Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Shifting Realities
Alexander steered his sedan down the concrete ramp and lined up at the very back of the starting grid.
Because he was a last-minute addition he was forced into the thirteenth position out of what was originally a twelve-car race.
The neon lights of the city streets reflected sharply off the hoods of the surrounding vehicles the air thick with the deep vibrating hum of idling engines.
He turned his head to look at the passenger seat "Make sure your seatbelts are completely locked in" said Alexander his voice entirely calm.
Ivy pulled the straps tight across her chest her fingers gripping the door handle and the edge of the seat with white knuckles "They’re locked" said Ivy her breath catching slightly as the car next to them revved its engine.
Alexander looked at her tense posture a faint smirk playing on his lips "Are you absolutely sure about this?" asked Alexander.
"Absolutely" replied Ivy staring straight ahead at the open avenue "I really want to feel the raw speed."
"Alright then" said Alexander.
The heavy overhead streetlights suddenly flashed from red to a brilliant piercing green.
The entire grid erupted into a deafening roar of squealing tires and burning rubber as thirteen cars launched forward into the night.
Alexander slammed his foot onto the accelerator the Mercedes E 450 surging ahead as it joined the chaotic pack.
Within seconds they tore into the main city avenues weaving dangerously between the normal unsuspecting traffic.
Ivy instantly let out a loud piercing scream her eyes wide as a modified sedan missed their rear bumper by mere inches.
She kept screaming and shouting with every sharp turn the sheer terrifying adrenaline of the high-speed chase completely taking over her senses.
Yet behind the wheel Alexander remained entirely calm.
His hands moved with fluid precise motions effortlessly controlling the heavy car as he threw it into tight drifts around the city corners and used the long open straights to aggressively close the distance on the drivers ahead.
But as he looked at the speedometer climbing higher and higher a strange thought crossed his mind.
He felt like something was missing.
Just yesterday he had been navigating similar chaotic streets but back then he had a fleet of police cruisers hot on his tail with live ammunition flying through the air and shattering his windows.
Compared to a literal life-or-death escape from the law a sanctioned underground street race through afternoon traffic simply didn’t feel all that dangerous anymore.
Right in front of him a heavily beaten Ford Taurus and a tuned Honda Accord were battling viciously for eighth place their metal frames scraping against each other as they tore down the narrow overpass "Watch out!" screamed Ivy shielding her face as the Accord suddenly clipped a civilian minivan.
The impact was catastrophic.
The civilian vehicle spun out of control while the Honda Accord bounced off the guardrail flipped entirely over and smashed into a concrete pillar in a shower of sparks and shattered glass.
Alexander didn’t even blink.
He smoothly turned the steering wheel throwing the Mercedes E 450 into a tight slide to glide right past the burning wreckage without losing an ounce of momentum.
As he straightened out the car and pushed the accelerator down his eyes darted to the rearview mirror.
No flashing lights no sirens "Where the hell are the cops?" thought Alexander a slight frown crossing his face.
What he completely failed to realize was the sheer scale of the organization running this event.
Little did he know every single police cruiser assigned to this specific precinct had received a clean un-traceable fifty-thousand-dollar bonus earlier that afternoon with strict instructions to take an extended coffee and donut break on the completely opposite side of the city until the street races concluded.
Ahead of him the competition was getting fierce packed with standard daily-driver sedans that were far more nimble than his luxury machine.
A Toyota Camry V6 and a Nissan Maxima were effortlessly cutting through the tight gaps in the traffic their lighter chassis giving them a massive advantage in the heavy corners.
Alexander’s Mercedes was undoubtedly the most expensive high-end vehicle in the entire cherry bracket but in a tight city race full of sharp sudden turns its heavy weight and luxury wheelbase became a massive disadvantage.
It took a terrifying amount of throttle control to make sure the back end didn’t slide out completely every time he tried to re-accelerate out of a corner "We’re gaining on them!" shouted Ivy her voice a mix of absolute terror and wild uncontrollable thrill as she watched the Camry’s taillights get closer and closer.
Only three blocks remained before the finish line and Alexander had managed to claw his way up to third place right on the bumpers of a roaring Volkswagen Jetta GLI and an aggressive Chevrolet Malibu "Alex!
Left!
Look out on the left!" screamed Ivy her hands clawing desperately at the dashboard as the Malibu violently swerved into their lane trying to pit-maneuver them directly into a row of parked civilian cars.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed into slits.
Any street racer would have held their line and traded paint to protect their position but Alexander didn’t have that luxury.
This Mercedes E 450 belonged to TMC and the absolute last thing he wanted was to return a high-end corporate asset with a crumpled fender or a shattered bumper.
With split-second reflexes he slammed on the brakes letting the Malibu cut closely in front of him with barely a millimeter to spare.
The sudden deceleration made Ivy fly forward against her seatbelt letting out a breathless gasp "Are we losing?!" shouted Ivy her voice cracking as the finish line banner appeared in the distance.
"Not a chance" stated Alexander.
Taking advantage of the Malibu’s aggressive oversteer from the missed ramming attempt Alexander sharply flicked the steering wheel to the right.
He buried the accelerator pedal into the floorboard.
The Mercedes’ heavy V6 engine roared to life unleashing its superior top-end horsepower on the final open straightaway.
The Jetta and the Malibu were completely neck-and-neck blocking the center of the avenue leaving only a terrifyingly narrow gap right next to the concrete sidewalk.
Ivy let out one final earsplitting shriek closing her eyes tightly as Alexander guided the heavy luxury sedan directly into the eye of the needle.
The side mirrors buzzed past the concrete pillars like a buzzsaw.
With pure unadulterated precision Alexander bypassed both vehicles in a fraction of a second crossing the neon-lit finish line in absolute first place just as the tires smoked from the brutal braking sequence.
