Home-style Racing

[Override]

Wow, he actually got a boost of confidence from that. Humans were weird, but still it was good to see he was getting the hang of it. Plus they hadn't immediately crashed, so that was a plus. Maybe this motivational holomatter avatar thing was working, after all. There were more than a few obstacles on the track that Override thought would've smashed younger drivers, yet lo and behold Shane was practically flying through them.

The avatar leaned forward, watching how he handled himself at the wheel, "I already do, sometimes. But you, Shane, you're a natural!"

[Deleted]

Shane definitely felt a bit of pride at being a “nautral”. But he could also definitely tell that it was getting harder, and probably only going to continue that way as it went on. He kept his grip on the steering wheel tight and again inhaled a slow, deep breath as he attempted to move over a few more ovsracles. Of course not all of them were perfect, and he’d nearly flipped Override twice this time but he at least seemed to be doing pretty good. “You do this crazy of driving on Earth?” He asked curiously.

[Override]

"Yeah, but your Earth courses aren't nearly this hectic. I've never seen another racer get chopped in half during any of the street races I've been to on Earth, at least." Wait. "Not that it happens a lot around here, mind you! This isn't a death-race, so you're fine."

Override said no more about the death races, for Shane's sake. Though, she did feel she'd have to explain them someday. Her avatar visibly reeled as he almost flipped her several times, still not used to channeling a holomatter avatar just yet. She probably should have told him that she had no control over her vehicle form while projecting, but it might've ruined his confidence.

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“Whoa whoa whoa, Death Race? What the heck is a death race?” Shane asked honestly, not entirely liking the sound of that. Hadn’t there been a movie about that years ago? It involved people earning their freedom and a lot of explosions and weaponized cars or something to that effect he thought. He remembered it looking really cool but the thought of a real thing. “Is that like some sort of gladiator style racing game? We made a movie with that name on Earth that was about that.”

[Override]

She probably should have expected this, especially after mentioning 'death race'. "We rarely hold them anymore, but back before I was the leader of Velocitron they were much more common." The avatar leaned back in her seat and folded her arms, looking forward along the track. "They were for bots who couldn't get their thrills through normal races, to they upped the stakes, so to speak. The bot who led Velocitron before me, Incinerator, used them as an excuse to execute criminals. There's a reason they don't happen anymore under me..."

Incinerator. Thank the Allspark that he was keeping quiet. Velocitron didn't need any more tyrants in it's history any time soon.

[Deleted]

Shane shuddered at the thought. So it was almost like that. Which was absolutely disturbing to him. It wasn’t hard to grasp that upping the stakes basically meant you could and probably would die, after all. “What kind of sick piece of crap was that Incinerator to do something like that? That’s barbaric!” He explained, his mind swirling at the thought. “You didn’t ever have to do that did you...? I can’t imagine that they’d be very fun, so...” It was an honest question after all.

[Override]

'Lori' shook her head no. "There are better ways to dish out justice than by outright killing somebody, let alone forcing them to die in a race." The avatar bounced up in her seat as Override went over a medium-sized ramp, then continued, "Incinerator didn't just use them to execute criminals. He sent anyone who so much as doubted his authority to death races..." Lori paused to look out at Velocitron's vast desert from the window, taking a moment to conclude her thought, "...myself included."

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Shane really shuddered at that point. The thought of Override in those races... What if she had died? He couldn’t imagine a life without her around at this point and the thought honestly unnerved him. “Man I can’t imagine you in a race like that. I uh... the thought of you actually being in life or death like that,” Shane found himself sombering up considerably - he wasn’t sure how to put this in a not awkward way really. “I just, you’re too good a person to have had to go through that.” He explained.

[Override]

Shane was... awfully compassionate about something that had happened a good few million years ago, wasn't he? The avatar was incapable of showing it, but he had managed to move her heart, so to speak. Then came her real response, "Don't worry, I smoked his aft in the Speedia 500 after I survived his little death race." She didn't exactly win the race itself granted, but causing Incinerator to hit the seventh curve in the tunnel of torment was all too satisfying.

Lori looked back to her driver, "And please, going through something that traumatic sometimes makes you a better person as a result."

[Deleted]

Shane nodded his head. Trying to remind himself of that, she was still there after all, he really shouldn’t worry so much. But maybe he just got that way sometimes - feeling like dread was hardly something he liked. “Yeah I know, sorry. I just you mean a lot to me. And the thought that you had to go through that... Kinda scared me a bit.” He admitted.

He licked the side of his lip slightly. Thinking over her words a bit, Shane said something that had been on his mind lately. “I don’t know if I’m strong like that. But I’ve been meaning to... Say something lately,” he explained, his voice tight. “I’m thinking about. Going back.. I mean not to my stepdad. But to Jasper. I’ve been mulling over if I should. But you guys have been helping me get stronger and,” he paused a minute. “I think it’s time I come clean about what I think happened to my mom. To the police I mean.”

[Override]

Override was amazed that Shane had actually passed four turns and three jumps while expressing his concern for her. Her amazement was muted by his admission of his plan to return to Jasper. She was hardly an expert on intrahuman relationships, but she had some ideas nevertheless. He was being awfully brave from what she gathered. From what she'd heard from Shane so far, it seemed like such a course of action would've been impossible before he met her. "I can't take credit for something that you had inside you all along, Shane. You've always been this strong."

The avatar's form buckled as Override rounded a particularly harrowing corner. "But, we really should get off this track if you wanna talk about this some more... because I can't control Override while Lori's being projected, you see..."

[Deleted]

Shane nodded his head he understood what she meant by needing to get off the track. But being strong enough to do what he was talking about? He wasn’t even sure he was now, he was scared out of his mind. So many things could go wrong though he knew he couldn’t keep quiet anymore. Least of which being his stepdad could buy off people and just take back custody of him.

“I mean I wouldn’t call myself brave, I’ve been running from this since I was ten,” Shane admitted his voice tight. “What if no one believes me when I tell them he killed Mom? They could put me back with him and he’d probably kill me...” it was an honest voice of concern and a good question. “I want to do this because I know that jerk killed my mom. But I’m scared too.... So what about that says brave?”

[Override]

Having this conversation while literally inside herself was awfully strange. Did humans normally have discussions like these in cars? Whatever the case, it was a talk that needed to happen. She was relieved that Shane was finally taking them off the main track, finally; no need to cause a wreck in the meantime.

As Override slowed down, Lori reached over to wrap her arms around Shane in a hug, "You stopped running away. Sometimes, that's all bravery needs to be."

[Deleted]

Shane was a little surprised by the hug.

Was it really that brave to stop running? He didn’t know really, it felt weird. Like how this hug really caught him off guard as well. He hadn’t gotten a hug like this in a while after all. And if actually felt really nice, like when he still had his mom around. Which made this harder, what if they now got him in foster care after? There was a chance he’d be taken away, and while it’d mean he was off the streets he might be separated from Override and the others for all he knew. “You know if I do do this. They’ll probably take me away,” he explained. “I don’t even know if I’d be allowed to go back to Crown City.”

[Override]

Override's holomatter avatar vanished as she took manual control of her motor functions yet again, bringing herself to a stop on an overlook above Velocitron's panoramic desert. It felt good to be back in control again. She didn't open her doors to let Shane out however; if he wanted to stay and think about his options some more, he was more then welcome to.

"If it seems daunting, remember that it's just a price. A price for your mother's justice. I'll still support you either way, Shane."