparently, he’s one of our biggest fans, and wants us to return with him as our new recruit…”

Steel looked at the Esprit, and pondered.

Steel: “Ah, well...We ain’t a team right now.  None of us had any reason to keep running.  ...Shit.”

Steel looks like he just remembered something.

Steel: “Fellas, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go inside.  I hope it’s still there…”

Steel heads straight for the old main entrance to the building and kicks aside a brick on one wall to reveal a key.  He heads inside without hesitation.

Eddie: “Where is he going?”

Dillon: “Beats me. But, he’ll probably come back. Eventually…”

They can hear a few things shifting around, Steel cursing, and then rapid footsteps as he hurries right out of the building holding a folder and something in his right hand.

Steel: “Good God!  There’s a rat nest in there!”

Dillon facepalms while Eddie frantically searches the ground for any rats that may have escaped.

Steel: “Dillon, read this when you can.  I gotta take care of this little jumpin’ spider I found hiding in it.”

Steel shoves the folder in Dillon’s hands and heads off for the closest patch of grass.  

Dillon closes the folder, and looks over at Eddie, who is still looking for rats.  Steel is by a grass patch, trying to release the spider.

“All that’s left of the Shadow Racers…”

Dillon: “Hey Steel! Got a minute?”

Steel: “Yeah, what’s bothering ya?  I take it you read the file…”

Dillon: “No, but maybe later. After hearing what the boy over there said to me... I should be better than this. We all should be. He wouldn’t have wanted this. Screw the Mafia, I want to bring back the Shadow Racers.”

Eddie nearly pisses himself. The Shadow Racers are coming back???

Steel: “Well...Shoot.  Ya got me in a bit of a pickle there.  If we’re gonna get this started, we oughta work loosely.  No fixed bases until we got what we need, aight?”

Steel took the folder from Dillon, and held it between his arm and chest.

Steel: “Well, I oughta go find my good tool set.  I don’t see why we ain’t starting any sooner!”

Eddie: “Count me IN!!!”

Dillon and Steel look at him strangely.

Steel: “Hold your horses, kid.  You gotta prove yourself.”

Dillon: “You sure do. I will test you personally, to see if you have what it takes. But before that, I better contact Chris. Wherever the guy is…”

Steel: “Probably annoyin’ some amateur about the circle of traction and why his car is oversteering.”

With that, the three men look into the sky, just managing to catch the sunset over the horizon. Their shadows grow in the fading light, as do they rise. The Shadow Racers have begun to emerge from the darkness...

Sort of.

Steel: “Which one of y’all farted?!”

End.