Engine Heat: Main Thread
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: DarkEnigma on 15-12-2012, 11:40:35</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>15-12-2012, 11:40:35</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://cghub.com/files/Image/167001-168000/167524/713_large.jpg)</div> <div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size">Engine Heat</span></strong></div><br><strong>“Well you are certainly right, Bob.”</strong> The announcer said, glancing at the projection on the screen. A few circles were on the grid, representing drivers and their vehicles. More than once had one of the circles suddenly vanished, or split into numerous smaller circles. <strong>“This year’s event is going to be spectacular, indeed. Alex Grey Mercer currently sits fifth in the Blood Sprint Series standings,&nbsp; a shy 51 points behind Briad Kerselowsk, and he boasts an impressive record at New Port Speedway, tallying seven wins, 31 top 10 finishes and an average finish of 7.1.”</strong> The other announcer, Dave, nodded when he said that, awarding the camera with one of his dazzling white teeth smiles. <strong>“Let us hear what Alex had to say concerning his rising up the ranks.”</strong> The two man gave another flash of their fake smiles and the screen changed, showing a young male with short black hair, all of it matted to his forehead from all the sweat. His bright blue eyes gazed at the camera before he glanced at the man interviewing him. <br><br><strong>“Alex, you simply dominated on one of your best track this weekend at New Port.&nbsp; What are your team’s expectations for the remaining two races this month?”</strong> A small orb of light was moving towards the tired youth, the device capturing every inch of his skin and every tremor his voice would produce. When he spoke he spoke in a very irritated way, irritation held at bay by something. <strong>“We as a team are looking forward to District seven which last year had been a good track for us, as well as Homestead.&nbsp; Very solid races and tracks for us.”</strong> He simply stared as he left it at that, not bothering to talk about his winnings or his position. <strong>“Well, no doubt you have few glamorous words you wish to tell the audience, all those millions of fans out there. Right Alex? …. Alex?”</strong> The man glanced around the room and could barely register the door closing.<br><br>The media would package it up as ‘mysterious’ the young man being so driven that he barely had enough time to sit down and say more than a few words. The fans ate it all up, thankfully. The truth was much different. He had simply been herded into the room by his handler, explaining to him that there was a man who wanted to ask him a question. All true, save for the fact that the man was broadcasting it live across the globe. He used one of those fancy words again… glamorus? It irritated him that he did not know the word. He simply made a mental note to search it up later while he went to his crew. The second he left the ‘nice’ and ‘clean’ building the media used he was faced with the cold hard truth of reality.<br><br>(http://cghub.com/files/Image/151001-152000/151616/838_max.jpg)<br><br>In the year 2059 there was no cleanness, no bright and shiny world that held love and order. Chaos, death and pain ruled here. The old world, as some liked to call it, had perished. Nations and empires had destroyed itself, finally collapsing underneath its own weight. Large corporations were the only thing that managed to stay alive, if only barely. They warped themselves into large scale superpowers, drinking in lands that now held no government.&nbsp; Alex and his crew worked for such a company, Elite enterprise, representing hem in this year’s blood race. A high stakes, winner takes all competition that had little to no rules. Last year he and his crew had gotten to sixth place, an impressive standing seeing as there were over two hundred teams. He did not know what the company he drove for did, not bothering to check either. They could slaughter humans and feed them to children, he’d still drive for them either way.<br>In a world like this you simply did what you needed to do, his childhood proving that.<br><br>He moved towards their ‘garage’ a hulking beast of a truck. The sides were completely steel, layered with plates of hardened carbon plating, making it impenetrable by small and medium weaponry. The tires were coated on the sides, had thicker profiles and had shield plates on the sides. The think was a tank on wheels, housing several living compartments and enough room to spare for their vehicles. It could expand its compartments when it was stationary, allowing more room for storage and walking. The thing was old, old world design. It was sturdy and had been used for military missions, never once being able to stop, besides rockets or other heavy duty stuff. It might not be pretty, yet it was a good bandit deterrent. It also had two automatic turrets for any would be fan who tried to get closer than was allowed. <br><br>He entered the stationary truck and placed his helmet on the nearest stool he could find. He forced his tired frame into the softest seat he could find. It wasn’t strange to find Alex sleeping in a racing seat, usually legs dangling out of the side while he caught some rest. Beds were a thing he never had gotten used to, no matter how clean and fluffy they were. His crew accepted this fact, no questions asked. They were a ragtag group of individuals, each a savant in their own way. In the old world each of them would have been diagnosed with some psychotic problem or social disorder. Yet here, they called it ‘unique’ personality. He enjoyed hanging around with these fuck ups, knowing he could be himself here. He pulled the zipper downwards, only stopping when it was just below his navel. He closed his eyes as he began to think. What was that word again, Glorderum?&nbsp; <br><br>(http://cghub.com/files/Image/217001-218000/217535/119_large.jpg)<br><br>Engine Heat: Characters and Application (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160119.0[/url)<br>Engine Heat: Main Thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160198.0)<br>Engine Heat: Gossip Room (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160199.0)
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>15-12-2012, 21:35:29</strong>
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				"I'll get right on it. Yes, sir", Aurora Firestone said as she just finished a conference call with one of the sponsor companies. The sponsors were quite happy with the results that their team had achieved so far in this season. It was the public performances of their drivers that needed some improvement. Not enough logos were being shown, mainly because their star driver Alex Mercer was a man of few words when it came to interviews and public appearances. She was going to have to talk to him about it, once again, and she predicted that he wasn't going to like it. All things considered though, the sponsors were happy and if they really were hesitant in signing their team on for a lucrative sponsorship, she could employ other more direct strategies to convince them. Aurora had done it before, and it was very common in all of her previous professions. If you wanted to get higher up, you just eased yourself in the right beds or crawled under the right desks.<br><br>From her team's perspective, it was 'simply' the trick of being a little more thorough about these little details than the other teams' supervisors. As a result they would attract better sponsorship contracts, which in turn allowed them better equipment, technology, resources, services and overall a higher chance of winning. If they wanted to belong to the best teams, or rather get the a hold of that grand prize, attempting to perfect every detail was going to be necessary. She'd talk about that to the team later. Not that they would want to hear about it, but she had best reminded them anyway. Winning doesn't come for free and certainly not at the level that they played.<br><br>Aurora wrote a few reminder notes before she folded up her desk into the wall of the room. She liked the rooms being somewhat tidy. It made for a quicker exit in case their 'truck' had to move unexpectedly. It's not like she expected a bandit attack so close to the race circuit and civilization, but it has more of a habit. She knew that the garage and inhabitants could probably care less about such tiny details and preparations, but in case they did have to speed off, they'd have to figure out their mess by themselves later. Looking out the window, Aurora spotted Alex making his way to the truck and decided she'd meet up.<br><br>"Hey there Alex", Aurora began as she saw him sit in a lazy chair not far from the garage. "You did a good job today."<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>15-12-2012, 22:10:34</strong>
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				Reclined in one of the four seats of the main control platform of the truck, looking at various hovering screen that displayed news conferences, instant replays of the races, a screen devoted to repulsorlift hover technology, and a few camera views of the environment outside the hulking vehicle, was none other than Alex's teammate, Joy Avalon. Known as "Silent Avalon," Joy was the support driver for their rather small team. Most teams had several drivers, who would compete for the top spot in the race's rankings. To make sure those drivers stayed alive and on course towards the finish line, companies would hire support drivers to relay vital information from the back of the pack to the frontlines. Joy got her name for she is synonymous with a ghost, riding silent on the track, but nevertheless present in the race. Like her name suggests, Joy is highly unlikely to get an interview at a press conference or have fans shouting out her name in the stands. To her, this was comfortable. She wouldn't have it any other way.<br><br>Even as Alex Mercer, the team's poster boy, came in, and the team's handler, Aurora, congratulating him on the race, Joy stayed quiet. If Firestone wasn't present, she would want to congratulate him herself, but that would rarely happen. How could the previous leader of the crew that worked for Elite Enterprise, the retired and recently deceased boss man's daughter be so introverted? Joy would ask that question herself every time she experienced a failed attempt at conversing with Alex. On and off the track, she adored him much like a fan watching a screen at home would. Joy couldn't ever evolve her platonic adoration into something more. Like most times, she would only express her frustration with herself with a heavy sigh. Hope nobody heard that.<br><br>The only way to escape her thoughts was to keep busy. As a support driver, Joy took it upon herself to know all about the next track before they got there. The screens hovering above her showed her detailed topographical maps of tracks that were carved into the landscape and floor plans of the manmade raceways. Shortcuts, potential hazards, and regional weather systems occupied most of the screens. It was one screen, one that she glanced at and adored as much as Alex Mercer, was the new technology of repulsors. Highly expensive and employed by the faster and experienced teams. If only they could their hands on something of the new world. To Joy, being able to fly across the land without touching it was equally as thrilling as getting Alex Mercer to notice her. In her dreams, maybe.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>15-12-2012, 23:30:59</strong>
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				The seat he was in smelled of old leather and oil. To some it might have been a old chair, not to mention filthy, to Alex it was like a womb that was embracing him. He heard his boss talking to him, congratulating him on the race. He himself merely let out a sound that could only be described as an offspring from a moan and a groan, perhaps with a sprinkle of a sigh. He leaned backwards as he eyed her. “Yhea..” He said, feeling the adrenaline high slowly start to leave him, leaving an emptiness for a little while. Most drivers experienced this sort of thing, like a junky going through sudden withdrawal. “Joy was fucking awesome today though.” He said, beaming. “I did not even notice that side track until she pointed it out to me.” He remembered how unstable that route was, most of it consisting of wood that was decaying and steel foundations that had seen its best days. <br><br>For a second he felt at ease, embraced by the people he had around him. He truly believed that they were his friends, perhaps even bordering family, actually family, not ones that died on you and left you alone in a ditch with the other hungry orphans. He nearly closed his eyes and wanted to doze off before he remembered. That fucking bitch! Like a coiled spring he was on his feet, stamping towards her like a teenager who felt mistreated. “A fucking question you told me!” He barked, eyes wide as he eyed his handler. His face was getting bright red, veins in his neck standing up. “You conveniently left out the fact that the whole bloody world was bloody watching my bloody interview.” He pointed a finger at her and pressed it at her chest, as if that single movement would drive the point across better. “You know how I dislike those sharks!, with them fancy teeth and suits. I swear to god, at least have the courtesy to lube me up properly before you fuck me up the arse with those joernelests”.<br><br>He nearly yelled the last part at her, bright blue eyes scanning her expression. He knew the last word sounded… wrong, was it? “And don’t you fucking laugh!, nor you Joy. I know how to pronounce it, I just fucking like saying it like that.” He then began to grow even redder, veins nearly exploding before he stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut, hard. He made his way into the showers and began to peel of his racing suit. O, he knew she was right, the sponsorship was their living, yet she did not have to manipulate him like that! It was not like he would try and hide or something. Something like that had only happened like a few times, perhaps seven or so. He sighed as he let the water fall on his frame, slowly bending his six feet tall frame and resting it against the shower wall. Like usual he would offer his apologies later on. These ‘explosions of love’ as some of the crew called it, were quite normal in this team. Racing brought someone on edge, whether it was behind the wheel or working behind the scenes. You needed to vent in some way, each finding his or her own way.<br><br>He ran a hand through his short dark brown hair, waving it from left to right. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>15-12-2012, 23:54:09</strong>
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				The sound of Alex Mercer's voice putting her name into a sentence was enough to make her stop all her work with the screens, allowing them to pop one by one into nonexistence back into the holo-projector situated above the control platform. She turned to Alex's interaction with the boss and smiled. A compliment from the Grey Merc was a rarity, but it sure was a prize to be present when he said it, loud enough that it would echo off the metallic walls of the truck. With the smile still on her face, she reclined back into the chair for just a moment before suddenly, a loud series of bangs on the steel grated floor sprang her up again. She got to her feet and got to the railing of the control platform and leaned over it to see what the whole commotion was about. Alex Mercer, no doubt, but that wasn't cause for serious concern. In this bunch, it was usual and nobody paid it no mind other than those involved in the clash. Joy only smiled at the scene.<br><br>She suppressed a chuckle when Alex told her not to laugh. How could she not? It wasn't the idea that Alex couldn't pronounce certain words that got Joy laughing, but the fact that this was how Alex usually was. No wonder she was named Joy. In all circumstances and all experiences, she would find joy in the weirdest of places. Even after the poster boy was out of the large central room where all the cargo were tied down, she was still laughing. Joy looked over at Aurora Firestone, the team's handler, and asked, "I think everything and everyone is accounted for, boss-lady. Is there anything else you'd like to do or to get before we hightail it out of here?" If anybody looked at her, she would be the only silhouette on the control platform, the only window in the room being the front windshields, allowing light to pour into the dimly-lit room and bathe Joy's backside with it. The light cast an orange-crimson corona around her shape, meaning the day was almost over.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 00:16:04</strong>
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				Frankie walked on to the bridge, her grease-stained work coveralls unzipped to reveal a plain white tank-top beneath, a headcloth holding her short spiky blonde hair in check. She was wiping her hands on a rag that looked like it had once been white, but now was a dull grey from the accumulation of grease and grime. She threw the rag over her shoulder and looked around the room. "Alex gone already? Sounded like he was having a good time with you fine ladies." She smiled rakishly at Joy and Aurora. <br><br>Her walk had a bit of a swagger to it, like someone who was very satisfied with their work, or their love life. "Anyone seen Wiggy around? I want to congratulate her on her work for the race." She whistled, low, "Because damn! That bike ran like nothing I'd ever seen when she was done with it." She put her hand over her heart, as if saluting. "Makes me proud to be part of this team." She sat down on a crate, peeling the top half of her coveralls the rest of the way off and wrapping them around her waist. She was proud of the way the bikes had performed in the last race, although she knew that their success was owed as much as, if not more, to the drivers as to her own behind-the-scenes efforts. Still, she got into the race as much as anyone, and was riding high on their successes so far.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 01:01:43</strong>
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				Aurora leaned in the door opening as she observed Alex reclining into his favorite chair. She had urged him to get rid of it multiple times, but he never gave it any consideration. It wasn't really her position to demand something so irrelevant from Alex, so she had dropped the issue ages ago. Alex though, was in the process of raising an issue and he was vocal about it too. She eyed him coolly as Alex approached her and started his tirade. She shouting, the cursing, the accusing and the finger pointing, she was all used to it and she kept her face straight. It was part of her job and she accepted it from him. In her experience, it was better to let him have his say instead of interrupt him. It would only make things worse if she started arguing with him now. He'd come around later, probably.<br><br>She watched him walk off in what appeared to be a rather severe mood and she only blinked when he shut the door on her hard. "Fuck you too!", she shouted at the closed door a full minute after Alex had left. She just had to blow off some steam after that altercation, but she was wise enough to do so when he was no longer present. She sighed and was about to head back to her own room when she heard a voice from above. "I think everything and everyone is accounted for, boss-lady. Is there anything else you'd like to do or to get before we hightail it out of here?" It was the unmistakable soft voice of Silent Avalon. Aurora liked her a lot, as she felt Avalon was much more calm than Alex and had a soothing aura around her. It definitely helped her now and she smiled up at the silhouette above her.<br><br>"Hey Joy, nice riding earlier. I'll make one final check up on the crew, then we'll set out." Just as she was about to head to the garage located at the rear of the monstrous vehicle, Francesca the mechanic walked in. "Well that makes four of us so far, let me check the garage for Twiggy", she explained while giving a nod at Frankie. Aurora left through a small corridor that lead towards the other side of the their driving home.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 01:59:12</strong>
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				Alex kept his face downwards, letting the water rush over his face, almost mimicking tears, funny how mankind had seemingly lost that ability. Six drivers had died in the last race, a high number for one of the opening matches, yet understandable. The race itself was dangerous enough, powerful and unstable engines speeding across a track that had never been meant to be used as a racetrack. The fact that most drivers also carried weaponry was even more insane. Sure there were rules that prevented a team from mounting weapons directly on a vehicle, yet there was no rule preventing the driver from carrying a weapon himself. It was frowned upon, yet allowed. <br><br>He exhaled, slamming his right fist against the steel wall, no doubt sending a loud ‘thump’ through the nearby wall. He then opened his eyes again and stood up straighter, feeling much better than before. A man sometimes needed to clear his mind, or punch a wall. It was just how men were. Surely womenfolk could never understand that, preferring to scheme and plot, making life more difficult for poor and innocent men. With that amusing little thought he left the showers, wrapping a towel around his wait at the last second. A few minutes he had changed in a jeans and a lose fitting grey shirt, keeping his feet bare. <br><br>He yawned as he passed by the kitchen and grabbed a few pieces of instant meals. The stuff tasted like cardboard, yet held enough nutrients to shame a home cooked meal. It still did not beat a steak in his mind. He entered the main room and noticed Frankie had entered the scene, standing close to Joy. The sound of a door closing was prove enough that their handler was heading into the garage. “Is grandma finally gone?” He asked Joy, making a jab at their handler’s age while moving closer to her and offering her a piece of instant-M, even wiggling the thing to make it more appealing. He grinned at the other woman, Frankie, a childish grin appearing on his face. “Ey tits, I’d offer you one, yet this contains meat, seeing as you dislike sausage and all.” He’d mentally prepared himself for anything that could happen, seeing as Frankie could literally react in any sort of way. Perhaps she would throw a wrench this time? <br><br>He grinned as he threw the third one towards her. “The fuck did you do to my CC’s on this one. You upped them again, right?” His voice was not of anger, yet sheer amazement. The woman could make a blender go faster by simply touching it. An unstable mind could only achieve those sort of things.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 02:19:45</strong>
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				Wiggy had heard the yelling all the way from her chosen hiding spot in the corridor, leaving her to cringe even while safely outside the radius of the “Love” explosion. It had become common practice for her by now to play a game of wait-and-see after their races, just so she could avoid being caught by one of their driver’s little hissy fits. Thankfully, she never had to wait long and after giving a short pause for good measure, she once again braved the corridor. <br><br>With a laptop in hand and her dark green eyes firmly glued to the screen, the technician proceeded to make her way to the others, deftly sidestepping all the odds and ends which littered their behemoth of a vehicle. Besides a pair of white trainers and gloves, Wiggy wore the team jumpsuit with the zip stuck down in its usual spot, right beneath her navel, once again baring more than some would expect from one so withdrawn. She also wore small, round-rimmed, glasses; a pair which looked up when she heard the person she was looking for approaching. With a quick glance back to her screen, the shy technician stopped as she met Aurora.<br><br>“H-hi Fire,” she greeted awkwardly as she used a free hand to brush aside a fallen lock of her light brown hair. Normally Wiggy would have been more comfortable chatting with one of her own team-mates but this time, it was different. She needed to “demand” something from their handler. “Listen, I know- I know you’re really trying but we’re honestly falling a little short of the needed supplies. If not for Frankie’s miracle work with Joy’s engine, I- I’m not sure if we would even have gotten the second driver on the track. Isn’t there anything you can do to get us more funding?” As she spoke, Wiggy fidgeted with the laptop, more to distract herself from Aurora than for any real reason.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 02:34:25</strong>
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				Frankie smiled wickedly at Alex's question. "You bet. What's the point of ridin' a bike if she won't show you what she's got? Just like a woman, I always say." She took a bite of the meal he'd tossed her, sauntering easily over towards Alex and Joy. She clapped him on the back with her free hand, jovially, leaving a small smear of grease on the back of his shirt. "But seein' as how well you handled her, I'm going to have to see if I can't just give you a bit more power to work with on the next race." On her better days (which apparently numbered today among them), she seemed to view her male teammates like brothers, engaging them in friendly banter and camaraderie. Of course, when she was in a darker mood, that could easily turn to aggression and lashing out, but the success on the track had her in high spirits.<br><br>Leaning on Alex's shoulder, she turned to face Joy, not bothering to disguise the way her eyes flickered down and up the other woman's body. Frankie never bothered to hide her attraction to the other women on the team. When she was doing well, she was charming, a bit rakish, and always polite whether they returned her affections or not, but on a bad day she might get pushy and aggressive, or withdrawn and sullen. Frankie may have been insane, but she knew it, and as such did her best to avoid emotional entanglements, preferring to keep things physical and as simple as possible. Reluctantly bringing her eyes back to Joy's face, she gave a friendly smile. "Hey babe, how'd your ride handle out there? She treatin' you good?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 04:32:42</strong>
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				Joy didn't need to ask if all members were accounted for. After seeing Aurora disappear into the corridor, she stretched out her palm toward an area of thin air and an inch from her palm, a bright screen appears, called in by the control gloves that synced with the holo-projector. Wigz is pretty good, installing this nifty device, Joy said to herself. On the screen displayed four view of maybe twelve security cameras hidden outside and inside the truck. With a motion with her index finger and thumb, she blew one camera up, showing her the whole corridor that led to many of the other compartments of the hulking vehicle, like the kitchen, personal quarters and the garage, which was the large space in the rear. In the corridor was Aurora and Wiggy, holding her prized device in her hand. "That means everybody's here," Joy said aloud to herself. With a swipe of her hand, she closed the hovering screen and turned to the control panel.<br><br>Avalon was just a support driver for the team. She also acted as the driver of the large truck. The vehicle previous was owned by her father and after his passing, the ownership transferred to Firestone, the new boss. Since she did not have the talent behind the wheel as Joy's father had, Avalon willingly filled in that role. She hopped into the seat and by the pull of a lever, the back of the chair sprang up, stopping as Joy reclined in it. She put on a headset that everyone wore and radioed the handler. "Hey boss-lady. I see Wigz is onboard and well, talking to you I guess. How bout we get out of this dump and head towards the next race ... I still don't know where it is exactly." Without an order from the boss, Joy turned the key that was in the ignition and turned the behemoth of an engine over. Momentarily, the roar from the encased beast filled every nook and cranny of the vehicle.<br><br>While waiting for the handler's decision, Francesca, or Frankie arrived on the control platform. Joy heard the footsteps on the steel grating and turned seeing the mechanic, not at all as clean as Alex decked out in his usual attire, there giving a friendly smile. She couldn't hate Frankie, nor could she like her for tinkering with things that are best left untouched. Nevertheless, Joy gave her a half smile and answered the mechanic's question. "Well, it did outperform this turtle of a transport truck, but I can't say I like finishing after the Brutes support vehicles. Don't tell me you're swapping parts between the machines now, Frank?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 04:51:36</strong>
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				Frankie smiled wryly. "All day, every day, babe." She leaned over, her hand on the driver's shoulder, to look at the truck's controls. "You want me to tune this thing up, too? I bet I could make her purr." She glanced at Joy's hands on the wheel, and leaned her head in right next to the other woman, smiling. "I bet you could, too." She laughed, and stood back up. "Think about it. Imagine if this big lunk had some real power to it. We could make it happen." She was probably telling the truth, Frankie always seemed to be able to eke out a bit of extra power from a machine, albeit often at the cost of longevity.<br><br>"Seriously though, if you ever want more power on your bike, you just say the word, and I'll have her stronger and faster than you ever dreamed." She turned to walk back to the garage and leave the driver to her work. At the door, she looked over her shoulder. "You stay cool, babe. And let me know if you ever, you know, need anything." She really did like Joy, although she never quite understood the conservative way she drove. As far as Frankie was concerned, machines were meant to be pushed to and past their limits, and she never quite understood her teammates who didn't agree with her, although she respected their skill and expertise. She headed back towards the garage, idly twirling a small wrench between her fingertips.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 08:22:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aurora saw Wiggy approach as she through the narrow corridor towards the garage. She was a sweet girl, Aurora thought as her gaze slowly followed the girl's open jumpsuit to her zipper. There was a rather strong contrast between the two of them, at this moment best illustrated by their clothing. She was still wearing her clean business suit, as she had been in a meeting with the sponsors earlier when the race had been ongoing. Wiggy however wore the team's trademark jumpsuit, a common sight on the Titan. She'd change into hers soon enough.<br><br>“Listen, I know… I know you’re really trying but we’re honestly falling a little short of the needed supplies. If not for Frankie’s miracle work with Joy’s engine, I- I’m not sure if we would even have gotten the second driver on the track. Isn’t there anything you can do to get us more funding?”, the girl began after they'd greeted each other. Oh great, more financial issues. It was tough coordinating the funds of this team, because talking about them was troubling for some of the other members. Everyone expected their area of expertise to be the most vital to the team's success and as such deserved the most funds. She didn't doubt their sincerity, but at times it was tough for them to accept the limited funds that Aurora had assigned to them. Wiggy was a little different in her view. When she asked for something, it was really necessary.<br><br>She was about to set the girl's mind at ease when she was radioed by Joy. "Alright, get us moving Avalon! We'll be heading to-", she replied. Her response was interrupted by the pounding of all the engines that had just been started. She shrugged and returned her attention to the techician. The corridor was quite close to the engine room, so Aurora now had to raise her voice so much that she was essentially shouting at Wiggy. "Don't worry about it, little sister. I'll try my best to see you can afford what you need, alright?" With that, she turned around again and went back to the command platform where she came from.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 08:35:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joy knew this hunk of metal better than anyone. Heck, when she was a little girl, she would sit in the seat next to the one she was currently sitting on, either sleeping reclined or watching her father operate the behemoth. She had to let it run idle and in park for about five minute to let the engines warm up. Her thinking was based on the weather, which, even though the sun blazed over the cracked dirt and salt beds, their proximity to the mountains brought cool breezes. And, since the truck had been sitting for more than a day, Joy knew the engines needed to spool up. If one didn't do this, engine faults and potential damage might do harm, more to the crew than to the vehicle itself. Joy didn't want that. Not with her 3-REX and Alex Mercer and all the other people onboard.<br><br>After getting the go-ahead by Firestone, she put the truck in drive and pulled out of the sandy lot they were parked in. With a slight rumble, the truck shook as it kicked up sand behind it. It was not until getting to the smooth, though, not-so-smooth dirt path of a road, that the shaking devolved into slight hums in the metal. Joy was just about to radio the handler, when the very person she was going to query came back into the courtyard of a cargohold. "Hey Miss Aurora, where the hell are heading to?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 11:05:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alex simply grinned, eying the mechanic. “Just don’t let it explode when I am riding it. I am quite attached to these nuts.” He said, slowly turning around and walking back into the main section of the truck. The hulking behemoth was actually quite easy to read, its layout logical. In the back as the garage and vehicle storage, taking up a third of the space within the truck, it also happened to be the most protected place on the truck, extra plating on the side to keep any explosions within. In the front was the drivers seats and a small panel that controlled the two turrets at the top. The kitchen, living quarters, showers and crew quarters were in the centre. If the truck had been stationary and fully unwrapped itself it would grow in size, perhaps 2/5 more in space. Most of it would be expanding the garage, yet the living quarters would also get a few extra feet, allowing at least a good twenty people inside. <br><br>‘Home’ is what Alex liked to call it. The thing had saved his life, giving him family and a place to sleep where he wasn’t constantly keeping one eye open. As he walked back to the living quarters he could hear the questions being asked behind him. ‘Where are we going?’. His handler usually took care of those questions. Alex knew they were headed to District Seven for the next race, yet no doubt his handler had another stop along the way. Deciding he was going to be helpful and contribute to the group he yelled, cocking his head to the side so the sounds would be aimed at the cockpit. “New Amsterdam! Frankie needs to get laid before she blows shit up.” He grinned as his incredible ‘witty’ and ‘mature’ comment. Sometimes he thought females did not understand humour. He had once made a comparison between a females period and broken exhaust pipe. He remembered making it to the leaking oil part before everything went blank, barely registering that wrench to the side of his head. <br><br>He’d wait in the living quarters, keeping a watch on the door that led to the garage. When his handler came out he would grumble out an apology and mutter something about doing the next interview. He had not seen Wiggy yet, no doubt buried behind a dozen computers and wires connecting to this way and that. “Oy! Nerd!.” He howled out, hoping his voice would carry far enough. That woman could work herself to death. People occasionally had to drag her out of there, let her inhale some fresh air. He himself would remind her today that constantly sitting behind a device will make her tits sag, as soon as she entered the living room, perhaps even going as far as to poke at them once or twice. You had to be quite clear with females, their brains usually not understanding the simplest commands. Heck!, most of the times he said something complicated, they simply stared at him with a confused expression, as if they did not recognise the words. Women!<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 13:52:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Wiggy winced as the engine roared to life but quickly composed herself. If she had been anywhere other than inside the Titan such a sudden sound would have had her ducking for cover, over the years however she had grown accustomed to the lumbering beast and besides, it was her home, clunky as it was. Despite the blare of the engine, Wiggy clearly picked up on Aurora’s words, to which she responded with a glance upward and a grateful smile. The team’s techie knew quite well how rough it was out in the world and what lengths one had to go simply to survive never mind find investment, which only made her doubly thankful for Aurora’s efforts. After she watched their Handler head off, Wiggy turned her attention back to the laptop, tapped a few instructions into the keyboard before following towards the command centre.<br><br>The team tech was just about to step out and say “hello” when she heard the word “nerd” resonate through the thick metal corridors. With a heavy sigh she instantly found herself wondering if she could blow it off and pretend she didn’t hear. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Alex, she respected him as a driver, team-mate and even a friend, just… not as a comic. And with her luck, she imagined he was feeling particularly “funny” at present. On the other hand, she knew she would have to stop by to say “hello” at some point. “Better sooner than later,” she pondered to herself before adding, “But I’m sure he can wait for a bit.” She had to pass this way to get to him anyway and besides, she wanted to stop by the kitchen for some foraging.<br><br>As she entered the hold, Wiggy instantly noticed both Joy and Aurora engaged in a discussion and so, like a mouse, she offered a polite wave and smile to Joy as she quietly slipped past and back out again towards the kitchen. When she arrived, she instantly snatched up a soda, which she left on the counter before beginning her dig through the cabinets and cupboards for something more enticing than the current array of insta-meals. She didn’t care how many nutrients they had, they were all gag-worthy in her eyes, especially the meals squeezed into toothpaste bottles. A small shiver ran through her body as she recalled the week she had to live off the stuff.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>16-12-2012, 17:55:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aurora made her way back to the 'courtyard' as Joy Avalon addressed her from the cockpit and inquired about their destination; "Hey Miss Aurora, where the hell are heading to?", she asked. Aurora looked up at Joy and decided to head upstairs to make for an easier conversation. Once upstairs, she looked at their vehicle's cockpit. There were such a variety and amount of gauges, screens, handles and buttons that she'd normally try to stay away from this area as much as possible. It was once suggested that whenever Aurora pulled a handle on any kind of vehicle, the likelihood of it exploding into a giant ball of fire would suddenly increase hundred-fold. Therefor, it was quickly decided that she wasn't going to do any driving in the team. Not the racing vehicles and not the truck either, as all the team members valued their livelihood quite a bit.<br><br>"Hey there, Joy. Can you get us New Amsterdam without having to refuel? I don't like us doing any less than 30 miles an hour in the regions that we have to cross to get there because it makes us more vulnerable to IEDs and bandits that got their hands on shoulder mounted anti-tank missiles. I checked the news ticker just now and there are various reports, so I'd rather not stay to enjoy the view." With that, she trusted their navigation to Joy and patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks sister", she added. "I have to have a little chat with Alex", as said as she ended their conversation. Making her way to the living quarters, she passed by the kitchen and smiled as she say Wiggy plundering the food supply. If there was anyone that deserved that honor, it was her. They'd stock up in New Amsterdam, so she was not worried about their food supplies in the slightest. <br><br>Arriving upstairs in the living quarters, she saw a freshly showered Alex sit down and enjoy his moment of peace. Aurora had no intention in letting him be though. She walked up to him with a stern and almost icy expression on her face. "We need to talk, Alex", she said in an exceptionally unfriendly and confrontational tone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 01:51:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Joy maneuvered the truck past the dilapidated city limits, Aurora came up to the control platform. Judging by the distance she was to the control panel, she was certainly not wanting to risk making the truck a great ball of fire that would easily win against the setting sun's dimming brightness. She was not here to push buttons, but to relay the destination to Joy. "Probably," she said to the handler. "No doubt those hoodlums will have stolen thermal recognition systems. I'll have to get the engines to run cooler than usual. I also don't want to wake up the fresh powder in these mountains." Surely, traveling through Old Appalachia will cause them to encounter rough, even slippery roads. Going slow will have to be the best in that kind of terrain.<br><br>Running cooler meant that most of the light in the truck will have to be dimmed and most of the trivial holoscreens will have to be stowed to save power and fuel. Joy hoped nobody will trip over anything in the low light. It was like having a computer run with only one or two tabs open on the browsers, for any more with make it run slower, or in this case with the truck, run hotter. New Amsterdam was just past these mountains, so tonight's trip would be a tricky one to manage. If the truck managed to stay intact, they would be in New Amsterdam in the early morning.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 04:52:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				On her way back to the garage, Frankie noticed Wiggy in the kitchen, rooting through the cupboards. The tomboyish mechanic popped into the kitchen doorway to watch her, waiting a moment before speaking up. "I think there's some pasta in the cabinet to your left, if you really want to cook something." She had a particular soft spot for the technician. They often worked together, using their combined expertise to get the bikes running as fast as mechanically possible. Frankie respected the other woman's skill and expertise, even if her reticence and cautious nature was foreign to Frankie's own approach to life.<br><br>Frankie walked up next to the other woman, pulling out the package of pasta from the cupboard and handing it to her. She smiled her rakish smile as her hand lingered a little longer than necessary in the other girl's. "You want some help? I already ate, but I've got some time if you want the company."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 06:25:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Most of what Wiggy found fell firmly into the category of “Ick” or “Yuck” which came as no surprise. During her time on the team she had learnt quickly that when you were part of a crew, which continually placed the lives of racers like Alex and Joy on the line, it was essential that practicality trumped luxury. Unless the racer needed luxury and then it was apparently okay. Sometimes this little detail left Wiggy wondering if she should chance some time behind the wheel but, like always, those thoughts were promptly dashed by the prospect of being crushed, battered and splattered all over the race track. She couldn’t really imagine any luxury which was worth such a hefty risk.<br><br>After a brief time, the stubborn forager was almost on the verge of giving up when she accidently bumped her head against the top of the cupboard. As she was about to curse, Wiggy was suddenly blessed with the sight of a fat bar of dark chocolate, falling from the heavens. It landed with a quiet thud, right before her eyes, causing them to sparkle with delight. She hadn’t seen anything like it for nearly a full year. Unfortunately, her victory was short-lived as the techie’s insatiable sweet tooth was overridden by the mother of all killjoys, her conscience. She just couldn’t take the thought of depriving someone of their carefully stashed goods. And so with heavy regret, she carefully placed the tasty treat back in its secret spot although not before hastily scrawling a note which read, “Find a better hiding spot, or face the consequences!” <br><br>As she was about to continue her search, Wiggy was briefly startled to hear Frankie’s voice from the background. She immediately whirled to a stand, taking a moment to adjust her glasses as her team mate stepped up beside her to reach for something. It was enough to leave her squirming inwardly as she felt her personal space intruded upon by the spikey haired blonde. Most of the team knew of her dislike for closeness or physical contact although that never seemed to stop Alex from casually poking her in the breasts. The mechanic was on a roll however as she broke both rules just by the way she handed over the pasta. Wiggy could already feel a pleasant wave of goose bumps run the length of her arm as their hands lightly brushed. “Th-thanks,” she stuttered uneasily before suddenly ducking down and, much like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand, half-climbing into the cupboard below as she exclaimed, “You know, I think I saw some salt down here earlier, why don’t you get some water on the stove while I try find it?”<br><br>As Wiggy pretended to push boxes and packets aside, she carefully listened for Frankie to step away and do what she asked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 06:48:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Frankie found a pot that looked mostly clean, rinsed it out, and filled it with water. She plopped it down on the range and spun the knob to "max", igniting a roaring flame under the pot. Her (rather simple) task done, she turned to watch the technician root around in the cabinets. While Wiggy searched, Frankie leaned back against the far wall and idly toyed with the zipper on her team jumpsuit, working it only a few centimeters up and down as she waited for the water to boil.<br><br>Suddenly the huge truck lurched suddenly, something must have been in the road, or Joy had to take a sudden turn or something. Frankie leapt forward to catch the pot before it fell off the stove, managing to keep it from dumping water everywhere but getting her hand a little too close to the flame as she did. "Sunova<em>bitch</em>" she exclaimed, quickly removing her hand from the hot metal and shoving it in her mouth. She didn't think it was seriously burned, but it was going to smart for a few hours.<br><br>She watched the pot closely for a few moments, to make sure that it wasn't going to leap off the stove again, and then turned to Wiggy, her hand still in her mouth. "That was a bit of a shock, you ok Wiggy?" she asked, kneeling down next to the other girl.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 07:34:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The tank’s sudden lurch caused Wiggy to bang her head against the cupboard’s top, with the result more a mix of pain and stars than falling chocolate much to her dismay. She instantly opened her mouth to curse only to hear the word “Sunovabitch” replace her own. “Frankie,” she suddenly thought as pain gave way to concern. With a swift shuffle backwards, she thankfully found her spikey haired friend safe and sound and already kneeling beside her, only this time she didn’t squirm so much as gape in shock. It hadn't taken her long to catch sight of the fingers that Frankie was nursing which caused a rush of horrific possibilities to come racing through her mind, all the way from sliced clean off to snapped in half, even if either scenario was highly unlikely.<br><br>“Forget about me,” she chided abruptly in response to the mechanic’s question, “What about your hand!” As gently as possible, she reached out and took Frankie’s arm in both hands before suggestively offering it a light tug. “Let me see, please, is it badly hurt?” She wasn’t sure how seeing the hurt digits would help other than allaying her own irrational fears but was intent on at least trying to help. Wiggy was already blaming herself for the incident as she attempted to coax Frankie’s fingers from her mouth. On any normal day she would never have suggested a boiling pot in a moving vehicle and yet she’d once again allowed her hang-ups to drown out her own judgement.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 07:58:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Frankie gingerly pulled her fingers from her mouth to let Wiggy inspect them. She smiled, sheepishly. "No serious harm done, don't worry too much." She watched Wiggy for a moment, as the other girl fussed over her hand, and then gently pulled her fingers back, wiping them clean on her shirt. Wiggy was sweet to be so worried, but Frankie was made of tougher stuff than any hot pot, and she wasn't going to let a little burn get her down.<br><br>She draped her arms around the technician and looked over her shoulder into the cabinet. "Didja ever find the salt?" As she spoke, Frankie rummaged through the mess of instant meals and assorted empty containers in the bottom of the cupboard, trying to see if there was anything to season the pasta with. She eventually came up with a small, mostly empty salt shaker, and her own prized luxury: a small jar of hot sauce. <br><br>She stood up, noticing the water was boiling, and shook in a bit of the salt. "I dunno if you'd want any of this." She said, putting the hot sauce on the counter, "but I feel like it gives things a little kick, know what I mean?" She dumped the box of pasta into the water and leaned back to watch it cook.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 09:30:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Thankfully, the burn didn’t look too bad although Wiggy would have liked to at least put some cold-cream or even ice on it. However, as Frankie withdrew her arm and proceeded to casually wipe her digits on her uniform, the technician knew that the mechanic wasn’t going to allow any chance of that happening. A fact which left her disappointed even if she chose not to voice her objection over it, other than perhaps to allow a concerned frown to cross her lips. Having worked with the mechanic for some time, the technician had quickly learnt how pointless it was to argue over such incidents. Frankie was just too much of a “suck-it-up” kind of gal while Wiggy herself needed to fuss over every tiny detail or accident. <br><br>With a mixed sigh of frustration and relief, the technician was far too lost in such feelings to respond to trivial questions of salt or take note of the arm which the blonde had draped over her shoulder. Only when Frankie came out of the cupboard with a small salt shaker did she finally wake up enough to react. “There was actually salt in there,” she thought in disbelief, a little surprised and embarrassed over how little effort she actually put into the whole exercise of searching. This caused a slight blush to her cheeks as she became a little self-conscious over how transparent her previous actions might have been.<br><br>As Frankie went about her business, like nothing had happened, Wiggy climbed to her feet and leaned back against the cupboard, resting her hands on either side of the counter’s edge as she attempted to forget and relax. “Right, a kick, just what I need,” Wiggy quipped wryly in response to the comment on hot sauce, only to quickly add, “Sure, I’d love some, just be careful of any more bumps in the road.” She turned to eye the pot with some concern even as she said it. “I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 17:43:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged: Alex/Aurora <br>Location: Livingroom</strong><br><hr><br>Alex grumbled as he noticed the grease stain on his shirt. When did he get that thing dirty? He was amazed at his own clumsiness sometimes. When he was simply Alex he frequently got into trouble or screwed up on some sort of thing. He did not feel embarrassed about it, yet was conscious enough to recognise and admit it. Funny how he could change when he was behind the wheel, suddenly not screwing up as much. His teammates also seemed to treat him differently when he put on that suit, helping and advising when he was racing, instead of teasing and toying when he was in jeans.<br>He glanced to his left as he noticed his handler entering the room. “Sup?” He said, raising his hand in a greeting. <br><br><em>We need to talk</em><br><br>He stood up and looked worried for a second. “Er.. Sure.” He said, walking towards her. “I suppose you want a little privacy?” He pointed to the door leading to the garage. He could probably guess where this was going.<br><br><hr><strong>Location: Garage</strong><br><hr><br>He climbed down the steel-stairs and made his way to one of the desks, leaning against it with his rear. “I suppose you want an apology for me telling the truth?” He said, not hiding the venom behind his words. He thought it was best to fight fire with fire, seeing as otherwise females tended to walk right over you. “I already said sorry and I am not in the mood to repeat myself.” He took an arrogant pose that only young males could take, just screaming arrogance and stubbornness. <br><br>The look in her eyes spoke of a fight, a big one.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 18:21:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Alex<br><strong>Location</strong>: Livingroom, Garage<br><hr><br>A little privacy would probably be wise for this conversation. Aurora wasn't known to keep secrets from anyone in her team, but at times there were difficulties that needed to be sorted out, scores that needed settling, and it was best to do that without an audience. Alex came across cool and relaxed now, the shower probably had calmed him down a bit but Aurora was in no mood to let this particular issue slide. She made her way down the narrow stairs towards the garage and closed the hatch behind them. <br><br>The garage was the largest single space in the truck, storing their vehicles as well as a lot of equipment and machinery. There was a whole cabinet dedicated solely to spare tires for vehicles of all sizes, including the Titan. On the sides there were desks and little set ups with specialized equipment that allowed their mechanic and technician to focus on more detailed work. Alex was leaning against one of the desks, giving her a smug look in dim light of the garage.<br><br>"You god damn right I want an apology!", Aurora sneered at Alex in the angriest possible tone she could manage. She couldn't go easy on Alex, or he'd steamroll right over her. That's not what she wanted to happen as team leader and sometimes she had to blow things just a little out of proportions in order to maintain her dominance. "You damn well know how hard everyone is working here. <em>Everyone</em> is putting their best efforts to make sure you can get across that line safe, sound and first. So when all is done and you survived the onslaught on the track, you go into that <em>go damn</em> interview, you <em>god damn</em> nod politely to the guy, say your <em>god damn</em> name and you answer the <em>god damn</em> two questions they always ask every <em>god damn</em> racer!" She took a breath and paused for a moment. She took a step closer to Alex and pointed at him accusingly, just like he had done earlier to her. "You know what I have to go through to get our sponsor contracts, so when you walk out of that interview room without even answering them properly you're just making my life that much harder Alex, and you should know better than to fuck me over like that!" Aurora was in his face now, taking deep breaths as her last name certainly did her eyes justice now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 19:15:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Aurora <br><strong>Location</strong>: Garage<br><hr>Eyes went wide in anger. She made it out as if he had the easy job. “WELL FUCK YOU AND YOUR FUCKING APOLOGY” He howled at her when she pointed at his chest. “You know how god dammed close I get to being stabbed, shot, run over or simply exploded? You know the feeling when you put on your helmet, thinking this might be the last time.” He moved closer, nearly touching her nose with his own. <br><br>“I could give a fuck about you and your fucking sponsors. If you wanted a fucking poster boy, hire a fucking silver tongued prick who could do that fucking thing for your, for fuck sakes! You hired me to be a fucking driver, you old hag.” He placed a finger at her chest, pressing against her business suit. “Why don’t you fucking try it, sitting on a metal box, filled with fucking fuel, while people fucking shoot at you!” He pressed his body closer to hers while his breathing began to grow more violent. “And I did not fuck you over that! If I wanted to fuck you, I would fucking say I wanted to fuck you.” <br><br>He scarcely remembered what happened in the short time after that. One minute he was fuming with anger, finally blurting out ‘you know what, fuck you!’, the next he was roughly grabbing her hair and pressing his lips against her own, locking them in place. The kiss was violent, rough and simply infested with lust. His whole body felt aflame, tight and coiled up, ready to pounce. He kissed her for a few seconds, in that violent way lovers sometimes do, before he placed his hands underneath her read and lifted her up, body spinning around and letting her sit on the desk. “Fuck you.” He moaned between kisses, finger nails searching for hidden pathways underneath her suit to mark her back, drawing delicious lines down her spine. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 20:34:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Alex<br><strong>Location</strong>: Garage<br><hr><br>There were so many things Aurora had wanted to yell at Alex. How the contracts were their only income until they'd win the prize. How after a tough race, the least he could do was just answer the press like any other racer did. How he could spend a few minutes and make sure the rest of them could eat, drink and stay on the move. There was little chance for her to be able to bring that up now though, as Alex had pressed his lips against hers so harshly that she had to take a step back to prevent them both from falling backwards. He didn't know his own strength. <br><br>Because strength he had. She knew this but was physically reminded when he grabbed her rear and effortlessly placed her body on the desk behind them. The forceful kiss continued and she had no choice but to reciprocate, nor did she have any intention to. She had realized her mistake the moment he had repeated the word 'fuck' a few times in his counter tirade. The next time, she'd wait a little longer after the race to deliver a speech to him, because she had just become his outlet of all the adrenaline and energy he hadn't spent in the last race. She could have thought of worse outcomes from their vocal exchanges though.<br><br>It was not like Aurora to just let Alex overpower her like that though. Her nickname was Fire and there was a good reason for it. While she paid no due attention to Alex' hands and fingers that were probably on their way to finding buttons, zippers and other weaknesses in her clothing, she did plan to use her own to let Alex feel that she wasn't going to let him take her lying down. She had already wrapped her arms around his neck the moment he lifted her up and they had remained there when he put her down again, which meant they were now in striking distance of their target. She clawed at his shirt and dug her nails into his back making sure he felt the anger that still flowed through her veins.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>17-12-2012, 21:37:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Aurora<br><strong>Location</strong>: Garage<br><hr><br>Alex arched his back, a deep animalistic rumbled escaping his throat as he felt the pain in his back. He responded to this little treat by sinking his teeth in her neck, toying with the skin there on a pleasantly painful level. He used his hands to slide her closer, pressing himself against her as tightly as he could. She could no doubt feel the heat coming from him, or the tightness in his form. The man seemed to be the living avatar of lust. Two hands were placed on her the shirt, ripping the buttons lose in one violent movement, exposing more of her flesh. If she responded to this, he did not care nor register it.<br><br>His mind was aimed purely at lust, getting what he needed from her. Fingers began kneading the sides of her waist and thighs, preparing her body for what was to happen next. He kissed her, sucked on her lower lip, scratched her back, everything he craved. Finally he began to grow bolder, hands moving to undo restraints that hid more of her female curves and shapes, exposing them to the air and his hungry gaze. He wanted her for what she was and represented. He’d let her feel the frustration and stress he accumulated at the race track.<br><br>Suddenly he was backing off, hand grasping her wrist and pulling her with him. He pulled tightly and let her shoot past him, catching her waist with his free hand to stop herself from falling. He noticed the motorcycle that belonged to his teammate and started grinning. He’d let his handler explain why a motorcycle was soaking wet. So, with that in mind, he grabbed his ‘prey’ lifted her on the motorcycle and sat behind her, one hand slipping across her form and grasping one of her orbs, cupping it tightly in his hand while two digits began toying with the nipple there, hardening it. His right hand moved towards the key and turned it on, letting the engine roar to life.<br><br>He felt the device tremble between his legs, a steady shake. He grinned as he leaned forwards, forcing Aurora’s hips to bent forwards, pressing a sensitive part of herself against the frame, letting it feel the constant vibration. He snaked his left hand from her breast to her neck, holding her jaw in his digits. He cocked it sideways, forcing her too look at him while he began to whisper.<br><br>“Fuck you.” <br><br>With a flick of the wrist he made the motorcycle roar, purr and scream violently, cc’s doing its best to shake and tremble. Funny how the tinkering from two women would help him play with another. No doubt he would be the only one who could see the humour in it. He kissed her again while he slid his left hand downwards, slowly moving towards the button that held the rest of her clothing intact. He grinned as he flicked it lose, seconds later stopping. He peeked his ears as he heard the sound again. <br><br>‘ting..ting..ting.’<br><br>At first he thought better, simply deciding it was a lose bolt somewhere, yet it was to timed, almost as if!!.”FUCK! gunfire!” He said suddenly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>18-12-2012, 00:50:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joy effortlessly maneuvered the wide body of the truck past dangerous outcroppings and jagged ridges, one such rock stuck out so prominently that Avalon had to swerve around it suddenly. Knowing that a move so sudden would tend to dislodge or let object that weren't tied down to drift inside the truck, Joy radioed every room with an apology, "Sorry about that." She turned the radio off, knowing it would consume a miniscule portion of the batteries, that was charged by the coolly running engines, which were fed by a half-empty fuel tank. Once she was back on the road, Joy found the path to become less bumpy.<br><br>Running cold and slow meant that lights were dimmed, but also needed hologauges were turned off. Security cameras were disabled, hiding the fiasco in the garage and the two in the kitchen. In the garage room and the higher-placed control platform, all was quiet. Just the low rumble of the cool running engine, the rolling of the tires kicking up pebbles and rocks that flew and lightly banged on the underside of the chassis, and the constant beep of the radar. Joy had to have it open, consider Firestone's advice to watch out for bandits in Old Appalachia. When they were stopped in the last town, Joy had watched a breaking news program of a large convoy, obviously traveling fast and hot in the desert, get ambushed by hostile nomads. Men were either found dead, nearly dead, or both conditions in humiliating positions. Women were found alive, but humiliated and used. Nothing like this type of bad news had shocked Joy, for she along with some of the others on the team grew up in such worlds. It was fortunate she had a father, whose picture sat tucked in a blown out AC module above Joy. He had been very protective over her daughter after Joy's mother mysterious disappeared. Her father said bandits were to blame and Joy simply forgot all about her.<br><br>Joy, after watching the news program, was only wary about the dangers of the road. Firestone's advice had strengthened that wariness and made this trip so goddamned long and slow. Avalon just had to be extra careful, with one eye on the road and one eye on the radar.<br><br>Suddenly, she heard the sound of her 3-REX turning on and revving up. "Who the hell?" she asked aloud, though no one was in the spacious room to hear her. She screamed behind her, assuming it was either the mechanic or the technician making last-minute adjustments to her trike. "WIGGY! FRANKIE! Stop messing around with my REX!" she screamed. Half of her anger was due to her protectiveness over her vehicle and half was due to the fact that a loud engine revving would result in camping bandits to hear it. Though they wouldn't be able to track the truck via sound detection, the engine roar will certainly alert them to a passing craft, which they could see on infrared or thermal.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>18-12-2012, 09:17:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not even a minute after the words “I think we’ve had enough” left Wiggy’s lips, it felt as if everything went to hell around her. It started with the sound of a revving bike resonating throughout the tank’s steel innards and was followed by a series of heavy, yet familiar, dings upon its sturdy hull. The technician's heart instantly skipped a beat as she recognized the latter noise for what is was... gunfire! Even the timid techie had been forced through it enough to know when they were under attack, a fact which left her cold as she recalled recent news reports.&nbsp; <br><br>With a jolt, Wiggy wasted no time in dashing towards one of the cupboards, where she snatched two guns from a hidden compartment. The one she promptly tossed to Frankie while shoving her own into the V of her jumpsuit. If possible she hoped the tank could handle most of the wetwork but felt that it never hurt to be cautious. She then grabbed her laptop which she swiftly snapped open and began typing into even as she proceeded to march out of the kitchen and towards the garage. She hoped Frankie wasn’t far behind as she felt her own usefulness significantly diminished during times of combat when compared to the fiery mechanic.<br><br>While Wiggy made her way through the tank, a small message popped up on Joy’s screen. The technician had chosen to use lettering as opposed to voice simply because it was easier to secure.<br><br>“Joy, we’re going to find Alex and Aurora, arm-up and investigate the garage! We’ll keep you updated on the situation. P.S. I’ve activated the automatic turrets, stay safe!” <br><br>Content that the message had gotten through, Wiggy began to access the tank’s other security features. Her intent was to re-initialize the system’s security to make sure the garage was safe before entering, after which she’d locate Alex and Aurora so that the team could mount a proper defence against the bandits. Her screen was already lighting up as the camera for the garage turned on.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>18-12-2012, 12:21:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Alex, Wiggy<br><strong>Location</strong>: Garage, Corridor<br><hr><br>If it weren't for the loud roaring of the motorcycle, the entire crew of the Titan would have been made aware of the game Alex was playing with Aurora. She had cried out from the top of her lungs when Alex had&nbsp; pulled the gas handle open, anyone within a reasonable distance would have probably heard it. The cold steel had vibrated against her sensitive button above her slit so much that it would have only taken a few more moments or she would have gotten off. It was only typical of Alex to do this to her though. The stereotype was complete, now he had literally fucked someone with a motorcycle. At least, she would be able to boast about having had a six hundred horsepower vibrator. Surely there weren't many women who could say the same. The lack of completion would have left her in a state of utter frustration though if it weren't for the imminent danger that they were now in. <br><br>She realized Alex was right as soon as she heard him shout "Gunfire!" The sounds of metal on metal ticking was so consistent, it had to be an automatic rifle of some sorts. After Alex jumped off the saddle, Aurora was finally able to leave the beast as well. She clumsily tried to put on her skirt again, which Alex had unbuttoned only moments earlier. She'd get him back for this though, even if that meant forcing him to fuck an exhaust pipe or something outlandish like that. The dress shirt she was still wearing was a complete mess. All the buttons had been ripped off by him and she had no other choice but to head towards the cockpit without getting it fixed first, or putting on more clothes.<br><br>She stumbled into the corridor that lead from the garage straight to the cargo bay and the cockpit and saw Wiggy heading towards her. Aurora still was a bit flushed from Alex' little punishment she had to take earlier, and the fact that her ripped dress jacket around her shoulders could hardly cover anything probably meant Wiggy didn't have to be a visionary to figure out what had taken place. "What's going on?", she asked the technician assuming she already knew everything about the situation. "How many bandits are there?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>18-12-2012, 17:44:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A minute after angry exclamation towards wherever Wiggy and Frankie might be, whether in the kitchen or the garage, a message on an accessory holoscreen popped up from none other than Wiggy. Joy glanced at the message once, but had to look back at the road for she was maneuvered for a wide bend when the message was brought forth. She did manage to read the entirety of it before the curve of the bend straightened. The message read:<br><br><div align="center"><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">“Joy, we’re going to find Alex and Aurora, arm-up and investigate the garage!<br>We’ll keep you updated on the situation.<br><br>P.S. I’ve activated the automatic turrets, stay safe!"</span></div><br>Avalon was a bit annoyed at how Wiggy was using the things that made the engine run hotter than it usually would be when running silently through the pass, but she couldn't blame the technician. Just the urgency and seriousness of the message told Joy that Wiggy wasn't joking. In reality, she recalled that Wiggy was not a jokester like someone else was. If what Wiggy was saying was true to some extent, then there wouldn't be a reason to get annoyed at a time like this. Then, was the revving of my 3-REX had to do something about this emergency? Joy thought, concerned for her vehicle which was a gift from her father for her 23rd birthday before his untimely passing. To Joy, it was priceless. Was the 3-REX a target of .... of bandits? Say it isn't so, Joe! she said to herself.<br><br>There was no way she would let go of the controls and run off to save her puppy, for this old clunk of junk did not have autopilot installed. Even if it did, what A.I. could navigate these treacherous mountain passes in complete darkness? Joy had to stay and trust Wiggy with the emergency. She was the one who could control every system in the truck, save for the actual navigational controls. That and with a bit of firepower, Wiggy could hold her on, could she? If worse came to even terribly and life-threateningly worse, Joy had a rifle stowed underneath the panel and an old Desert Eagle in another panel, which in actuality didn't work. It's complicated facade with multiple buttons was only cosmetic, but it was a good place to hide a gun. <br><br>As the truck exited the last outcropping she was ever going to see in Old Appalachia, the next terrain would be more open, the lights illuminating an actual, though dusty paved road. If fuel wasn't used up by accessories being turned on by Wiggy, they would be passing the New Amsterdam outskirt 30 minutes ago, but could they even make it due to the emergency that Wiggy, and possibly everyone else knew about. I didn't hear anything, Joy thought. But still.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>18-12-2012, 23:54:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;<strong>Tagged</strong>: Aurora, Wiggy<br><strong>Location</strong>: Garage, Corridor, Roof<br><hr><br>Alex was fuming with rage, confusion and irritation for not getting what he wanted. He strolled passed the females, shirt in tatters and a few gashes on his back and chest that would suggest a fight with a horde of kittens. He slammed open the cabinet, revealing a few pistols, rifles and a couple of boxes of ammo. Their handler kept them all on a regular training schedule, shooting at empty beer cans every uneven months. Alex knew he wasn’t a top marksmen, yet he had fired enough rounds to know where the bullet would roughly end up if you pulled the trigger.<br><br>“Bloody bandits.” He scowled as he grabbed two rifles and walked back to the others, throwing one to them, not caring who would catch it. “I’ll check it out from the roof. Tell Joy to occasionally swirl to the left and right. We might scare them off, and if lucky flatten them. One of you help me on the roof.” He barked, knowing he did not really know what he was doing, yet thinking it would&nbsp; be best to do something. He made his way to one of the service ladders and began to climb upwards, the rifle held in his left hand. He had a few extra rounds in his back pocket, rinkeling every time he moved his right leg.<br><br>He turned open the wheel of the hatch and opened it, at once feeling the cold air that rushed in to meet up with him. He forced himself through it and climbed out, standing next to the hatch in a crouch. He moved to the side and noticed a small car, housing three bandits. He was about to open fire when he heard another set of engines on the other side. He crawled over to the other side and noticed a somewhat larger truck. The five people in there were arguing and slowly driving their vehicle closer. One of them apparently had brought a blow torch, something that would not get them through the thick steel frame in a hour, yet could damage their truck. <br><br>He had enough intellect to quickly call it through his earpiece before he shouldered the rifle, leaned forwards and squeezed the trigger. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 09:01:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Frankie caught the gun that Wiggy tossed to her, and, twirling it in her fingers, ran to the nearest hatch to see what she could. Spying a car full of bandits outside, she slipped open the hatch and started firing wildly at them. Frankie was never a terribly discriminate shot, but she knew that if she kept shooting she'd blow out one of their tires or something fairly soon. <br><br>Laughing like a madwoman, she sprayed bullets at the bandits' car, drawing their attention (and consequently their fire. She ducked back into the hatch as they drew a bead on her and locked it shut. The heavy armor of the truck absorbed their small arms fire, and Frankie ran down the corridors, ducking and weaving past the rest of the crew, as she headed for the next hatch.<br><br>She repeated the maneuver several times, eventually abandoning one side of the Titan and running to the other, not surprised to see that the bandits' smaller, faster vehicles had surrounded them. This time, she had more success, and she blew out one of the tires of their truck, leaving it slowly drifting behind them and out of range. As she pulled herself back inside, she realized that she was out of ammo, and went back to the garage in search of more. She was pretty sure they stored bullets in one of the crates that littered the area.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 09:33:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When she did in fact hear ricocheting bullets hitting the panels of the truck up front, Joy's alertness shot up. Certainly, Wiggy was not joking about with her message and the shots from a revolver, probably done so out of the side hatches by Frankie or some other person, made the situation all the more serious. Right now, it was useless to run slow and cool when you had red-hot maniacal bandits trying to apprehend a large rolling turtle with small arms fire. With one quick fluid motion, Joy turned on all the systems and allowed engines to fire up, giving the truck a burst of speed that sent it barrelling through the hills and forests of East Appalachia. "I'm firing everything up, guys! Do your magic!" Joy said to the crew through her earpice. <br><br>Needed screens like the security cameras also popped on in midair above Avalon's head. The exterior shots displayed a group of no more than three vehicles, two small cars stripped of useless fiberglass and replaced with cold hard steel.&nbsp; The other vehicle which drove at the same speed as the truck, had manuevered alongside the thicker plates of the truck's rear and looked like it was doing so so that the bndits could hijack the truck while it was in operation. Not when I'm driving, Joy said to herself, and made a sudden turn towards the side which the bigger vehicle was on, causing it to swerve out of the way, unfortunately, the road had become more wider, allowing the vehicle more space to get away from fast approaching bulk that was trying to ram them.<br><br>Luckily, this gave Frankie, who Avalon spotted in one of the exterior cameras. She could see her gun firing wildly amidst the bandits' own fire. Just like in an old action movie, a bullet caught the rubber of a front tire and caused the car to slow down in order not to crash. She shouted through her earpiece, "Nice shot!" This conflict was not over, but Joy could do nothing but drive as wildly and unpredictably so that the bandits wouldn't get a chance to board. She just had to trust the rest of the crew had enough firepower to thwart the plans of their pursuers.<br><br>Not only was this sudden, late-night attack affecting Joy, causing her to have a worried expression on her face, but the fuel gauge's needle was dropping faster than usual. She hoped whatever gas they had left could push their behemoth of a truck straight into New Amsterdam. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 11:15:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At the sight of Aurora, Wiggy went from a look of shock to a knowing blush. It hadn’t been hard to put two and two together after seeing their manager’s state of dress, ripped and buttonless as it was. And the sight of Alex only helped drive the point home as he stormed passed, his clothing similarly shredded, with a few angry red claw-marks running down his back and chest. None of this explained how they were using Joy’s bike however; a thought which only caused Wiggy’s blush to deepen. The shy support driver didn’t even seem to like it when her team mates worked on 3-REX, at least not without knowing what was being done, so the techie couldn’t begin to imagine how she’d react over the current scenario.<br><br>Wiggy had little time to worry over such matters however as Aurora asked about the situation. After catching the rifle tossed by Alex in her free hand, Wiggy promptly handed it over to Aurora before snapping open her laptop and answering her questions. She hadn't ignored Alex's orders so much as trusted that Joy probably knew what she was doing. “There look to be two small vehicles as well as one lar-,” the techie paused mid-sentence as she watched the large vehicle’s tire blown by a precise shot, only to hear Joy yell her congratulations to whoever had done it through her ear-piece. “Scratch that, it looks like someone disabled it although we still have the two smaller ones,” she finally continued although with her tone a slight more thoughtful as if she had been expecting something. “Strange, the auto-guns should have fired by now… Just a sec.” With a few quick taps on her keyboard, a sudden grinding of metal was heard as metal plates on either side of the Titan slid open, allowing two large guns to extend from the tank’s shell.<br><br>With a loud, metallic, click the weapons locked onto the nearest non-friendly targets, after which Wiggy turned her laptop so that it was facing Aurora. “Use of them can drain power as well as waste some pretty expensive ammo but, at the current rate we’re going, it looks like we’re expending resources rapidly just by trying to escape. The last thing we want is to be stranded and ripe for the picking before we can reach our location and I don't think even Joy can outrun these smaller vehicles while driving this behemoth.” Upon mentioning resources, Wiggy tapped a white-gloved finger over a digitalized fuel gauge. The guns would turn the bandits and their vehicles into swiss-cheese, an honour and choice Wiggy left up to Aurora as she said, “Just press enter to activate them.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 11:34:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rifle fire could be heard from the top of the truck, Alex raining down steel at one of the remaining two vehicles. He inhaled and held his breath as he squeezed the trigger twice more, emptying his clip. He had hit one in the chest, killing him immediately, while shooting another in the shoulder. He wanted to finish the job quickly, yet the car was moving more erratically, making it hard for him to pin them down. He heard the sounds of an empty rifle as he began cursing, making his way down the ladder. He noticed somewhere standing there with a laptop, no doubt Wiggy, as he blasted past her. He rushed towards the garage and grinned, seeing the beast of a motorcycle that was his own. The two larger cars that would be used for racing where stored above him, securely clamped vast in steel hooks. The motorcycle would simply have to do. He slammed his fist against the button that led to the large metal plate at the end of the truck. Slowly it was being lowered, something that was ill advised when currently driving.<br><br>“Oy!” He barked loudly, before remembering that he had a small com system in his ear. He readjusted the thing and linked it up with the cockpit. “Joy, you there?” He said, waiting for an answer. He grabbed the one of the melee weapons that was hanging from a shelve; a large sword that was thicker than normal. It was mostly used for puncturing tires during a race or impalement. The sides were sharpened, yet lacked the finesse of an actual thinner sword. Not knowing if his message was getting through, he spoke again while taking his place on top of the motorcycle. “Joy! I am going to do a hopper. I’ll take the little shit on your left. Fuck the other up on the right.” With that he flicked his wrist and brought something demonic alive. He leaned forwards and stopped being himself. <br><br>Tire and steel were connecting, creating god awful sounds before it simply stopped, signalling that Alex had launched himself from the half raised back plate and was currently airborne. He landed on his back wheel and steadied himself on the bike, adjusting to the change in speed and friction. A second or so later he was sliding to a halt and speeding back towards the truck, going straight for the car on the left. He hoped everything would go smoothly, not really looking forward to Joy accidently swinging the truck to the left. He pulled the blade free from its scabbard and blasted forwards, the tip pointing forwards like a Lance on a cavalry man. He had enough horsepower on the steel creature he was riding to be the equivalent to a large cavalry strike, nearly a whole banner. He evaded from left to right as he dodged some bullets here and there, one actually brushing past his ear, causing some discomfort in hearing. <br><br>He grinned as he twisted his shoulder and forced it forwards, slamming the tip of his sword in the side of the vehicle, cutting through fuel lines, electronics and other vital things. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 12:18:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Wiggy, Joy<br><strong>Location</strong>: Corridor, Cockpit<br><hr><br><br>"Don't even ask", Aurora started as Wiggy gave her a curious glance and blushed a little. It would probably have to come to some sort of statement about their little heated discussion later, but perhaps this bandit intervention would make the rest of the crew forget. It wasn't very important though, not compared to the imminent danger that they had found themselves in right now. That other matter would have to be addressed later on, though she would rather forget it ever happened.<br><br>Wiggy pushed a rifle in her hands as Alex had just passed them by. She checked it for ammunition and took the safety off just to be sure. For all they knew, the bandits could be boarding them already. They'd be in for a nasty surprise if they tried that though. She cleared the rifle of any empty shells that may have remained and cocked the rifle, ready for use. In the mean time, Wiggy had pressed her small laptop in her face and presented her with the option to use the mounted auto-guns. It was a tough decision, seeing as it also was a heavy drain on their power supply. The generators used a lot of diesel, which meant activating this type of weaponry automatically decreased their truck's action radius.<br><br>The moment she saw Alex appear in the security camera's view, she disabled the auto-guns system again and shook her head at Wiggy. "Not today, little sister. We'll save that for the next time. Instead, she climbed up a small ladder on the wall in the corridor and opened the small hatch. The force of the air sweeping in her face caused her hair to wave wildly. She managed to get the rifle through the small hatch as well and she took aim at the car furthest away from Alex. She'd rather not be responsible for hitting the motorcycle. Alex, well that could be chalked up as an unfortunate friendly fire incident, but that motorcycle, there'd be hell to pay if she hit that. Instead, she took aim at the wheels and engine block of the car that Alex hadn't disabled yet. After wasting most of her ammunition of trying to figure out how far she needed to lead her target before her bullets would actually hit, she finally got a few rounds into the front wheel of the car, which began to swerve left and right dangerously. It'd be nothing that Alex wouldn't be able to handle though, there were tougher days on the track compared to these bandits.<br><br>Both of the cars began slowing down considerably due to their mechanical failures. Deciding that this should be sufficient, Aurora climbed down again and instructed Wiggy to inspect the truck for possible internal damage. Whatever had been hit on the outside would have to be repaired in New Amsterdam, assuming they'd make it that far.<br><br>To ensure their arrival, Aurora left Wiggy to her own tasks and ran towards the truck's cockpit. "Avalon, slow down!", she shouted over the roaring sound of the engines and the gunfire that was still erupting from both sides of the almost-over battle. "We have to slow down so Alex can get back inside. Run us silent again straight away!", she ordered. She knew she might have come across as a bit harsh to their driver, but she could not take any chances with their fuel levels. They were dangerously low as it were, as they'd be unable to resupply fully at the race track earlier that day. She'd rather not have turned on the Christmas tree of gadgets, automatic turrets, the rear garage door, cameras and whatever else was enabled now, but she couldn't risk having the truck hit by a heavy anti-vehicle round either. Now that both cars and the truck had been disabled though, it was time to return to cruise speed as quickly as manageable in order to conserve the precious diesel.<br><br>Aurora had all but forgotten about her loose shirt and bra-less chest, as she was too engrossed in watching the fuel gauges and security indicators. She took a quick look at the security monitors before they'd be shut down. The cars were still moving, but she could see smoke appear from both of the small vehicles, while the truck had started to fall behind so far that it was out of effective fire range. "I got Wiggy to check for internal damage, we'll check out what they touched on the outsides once we get to New Amsterdam", she explained to Joy as she looked over her shoulder. "Looks like we're going to have to improve on our internal communication devices as well." While Alex might still have his earpiece, she'd be happier if they had something that was easier to use.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 17:59:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Crackling static was heard in her ear and it was none other than Alex. "Yes, Alex, I'm here," she responded rather happily. Before the static came about, a warning came on that signaled to the driver of this turtle that its ass was hanging out. It certainly made controlling the truck a bit harder, since the weight of the lowered access ramp was extended out, making it seem like the truck was longer than it usually was. But Joy knew it had to be done and wasn't annoyed at Alex at all. Hopper? The term was coined during one of the earlier rookie races. In this race, Joy was actually in the position behind Alex, meaning the competition on the track wasn't that fierce. What was hot were the flurry of bullets that were peppering Joy's REX and there no room to dodge them in a particular bottleneck on the track. Alex had saved Joy life that day and he did it with the hopper. The move consisted of Alex letting Joy's aerodynamic front end ram into the back of his bike, causing it to hop backwards. The Grey Merc proceeded to take care of Joy's pursuers behind her.<br><br>The hopper worked the same way in this situation, but with the huge truck rather than the more nimble 3-REX. Alex went for the vehicle on the left making the car on Joy's right to be her target. She was about to swerve that way when she heard gunfire and hair flying out of one of the access hatches towards the back. It was none other Aurora taking a shot at the car. She had managed to get tire, causing it to slow down alongside its crippled mate, leaving Alex the one behind the truck.<br><br>The gunfire had ceased and the team handler had entered the cargo hold wearing nothing but a loose shirt. As much as Avalon wanted to sit and stare, she but a speeding hulk of metal to steer through winding roads. The handler told her to slow down and Joy bit her lip as she let the engines cook, the heat sink dissipating the extra heat out the side of the truck. Anyone caught outside and alongside the truck would have burns due to the massive amount of heat. The collection of screens flicked off, the security cameras and auto cannons shutting down. The truck was running silent once again. "Alex, you can hop back in my ass now," she said to the motorcyclist, no pun intended, but Alex didn't know that. With the truck running slow, the door was able to lower to become a ramp, the metal grinding on the dusty roads, making spark fly behind. She waited for Alex to drive back inside and close the door. In the meantime, she looked for ward and saw lights towering in the sky. Joy muttered, "There it is. New Amsterdam." The fuel gauge showed that only 5% of their fuel remained.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 18:42:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Bruised, battered and grinning from ear to ear, Alex steered his vehicle closer to the truck and lifted the front wheel, allowing him access to the truck again. He steered it inside and parked it where he had preciously launched himself from, the scene still smelling like fresh rubber. He closed the hatch and made his way to his ‘baby’, inspecting her sides, front and rear. He was a completely different person when it came to racing. He was calmer and more mature, one might even say professional. He ran a hand over her frame and nodded, deeming her mostly unharmed. He pressed his com-piece and spoke. “Haha, did you fucking see the last part! Who the fuck shot the other car! I loved that fuc-“The message continued for a long time, Alex slipping back into his more relaxed state. He filled the next five minutes with ‘fuck’, ‘bloody’ and numerous other phrases. He was proud of his team, his family. This was one can of fucked up psychopathic people you did not want to mess around with. He actually thought the bandits had gotten away with it rather well, only suffering a few injuries.<br><br>“New Amsterdam? Fuck, yhea!” Alex blurted out as he began making his way up the steel stairs. “Oy! Joy! We are going to do vampire shots at a bar! You can tell me more about me parking in your ass there.” He switched off his com and laughed, pulling of his tattered shirt and placing the sword back with the other weapons. He entered the hallway, eyes bright and cheeks red from excitement. Where was Frankie! She always knew where to find the best bars, and booze! He was going to do as he always did when winning a race and getting a small amount of cash for managing first place. He grinned at the prospect of spending it all on booze, alcohol and other substances that would get him into trouble. By the time he had gotten on a fresh shirt and his cash, the truck would be entering New Amsterdam.<br><br><br><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 24pt;" class="bbc_size">New Amsterdam</span></strong></div><div class="floatleft">(http://cghub.com/files/Image/083001-084000/83799/209_max.jpg)</div><br><br>Population: 750.000<br>Unemployment: 68,3%<br>Corporation Allegiance: None<br>Daily deaths: Around 45 (60 during the weekends) <br>Exports: Steel/iron, Old world tech, Old parts, Slaves.<br>Ruling Militia: Tridants.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Welcome to New Amsterdam, the scavenging district. Rumour was that this was used to be called New York, some big town of sorts back in the old world. Riots, bombs and other pleasantries completely levelled the place, leaving just rubble and steel, like a graveyard. The steel and concrete rubble proved to be a good way to create a wall or a makeshift house, resulting in a city being built around the corpse of a former behemoth of a city. The town grew and quickly gained a reputation for producing steel to any would be buyer. It was far easier to dig some up out of ruins than actually make new steel from ores and foundries. No cooperation held any sway here, yet a large militia kept the peace. The place was filled with cutthroats, hard asses and drivers. If you needed parts, steel or a bad hangover, this was to place to get it. <br><br>Their team had been here before, once. Alex barely could remember the last time, his memory still foggy from back then. He remembered something vaguely about a dare to drink fire brandy that was actually on fire. The rest of his memory was just blackness and painful throbbing. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 20:10:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With little more than a brief nod and smile, Wiggy went off to do as Aurora had asked. The technician was fairly certain that the hull had held however which left only one place to check, the garage. It had been the only area exposed during the lowering of the ramp as well as the scene of 3-REX’s scandalous little tryst with Aurora and Alex, a detail which Wiggy promised to keep to herself. The last thing she felt the team needed was drama over a bike. With this in mind, she made sure to check that the vehicle was unscratched and intact before moving her attention to Alex’s bike and the rest of the garage. It was a tedious task, kept interesting only by Alex’s colourfully worded blow-by-blow account of the bandit’s defeat. Wiggy had no doubt that the bandits would be talking about it themselves for some time – it wasn’t every day that some crazy biker with a samurai sword ramped out a moving truck to beat off its armoured assailants.<br><br>By the time Wiggy was content with the state of the garage and its vehicles, she thought she could feel the truck slowing down. “Finally,” she sighed, relieved that they had made it on their low fuel. With one last glance for good measure, she slipped her laptop onto a nearby bench and left the garage.<br><br>When Wiggy entered the command room, she came baring a gift; Aurora’s team jacket. She did so partly out of kindness but mostly because she found the blonde to be fairly distracting in her current state of undress. With a smile she offered it to her before stating, “I did a check on the garage and it seems fine for now, otherwise I’ll perform a proper internal scan once we exit silent mode.” She then turned to Joy which caused her to freeze in thought as 3-REX rushed to mind. Wiggy had never been good at keeping secrets, for the sake of the team however she was willing to do her best, which probably meant that it would be a good idea to stop staring…<br><br>“Ah… N-nice job out there Joy,” she stammered uneasily, hoping to hide the “REX WAS RAPED” sign she felt was written all over her forehead. “D-drink’s on me.” She shot the driver a small, guilt-ridden, smile before quickly glancing down and adjusting her glasses with two fingers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 20:42:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				By the time they got to New Amsterdam, the sun was peeking over the Atlantic, starting a new day. The truck had mananged to run completely on fumes, for the fuel gauge had started flashing red once they passed the outskirts. Joy managed to get the truck through the main thoroughfare and into a large parking spot amongst other, nicer-looking transport trucks parked near the race track. She turned off the engines, but there would be no luck firing them up again with no fuel in its belly.<br><br>Alex rang in her ear, shouting about doing shots at the bar. Joy and the others would probably know how Alex was with his drink. Joy remembered the last time she was here in New Amsterdam. After a race, the team celebrated Alex's victory, but when everyone had left to purchase things from the Bazaar, someone from the local shady community dared Alex to take the Fire Brandy challenge. Well, in Joy's perspective, she couldn't say it was another victory at all. After just five shots, Alex had passed out. Joy had to carry a heavy limp Grey Merc out of the bar and back to the truck. There many times that the two fell and it was either she or Alex that was on top of the other. It was awkward, but since Alex was too drunk to care, Joy considered that this is one memory she could keep from her teammate. You could say the adoration for Alex had increased that day. When she and her uncooperating teammate reached the truck, she pulled him inside and into his room. She had taken off his racing jumpsuit and laid eyes on his chiseled body. Since she was alone, she lay with him without his knowledge, enjoying the warmth given off of Alex's bare chest. She left him with a parting gift, though half the reason was to wake him up. She had balled up a pillow and smacked him around a few times. No doubt her would have a throbbing sensation when he woke up.<br><br>She rotated her seat to find Wiggy entering the room with Aurora's team jacket. Now the question could be asked. Why was&nbsp; the team handler half naked? Joy remebered that her 3-Rex had been turned on before the little bandit attack and tried to connext the dots. Cursing under her breath, she didn't want to know why and just stood and entered the corridor. There she found Alex, his attire somewhat attacked by a stowaway cat. If her puppy had been turned on, and Aurora was half naked, and Alex's shirt in tatters. No, it can't be? "Mercer! You didn't do what I think you did to my REX?" she asked before heading into the garage.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 21:00:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alex barked a laugh as he noticed his teammate rush towards the garage. “And purr she did!” He shouted, voice filled with boyish amusement. He glanced at the rest of the room, the people in it, and found out he was the only one laughing. No doubt miss Firestone was too high and mighty to enjoy such a fine joke. Still, the woman had a better body than he had given her credit for in his dreams. “Feel free to shout at me when you like.” He said, eyes scanning her still exposed upper body. God, he wanted to touch those knockers right here and now. He almost had to tear his eyes away from her frame, yet he managed to pull it off, eying Wiggy. “You..” He said, pressing a single digit at her chest. “Me..” followed after, his frame moving closer towards her, nearly pressing against her own body. “Drinking, now!” He’d grab her wrist and drag her out of the bar if she let him. A little resistance was fun to toy around with, yet if she truly said no to him, he’d let go and go alone. He needed to blow off steam and she was offering to buy, was she not?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 22:09:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Wiggy winced as she watched Joy spin around in her seat, only to sigh in relief as the normally shy driver chose to bypass her and jump straight to attacking Alex. She didn’t know how Joy discovered the truth and frankly, she didn’t care. She was simply glad to be rid of both the secret and the possibility of an awkward interrogation. There was however a small part of her which felt bad that the entire situation couldn’t have just been swept under the rug; out of sight and out of mind.<br><br>As she turned around to watch Joy leave, Wiggy spotted Alex just as he guffawed over his own wit, an act which she couldn’t help but frown at. “He could be a little more sensitive,” she pondered quietly to herself although not daring to share such a thought while the boisterous rider was in earshot. And yet she almost jumped when he approached, believing that he had somehow seen right through her. <br><br>Once again Wiggy found him completely violating her personal space as he brazenly poked her in the chest. “I hate it when you do that,” she yelled… in her head. In reality however the technician simply folded her arms, turned away and blushed as he closed the gap even further, enough that she could almost feel the heat emanating from his chest. She wanted to say something, anything, or even just step away but before she could get her body to cooperate, she felt Alex’s strong grip around her wrist. The next few moments passed in a blur as a disconcerted Wiggy suddenly felt herself being dragged out the exit, causing her to stumble gingerly after him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>19-12-2012, 22:32:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alex was to single-minded today to care for his companion, or hostage – depending on how you looked at things-, simply having too much fun. “I promised I would do vampire shots with Joy.” He commented as he dragged his crewmember into another side alley. “But, I made no promise in getting plastered with another!” He barked as he swirled her and himself around a few beggars and crossing a main street. Finally he found what he was looking for. A place had to be classy when bringing a friend, let alone a female. He had heard the ‘rusty mullet’ was a great place, semi clean and with plenty of liquor. He spurred the two of them along and entered the bar, the scent of beer, piss and blood hitting him in the face. <br><br>He glanced at her, not registering her resistance, fear, confusion or whatever she was currently feeling. “Let us go over there.” He pointed to a vacant spot at the end of the bar, one dimply lit, yet closer to full bowl of peanuts. A fair trade off in Alex’s mind. He forced her to sit and slammed his fist at the bar a few times. The bartender, -who would dubbed as Joe for the rest of the evening, like it or not-, took one glance at Alex, judging if he had enough cash on him. He actually spared several looks for his female companion, eyes nearly bulging when he found out how low the zipper was. Eight beers were ordered as a start, with a bowl of lemons to spruce up the drink. <br><br>He handed her a beer, slid the slice of lemon inside the tube and slammed his own bottle against hers. “For surviving another day.” He said, grinning as he began to take a few sips.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>20-12-2012, 00:00:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joy expressed annoyance at how her three-wheeled bike had 'purred,' telling exactly how and why the vehicle gave off that sudden roar before getting attacked by bandits. She let him exit the corridor without a scratch, but couldn't help but glance at the skin underneath the torn sections of his shirt. She entered the garage to find a rather messy place. Everything important sat where they were supposed to be. The unimportant stuff, like wrenches and power tools were strewn about desks and the floor. Joy strolled over to her 3-REX, finding unknown residue on the front window of the cockpit. Everything was as she, or Wiggy or Frankie, left it.<br><br>She eyed a screen which held a collection of security displays. She witnessed Alex's male body dragging a reluctant woman with glass on toward the town across the way. No doubt he was going to have a drink. She smiled, and said to herself, Hope you get drunk like last time. i'm not going to be the one to drag your sorry ass back to the truck. Part of her wished she was dragged off instead of the technician Wiggy, just for the reason to undress Alex while he was passed ...&nbsp; and maybe do more than the last time he bared his chest.<br><br>She turned to the button that lowered the access ramp and pressed it lowering the door and letting the salty morning sea breeze to enter the garage. Even when the engines cooled of and weren't supplying power to the truck, thr batteries would have been fully charged during the little attack. The crew could survive a week with just the power of the batteries, but they needed fuel in order to let the engines charged them back again. Joy wondered when they were going to resupply. She therefore turned on all the holoscreens that she needed, two for the upcoming race, three for the track's database, and one just for media. Guerilla news bot already had the top story of one of the team employed by Elite Enterprise being attacked by bandits. joy smiled, seeing her driving clear to see on the screen.<br><br>Walking over to her vehicle, she popped open the door, letting it hang open Lambo-style. Unlike Alex's bike, she had a fully enclosed cockpit and aluminum body which made the trike more aerodynamic and race worthy. Even though a naked body lay on her windshield and the engine fired up once, the gas tank remained full and the aerodynamics uncompromised. joy sighed, wiping the residue off with a dirty rag.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>20-12-2012, 00:05:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy had still been trying to orientate herself by the time she was practically dumped onto the bar stool, her mind reeling from the act of diving into a world so far out her comfort zone. She had heard Alex rattling on about “vampires” and “getting plastered” earlier, but wasn’t quite able to put the words together during their rushed little walk over. All she could recall was the nigh-impossible attempts to dodge almost every person they passed and beyond that, she couldn't care less about plastered vampires or horribly named bars. Now that she was seated however, she could finally take stock of the situation and apparently while enjoying a cool beer. She looked down curiously at the froth-filled mug when suddenly Alex clinked it with his own and cheerfully exclaimed, “For surviving another day!”<br><br>Wiggy instantly smiled at the gesture as she realized what they were doing, celebrating a victory! Something she had only ever heard of rather than participated in. Without a second thought, she followed Alex’s lead and took a swig of her own golden-brown drink. It tasted bitter on her tongue, almost as much as the feeling that she hadn’t really earned it during that attack. Since it was unlikely she would be able to do such a thing again however she was willing to live with the guilt.<br><br>“Yuck, this beer tastes like battery acid,” she exclaimed with a grimace as she slammed the mug back down on the bar, “Please don’t tell me that you celebrate with this gunk every win.” Wiggy figured that it was likely used more to forget than to enjoy, especially considering the dangerous lives racers led, but this didn’t make it any easier to swallow. Still, she wasn’t about to say no to a free drink. Alex was paying after all… right?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>20-12-2012, 12:19:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: <br><strong>Location</strong>: Cockpit, Living Quarters<br><hr><br>Aurora sighed in relief as the first lights of New Amsterdam came in view. While it wasn't exactly a tropical paradise, she was in fact happy to return to what some would classify as civilization. She had set up a meeting with a prospective crew member in the town, one who'd take over Joy's position as truck driver which would free the co-racer of the tiresome job. She'd have some more stress free time to tinker with her own vehicles and would be able to show up fresh at the start of a new race. It was just a matter of finding the man now, but she hoped that the contacts she maintained in the city would help her out.<br><br>She gratefully accepted her team jacket that Wiggy had so kindly brought to her. She thanked the girl, whom she started to consider as her little sister by now, graciously. She put it on over her ripped dress shirt and zipped it up right above her navel, as per the team's fashion style. The only thing that was missing from her usual team outfit attire were the green bikini bottoms. She was still somewhat dressed in her business suit though, which she supposed would have to do for now. The team outfit wasn't particularly suited outside of tracks and their garage anyway, it drew quite some attention for reason that ought to be obvious.<br><br>Joy had parked the Titan on New Amsterdam's race track grounds, which were deserted for all but a few other team trucks that were making a stop here in New Amsterdam. It wouldn't be long though, before the track would be filled with people again. Aurora was on her way upstairs, heading towards the living quarters, when she walked past this year's racing calender. New Amsterdam's race was still a few days away, so they had plenty of time to get supplies, perform repairs, tests and checks and in Alex' case, drink a lot of booze, before they'd have to be ready for the race.<br><br>Once arrived in the living quarters, Aurora headed for the uniform and switched her skirt and panties for the proper green bikini bottoms. She returned to her small desk again and began looking through her messed up papers and contact details, trying to find the information she needed to contact the new truck driver, or at least figure out how reach someone who might know more about his whereabouts. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>20-12-2012, 19:34:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr>“Hmm… think so?” Alex commented, pouring another sip in his mouth and tasting it carefully this time. “It isn’t so bad if you don’t think about it. I usually just drink what I can get my hands on.” He clinked her glass again as he moved closer, grinning as he peered into her eyes. “So… Did you bone Frankie yet?” He grinned, or smirked, probably the latter. He held his eyes with her own, searching ever reaction she would offer or release involuntarily.<br><br>Behind them the bar was getting more crowded. A few larger men were dragging a fresh corpse outside. The three daggers sticking out of his back were crude, probably designed to break in halve when imbedded in a human flesh. Besides the dead body a few fights were going strong, mostly men punching other men in the face, although a few females were doing their part as well. It was a homely setting, plenty of entertainment and the beer was cheap. <br><br>He fingered the zipper on her uniform, pulling it an inch up and down again, toying with it over and over again. He wasn’t really concerned with showing more and less skin, so why should she? He grinned and stepped around her, letting his back rest against the wall, hiding his figure somewhat in the darkness. He pulled her a few inches closer to him, finger resting on the zipper, slowly sliding it an inch downwards. “So.” He hummed at her, finger pressing it down another inch. She had her back to the rest of the bar, so he alone would see the exposed skin. “Have you.” Another inch it crept downwards, the tip of his finger making a playful path over her skin, teasing it. “Done it.” It slid another inch as he crept closer placing his lips nearly on her left ear. “In public?” He purred, flicking a single digit over the sensitive spot that would no doubt sent a spike of pleasure through her spine. <br><br>He then moved a bit backwards, face the picture of innocence, yet his whole posture simply oozed perversion. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>20-12-2012, 23:37:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong><br><strong>Location:</strong> Garage, Personal Quarters<br><hr><br>Once the windshield was spotless, she moved to a panel near the open door. An orange would turn the security system on, enabling a series of alternate invisible laser to course across the opening of the door. If anybody save for the crew tried to enter, a loud klaxon would sound and a threatening autocannon on the inside the garage would aim at the intruder until he or she exited the premises. The gun wasn't loaded all the time, but the sight of it sure would persuade the weakest of criminals willing to steal from a truck like this.<br><br>With the lasers up, Joy was free to head her our quarters and change out of the racing jumpsuit she wore yesterday. She would painstakingly remove the black tape off her nipples, for it was common not to wear anything underneath the skintight suit. In hot weather, it got ridiculously hot, spurring the trend to unzip the zipper below the navel. When fully zipped, the material of the suit kept its wearer warm. Th best characteristic of the suit was it cleaned itself when not worn. With just the press of a button, the suit got rid of sweat and any type of residue that may come out of the body. Once the suit was off, Joy changed her thong, which was soaked from the sweat from th race yesterday and little attack earlier this morning. She would take a shower and change into a tank top that show much her midriff and into a short-sleeved version of the team jacket. Finishing it off with a new thong and a short pair short, she lay back onto the bed and opened up the many holoscreens she would use to study the track.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 01:27:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>“F-Frankie,” Wiggy stuttered in shock, “No! I mean, w-we’re just- Plus, I don’t… think… she would…” The techie’s incoherent rambling quickly trailed off as she felt a gentle tug on her zipper, causing her to tentatively glance down. Only it wasn’t Alex’s firm dark hands that she saw but rather a more delicate set of digits, recognizable by the stains earned from countless hours spent in an engine or toolbox. Suddenly a flash of a certain mechanic’s smiling face dominated Wiggy's thoughts, with that familiar wild look in her eyes topped only by her spikey blonde hair. It was the first time the technician had ever thought of Frankie in such a way. And while she knew it wasn’t possible, she couldn’t help but revel in the fantasy as she watched her zipper descend inch by inch. It was enough to keep her almost completely ignorant of the bar even as the widening gap of her uniform threatened to expose her barely contained breasts.<br><br>And then, with a flick, the daydream ended…<br><br>Wiggy gave a loud yelp as she was ripped back into reality only to be greeted by the sight of Alex trying, if failing miserably, to look innocent. At first she was embarrassed, then she was angry, but in the end both were smothered by a more dominant feeling, one which glimmered clearly in her eyes as she allowed her gaze to linger over the young man’s smug form. Gingerly, Wiggy bit her lower lip as she recollected the words mentioned by him during her brief reverie. “Public,” she pondered with some amusement as she slipped from her seat. With her zip lowered far enough to expose the top of her neatly-trimmed mound, Wiggy felt things were public enough. Even if nobody behind her could see, the once-shy techie could practically imagine every eye in the room digging into her back. With this in mind, she believed it only fair to repay the favour.<br><br>“Maybe,” she replied dismissively as her body pressed close against his own, her one hand snaking around and under his shirt to trace the taut lines of his back while the other playfully toyed with his buckle. “Have you,” she cooed seductively as her fingers deftly flicked the belt open before sneakily squeezing into the small opening above the zipper. Wiggy instantly made contact with her wanted target, a large bulge still protected by the thin line of his underwear. With a naughty grin, she stared into Alex’s eyes as she began to gently caress the fat package, intent on coaxing it out from its hiding space. All the while, she ensured that her body was properly placed to block the sight of any curious patrons.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>xyloph</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 02:24:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Underground Bazaar was New Amsterdam's black market, or free market, depending on your particular ideology. A travelling conglomeration of unmarked trucks, dirty tents, boxes full of mysterious parts and designer goods of dubious origin and even more dubious legality, the bazaar was the best place to go if you wanted something that wasn't easy to find, and could afford to pay for it.<br><br>Frankie had slipped out of the bar the rest of the team was celebrating in. She just wasn't feeling the excitement. The euphoria of the race and the fight with the bandits had fled, and she could feel her demons nipping at the corner of her mind. So instead of making merry with the team and whatever random strangers happened to wander in, she nabbed a bottle of strong liquor, and set out on her own, hoping to drive back whatever was coming, or at least pickle it.<br><br>She was in the back of a stall in the bazaar, rooting through a cardboard carton full of small parts, her hands stained with grease and filth and who knew what else, when it really started. She was fighting the bandits again, but this time her gun didn't work right, and she couldn't move properly. She found herself squeezing the trigger, desperately trying to fire something, anything, at the wave of cars that suddenly seemed to surround her and the Titan. She felt herself trying to scream, but her throat was raw, and she couldn't breathe.<br><br>She came to, curled up on the ground, clutching a spark plug so hard in her fist that she'd cut herself open, a small trickle of blood mixing with the grease and dirt. The man minding the stall watched her with a sort of detached interest, not seeming to care that she'd just had a psychotic breakdown surrounded by auto parts.<br><br>Her mouth dry, she stood up, shaking, and gathered the parts she'd already found. Tossing down a handful of wadded-up company scrip (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tire_money) by means of payment, she hurried back to the Titan, ready to bind her hand up and try to get some sleep. She'd be better in the morning, she hoped.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 11:35:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Every nerve in the man’s body was currently on the move, a pilgrimage to the throbbing lands. Alex could almost feel all his senses in his body shutting down, instead everything went towards his manhood, feeling everything there. He heard the technician’s voice go from innocently stammering to almost sultry, like flipping a switch. Her uniform was widening enough to almost allow her womanly curves to spill out, the thin edges of the suit still containing her flesh, if barely. The zipper went even lower and began to reveal her womanhood, that place Alex was almost feverishly begging for in his mind. He knew the suit could go one inch lower, making it ‘accessible’ for him. He did not know who designed these things, yet the inventor was no doubt a brilliant person. He’d have to ask his handler about it someday. He calmed his nerves somewhat by finishing his first drink, letting it all flow down into his throat, going straight to his mind in a few minutes. The first few sips were already affecting him, giving off that warm tingling sensation.<br><br>He glanced at the woman in front of him, knowing full well she was shielding his frame from the public. He did not mind others seeing him, sometimes even enjoying it, yet thought it was exciting that she was planning ahead. Was she simply toying with him, pressing buttons that she hoped would cause a shy reaction? If so, she would be in for a surprise. “How about we share a drink?” He asked innocently, although behind that mask was a barely contained grin. He was excited about the next part, not knowing how it would taste. No doubt she could see his frame tensing up, posture getting a bit more ‘serious’ as if he was getting ready for a race. He barely waited for a response from her, acting to his heart’s desire. A single digit was pressed to her lips, slowly wetting itself in her saliva before moving downwards, making a slow and teasing trail to its destination. The brave finger had to cross long plains, climb over twin mountains, pass another tight and hardened frame before crossing a swampy landscape. When it found its destination it nearly plunged itself it, finger burying itself to the hilt, almost like a sword being slammed back into the scabbard. <br><br>He actually felt a surge of pleasure running through his spine, the warmth and tightness being overwhelming. Every woman felt differently on the inside, always. A true man appreciated this fact, thus went the saying, never judge a woman purely on the outside. The inside was important too! He held his intruder there for a second or two, covering itself in her essence and scouting the terrain for the main army that would follow shortly. He then moved his finger outside, as slowly as was humanly possible, making sure to flick the little spot of sensitive nerves. He brought the wet finger between them, letting her see her own womanly juices that it was covered in. “A toast then?” He hummed, sliding the finger inside his mouth, tongue instantly swirling around it to collect it all. His taste buds were working overtime to register this gift she was offering him. He actually had to close his eyes for a second as he inhaled softly, nearly swallowing this precious load. <br><br>A second later he was on her, left hand clutching her hip and holding her tightly, the other freeing her right breast and massaging the flesh. His lips were connected with her own, tongue forcing its way past her lips, sharing the fluids he had stolen from her earlier. He swirled his tongue around in her mouth, letting her fully taste it, or forcing her to do so. If she did not strike him down at the spot he would slowly twist the sharing into a fight, tongues fighting a pleasurable dance of intimacy and lust. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 16:31:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy could feel each enticing throb as Alex’s manhood woke beneath her touch, his underwear growing gradually tighter as it tented over the growing bulge until she could grip the thick meat right through the material. While her fingers continued their gentle probe of Alex’s cramped pants, she couldn’t help but deepen her grin as she noticed his eyes explore her body, giving the young techie cause to “innocently” push her chest forward in a brazen display of strained tit flesh. It was with some triumph and an evil smirk that she watched the normally calm biker react by searching for some composure at the bottom of a beer mug. <br><br>Her teasing ended however as she frowned questioningly over Alex’s sudden suggestion to “share a drink.” Having no interest in drink at the present time, she parted her lips to respond, only to find a finger rudely plopped between them. All thoughts of beer instantly vanished as Wiggy proceeded to close her eyes and lovingly suck on the extended digit, circling the tip gently with her tongue before reluctantly allowing it to slip free. From there she traced the finger’s movement by touch alone, sighing as it descended over her collar and crested her breasts before gradually sliding down her belly and past her navel. With each inch further south, it felt as if the finger were pulling all the heat from her body and dragging it to a single point, one which was already burning with anticipation. With a gasp, Wiggy shivered as the finger plunged aggressively into her depths.<br><br>After he had finally removed the invading digit, the flustered tech opened her eyes, just in time to see Alex pronounce a toast before promptly sticking the slick finger into his mouth. A small blush entered her cheeks as she watched him lick it clean, his lids closed in seductive pleasure as he diligently went about his task. If he hadn’t taken her in a kiss right then and there, she would have attacked him herself. Within seconds she felt those perpetually smug lips pressing down on her own with her tongue dancing wetly against the one which eagerly sought entrance. While his own hands gripped her body in a fit of passion, the hand which she had been caressing his back with took a more aggressive approach. Without a thought, Wiggy reached beneath the belt line of his pants and grabbed a healthy chunk of his ass, unafraid to dig her nails into the tantalizing flesh.<br><br>Meanwhile, her other arm hugged him close as she wrapped her thigh tightly around his left leg. She moaned eagerly into his mouth as she pulled her body as close as possible, enough that she could feel each heave of his warm breast against her own as they passionately mashed lips. This continued until finally the young tech could take no more and with a breathless gasp, she broke the kiss… <br><br>Panting, Wiggy allowed a devious smile to play across her lips as she looked up into Alex’s eyes. Without a word, she suddenly began to descend, her body sensually pressing against his own all the way until she finally found herself kneeling at his feet, his crotch now at eye level. She could already see the bulge of his underwear trying to push through the zipper of his jeans, a noble task she assisted with as her one hand gently lowered his zipper while the other tugged down upon the stretched undergarments. With a giggle, she watched as Alex’s semi-erect cock sprung meekly out into the open air before rewarding the shy thing for its bravery with a gentle kiss on the tip. She then carefully wrapped her fingers around its surface and began to allow them to explore, softly kneading its oddly rubbery surface as her other hand carefully weighed and clutched at his heavy balls.<br><br>At this point Wiggy hardly cared that she was in a busy bar, with her attention solely fixed on the cock before her as well as the task of getting some of Alex's hot blood pumping into it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 21:54:33</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Open<br><strong>Location</strong>: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br><hr><br>There were all sorts of contacts to be had for a Team Leader. Aurora knew a few people in the business of selling spare vehicle parts, barkeepers of various popular establishments, many of her former co-workers in the large companies some of which served as sponsors now, Jack of all trades that helped her and her team getting through tough times, loan sharks in case times were even more tough and even a bandit or two that she could call on in case they needed to get out of tricky situations. Some of her contacts owed her favors, others she owed favors to. Usually money, sometimes other contacts or important information was used to make deals. Sometimes Aurora had to put in some effort herself, but that was how the world worked these days.<br><br>In New Amsterdam though, Aurora only had a handful of contacts, one of which she had contacted with regards to their new driver. He had given her the man's contact details and was trying to contact him directly, but to no avail. The only other information she had been given was the name of an establishment where the man supposedly had been staying for a few days now. Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em> was where she was heading now, after she noticed someone had already turned on the security lasers at the end of the truck. Dressed in her team uniform consisting of her white jacket zipped down to her navel and green bikini bottoms, Aurora arrived in the rather shabby looking wooden built place, she took a seat at the bar. She figured she would draw his attention soon enough. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>21-12-2012, 22:27:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Frankie, Aurora<br><strong>Location:</strong> Garage; New Amsterdam, Bazaar; New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br>Joy had grown hungry as she took note of various shortcuts and potential new routes someone on a bike could take. The track that they would be racing on took them through the old downtown of New York. The topside track allowed larger vehicles like trucks, cars and her 3-REX to race through the dusty and deserted Times Square and the subway systems had only enough space for the smaller vehicles. To make the race more lively, the system allowed the old subway lines to operate, allowing for front-row spectating to be done and to provide more exciting obstacle for those racing in the railway lines. The topside fared their own obstacles. Due to the export of steel, some of the skyscrapers had become brittle when exposed to the salty air. There was the potential moment when one of these high-rises would fall upon the track. The official hoped it would happen eventually. It would certainly drive the ratings up. The big corporations could use a death or two to take advantage of the rankings.<br><br>Avalon had a secret stash of preserved CLIF bars from the old times. Though they didn't taste as good as they did before, it sure beat a insta-meal every time. She looked for the box underneath her hammock, but found it empty. No doubt she had finished it last time she was hungry. All she had to do was go out and buy some more. Joy hoped they had some in stock. She donned a poncho and hood over her current outfit and put on some racing boots. The security system would surely be able to keep any unwanted visitor away from the truck while she was away.<br><br>She was heading to the bazaar, but stole a glance of Frankie coming out of an alley with a box full of parts. She looked like she was in a hurry, judging by the speed she was going. She paid the mechanic no mind, since New Amsterdam was the place to stock up on needed supplies. She entered the bazaar, trying not to draw too much attention with her hood hanging over her face. She avoided the junkyard and the tech booths and went towards the market section. Here, spices, fruits of fine quality, and foods to fill an empty stomach were located. Much of the sellers were farmers who tried to make a living selling their weathered crops at a decent price. She eyed an old woman with a tent behind two farmer who were selling spiced apples and dried licorice.<br><br>"Do you have any, today?" Joy asked, lifting her hood a bit so that the purple streaks in her hair could be seen. This was a sign exclusively for Joy, since the relationship between her and the old woman went way back, back to when she was a little girl with her father.<br><br>"Not much, love. I have this whole box of energy bars, but I'm willing to part them along with my remaining CLIF bars for a good price," the old woman bargained.<br><br>"How much?" Joy hurriedly asked.<br><br>The old woman looked up, letting her hood fall behind her head. Her left eyes was gone, replaced by a synthetic on that glowed in whatever light came into her tent. With a chuckle, she muttered, "As much as Joy's platonic affection for the Grey Merc. Don't worry, dear. I don't think I will be here the next time you come to New Amsterdam. I'll send for delivery to your truck. Expect to have my wares by tonight."<br><br>"Seriously?" Joy asked.<br><br>"Do you want me to change my mind?" the old woman shot back. "Besides, I'm hoping Mercer will multiply my investment tenfold after the next race."<br><br>"Thanks, Mimi," Joy happily showed her gratitude. Donning her hood again, she left the woman's tent and made her way back through the Bazaar.<br><br>She stole another glance of another crew member, the team handler, Aurora, no doubt off to do business in the town. "Couldn't hurt to follow her," she whispered to herself and trailed the woman to a Hotel. She followed her in and sat on a stool at the end of the counter. Joy, not much of a drinker, only when Alex paid for it all, waved the barkeep away with her hand. She wondered what reason the handler was here for. No doubt she was here doing business, but what kind?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>22-12-2012, 15:42:08</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Dave eyed the tall man entering the room, the scars on his hands and neck a telltale sign that he was a brawler. He simply continued ‘cleaning’ a used glass with an even dirtier cloth, smearing the filth out even more. It had been an ok shift so far. A few fights and only one death, not to mention a few good looking females that seemed to be somewhat disease free. No doubt he would be getting a few more costumers due to that last one. He sighed as he poured another man a drink, eying him and his clothing before he did so. He disliked shooting, although he did not hesitate to do so when someone made trouble or did not pay. He nodded to Sam, the hired help, as the boy placed a few empty glasses in the sink. He was about to say something to the boy when he noticed his paling face. He cocked his head to the left, glancing at the end of the bar that was lacking proper lights. He noticed immediately what had the boy so startled.<br><br>The man who had previously ordered a lot of beers was slamming his fist against the bar, grunting strangely. Dave thought he was still sober when he had given him his order. Why was the man acting so strange, And where was his female companion? “G-g..Grey…Merc.” The boy stammered out, pointing at the young male. By the time Dave had put two and two together, he noticed the man bending forwards, lifting a woman from the floor, easily. Dave barely had enough time to process that a high ranking driver was in his bar, was half naked, and suddenly lifting a even more exposed female from a crouched position onto the bar. He simply slammed her rear on the hard bar-surface, slamming beer bottles away with his left arm. <br><br>The man’s eyes could only be described as feral, a wolf concentrating on a prey. He eyed the woman and charged, teeth seeking her neck like a predator would do on a gazelle. He sank them in her flesh, marking her just up to the point of nearly drawing blood. His two hands went for her waist and began to message the skin just above her hips, drawing the skin over her toned stomach. He had a grin that spoke of mischief and a boyish pride. He grabbed the woman’s hair and pulled it downwards, arching her back and allowing him to see over her frame, eyes connecting with both Sam and Dave. Dave himself actually took a step backwards, hands unconsciously moving towards the part of the bar where his shotgun was located. <br><br>“A bottle of Firefly and salt.” <br><br>He barked, eyes asking. No!.. demanding it. He then let his eyes wander on his female captive again, not bothering to watch any of the peasants that stood behind the bar, looking confused. Dave heard the man whisper to the woman, a low and soft tone. Although it was soft, Dave thought he could guess what the man was saying. “I am going to fuck you on this bar until either you break your hip or the wood cracks.” Dave actually swallowed, not sure if he was to be angry that such an act was happening on his bar, or be impressed at the gall of this man. Sam, the boy, grabbed the salt bottle and booze as he rushed towards the man, nearly dropping it entirely. He handed it to him, hands shaking and moist from his clammy hands. He actually lowered his head in the presence of this man.<br><br>Dave had seen the last few interviews of this man, the hunger and boredom in his eyes. This was a man that drove a machine until the breaking point, and then some more, driving at the most unstable and hostile tracks in the word. He himself had a kill count of 16 on his name, most of them done by either sword or by driving them into obstacles. This was a murderer who was worshiped instead of imprisoned. A man who simply looked bored during interviews, as if he disliked talking to ‘lesser’ men, using only words that a child could understand, as if he had to lower himself in both speech and mindset in order to communicate with the plebs. A man like this was not to be fucked with. Dave grinned inwardly, knowing he was going to make a fortune tonight. “Boy” He whispered, dragging the kid towards him, eyes never leaving the Grey Merc. “You rush out of this bar and tell everyone you see that the Grey merc is fucking a woman on my bar and is going to make her howl like a banshee in heat. You tell everyone! You hear?” He slapped the boy’s ears as he sent him off, hearing the footsteps behind him rushing out. His bar that could only hold about fifty men was going to be cramped and crowded.<br><br>He noticed the man eying ‘his woman’, his hand that held her hair was forcing it upwards, causing her head to bent forwards, looking at him. He bit of the cork and spat it out in a random direction, no doubt hitting someone. A few other men were starting to see what Dave was seeing. The man let out a steady line of liquid, filling the woman’s navel. He then leaned forwards, kiss marking her skin as he lowered himself. He placed his mouth over the small lake of alcohol and sucked it out, tongue teasing the skin there and raiding every drop that was left behind. He swallowed and arched his back, enjoying the drink and the effect it had on him. <br><br>As he stood up again, towering over the woman who was positioned at the bar, he began to drink another three large gulps, holding it all in his mouth. He had a dangerous glare in his eyes, like a man who was going to do something very, very stupid. He moved himself closer, left hand guiding his manhood to her gender, rubbing it up and down to make sure it was prepared for the frontal assault. His right hand went for her jaw, spreading it and holding it open a few inches from his own mouth. Movement came next, his hips ramming forwards in one violent push and all hell broke loose.<br><br>To the people outside it must have been strange and frightening at the same time. One minute they heard nothing but the sounds of the slums of New Amsterdam, then suddenly a very large groan, moans, men shouting and the heavy creaking of old wood being tested. When Alex buried himself fully in his mate for the evening, he forced the collected liquid from his mouth, letting it pour&nbsp; out from his mouth and into Wiggy’s, letting her feel the mixture of saliva and alcohol.<br><br>While men were cheering, Alex was pounding his hips into the woman underneath him. He slammed into her again, and again, and again. Each time was more violent than the other, almost mentally forcing himself to go even deeper, harder. He was unashamed in his groans of pleasure, letting out a deep animalistic rumble each time he felt her twist, squeeze or shudder underneath him. He held onto her wrists, pinning her down, or simply grabbed her hair. Whatever he did, he did it forceful and violently. This was as far away from love as could be, more like mate taking a bitch in heat, letting her feel everything.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Marconi Drake</strong> on <strong>22-12-2012, 16:09:46</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br><br>Cigüeñal wasn’t exactly the nicest place to stay in New Amsterdam, and that was saying a lot for a city full of flophouses and dives. At this point in the day, the bar was quiet, most of the patrons still up in their rooms, sleeping off whatever drug cocktail they injected into themselves last night.<br><br>There was one large table in the back, away from the bar, where a loud game of “Gut Knuckle” was being played. A dice gambling game favoured by bandits, traders and smugglers, it was unique for being the only game to actually have a points penalty for stabbing another player, as it so often happened before the game was done.<br><br>It wasn’t long before voices raised louder, becoming an actual argument. Dane had been having a good run at the table today, and when he announced his intention to leave with his winnings, one of the smaller, mouthier players objected. Thought he still had a shot at winning his money back and wanted to retain that chance. The sound of wooden chairs scraping against the floor, one crashing to the ground as the two stood up - one a mountain of a man, wide-shouldered and tall; the other a wiry fellow with a blade half his size settled on his hip.<br><br>A moment of silence, Dane and the twitchy fellow regarding one another, before the larger man spoke. Although he did not raise his voice, the deep tone rumbled low, clear to the ear.<br><br>“I have an appointment to speak with someone. It would be rude for me to keep them waiting. And for you to do the same.<br><br>Now sit. And excuse me from the game.”<br><br>Dane’s tone remained even and soft, but the other player dropped into his chair on command, as if a well-trained dog. The demand to be excused from the game was an olive branch of sorts, a way for the man to save face before the other players. But there was no doubt that it was a demand, however diplomatically presented.<br><br>The man mumbles something to effect of “you’re excused” and once again, Dane is all smiles. His winnings collected, as well as the straw hat he had settled beside him, and he is making his way towards the bar while tucking the money into his pocket. Straight to one of the seats beside Aurora. Settling down beside her.<br><br>“You are from the team, yes?”<br><br>It’s his guess. She doesn't look like a regular at the hotel - too many teeth. He had not yet noticed the woman sitting at the far side of the bar.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>23-12-2012, 00:22:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Dane<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br>Joy had noticed the giant of a man effortlessly leaving the game table without much of a fight or a protest from those continuing to play. She followed with her eyes as he sat next to Aurora at the bar. She had wondered why Aurora came to this place. Was it just to unwind? Or was everything she did strictly business? No doubt considering the large man's opening question towards the handler, Aurora <em>was</em> here for business, but what was her relationship with this man. The clothes he wore depicted that he was none other than a tourist. And what was up with the huge straw hat? He looked ridiculous with it on, but it could have been used as a ruse, to hide the strength this man had. Joy caught herself staring at the large muscles that was donned on this man's arms. No doubt he could lift her lightweight 3-REX with one arm and throw it all across the track.<br><br>Still, she was staring too much and turned back to the barkeep. "Are you going to order anything?" he politely whispered towards her direction.<br><br>"Pearl tea, hold off on the ice," Joy said with not much drive in her breath. If anyone noticed when the team was out drinking, Joy would only drink liquor when somebody offered her a glass. Unlike Alex, she could down ten shots with minimal effect on her balance and sobriety. If no one offered her a drink, she would occasionally order a cheap tea, with nutritional gummy spheres added to it. She hoped that Aurora wouldn't notice the order at the far end of the bar. Joy took the glass and subtly added a straw to it, immediately sucking the spheres into her mouth along with some of the hot tea. She tossed a coin to the barkeep, who happily stashed it in his front pocket. Joy had one ear glued to the conversation at the opposite end of the bar.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>23-12-2012, 09:26:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Joy<br><strong>Location</strong>: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br><hr><br>Aurora was beginning to worry that she might have made a mistake by coming to this place in her team outfit. She didn't expect to meet their prospective team mate in some sort of high class establishment at all, but she was somewhat worried that her green bikini bottoms might lead people to thinking that she was either an expensive hooker or some rich girl that was 'asking for it'. After her little forced adventure with Alex earlier in the garage, she had just about enough of that for now and wasn't really in the mood to be mistreated.<br><br>Luckily, the bulk of a man that began to approach her was none other than the individual she'd come here to meet. With him in her company the potential rapist would think twice about giving her a run for her money. The man was a certified giant. She hoped he'd fit into the cockpit at all, never mind what he might be capable of sexually. Caution was necessary with people like Dane, but she'd learn the finer details from whichever girl on the team would bed him first. That said, his driving abilities were probably also somewhat important, since that's why he was going to be hired to begin with. <br><br>“You are from the team, yes?”, the man asked. Aurora slowly gazed the man up and down, sizing him up shamelessly before she answered. "This is correct, and you must be Dane." She glanced around the room a bit, looking for people that might be a little too interested in their conversation, but failed to notice Joy's presence. Aurora lowered her voice a little and continued to speak to the man. "Here's the deal. You'll be doing the truck driving. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Titan, but no doubt you've seen the trucks that the racing teams use. Ours is a little older, little bit tougher to handle, bit more thirsty but it'll take a freight train head on. Shifts are split 60/40 between yourself and our co-driver, be prepared for 12 hours straight on travelling days but during races you may go 3-5 days without any driving. You're then welcome to help out the mechanic, the technician, other team members, or perhaps even myself, depending on your talents. The rest of the details will become apparent once on board." She paused for a moment to let the information sink in.<br><br>"There's 4 pay grades in our team and if you choose to accept, you'll be entry level for starters. Third level is for standard crew, which is what you'll be able to get when you stick with us for six months. Second level is for our co-racer Joy and myself. First level is for our main racer Alex. Precise amounts will depend on our team's performance this season, but I'll give you a month's advance based on previous year's results after New Amsterdam's race is over, should you choose to accept this position." Aurora paused again, after having flooded the man with more information. She eyed him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction.<br><br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>23-12-2012, 10:00:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Dane<br><strong>Location: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br></strong><hr><br>Joy tried to look inconspicuous as possible as she listened in to the conversation. She had propped her head on her hand with her elbow as the base on the counter. Using her other hand to direct the straw that her mouth sucked on, Joy directed her ears to the two sitting farther down the bar. Good thing this place was in a quieter part of town. The men playing at the back table didn't make as much as a ruckus like in places where Alex frequented.<br><br>The man's name was Dane. No doubt he would be called Big Dane or Great Dane when coupled with his size and strength. And he's going to be driving the truck, Joy continued to jot down notes in her head. That means I'm probably temporarily stepping down as the Titan's driver. That would mean a lot more time studying the track, observing everything, tinkering with her 3-REX and hanging about. Maybe, this time, I'll get a good nice sleep on the road, given that this Dane guy drives well, she said to herself. Joy listened to the ratio of the shifts of drive time. 60/40. Joy continued to talk to herself, for if she spoke out her thoughts, she might give herself away. Of course, if this man is being hired to be the main driver of the Titan, he'll have a longer shift than me. That's alright. I kinda tired of driving the turtle too much.<br><br>Once she was done with her tall glass of bland tea, she lifted her index finger to the barkeep, asking for more. One more glass of tea, one more coin to give.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>23-12-2012, 15:21:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy’s hands worked on Alex’s cock like a delicate instrument, gently squeezing and tugging as she played her fingers across its warm rubbery surface. As the meat hardened beneath her ministrations, she showered it with a series of tender kisses, all while gently rolling his balls within her other hand. She would be rewarded for these efforts as the cock responded by pumping to life, its head rising like the barrel of a small cannon. This continued until Wiggy was finally satisfied that it had reached its peak with a smile creeping across her lips as she watched the member throb hotly with Alex’s blood. With an approving look, the technician then released his crotch as she began to slip from her team jumpsuit. She wasted no time in kicking off her shoes and wiggling free from the tight outfit, with her movements only made awkward by her struggle to remain discreet and below the bar’s counter.<br><br>With her clothing soon clumped beneath her feet, a single-minded Lancaster fell back to her knees as she once again took the cock within her hands. This time Wiggy glanced up as she leaned deliberately forward, intent on seeing Alex’s reaction when she finally pressed her tongue against the base of his member. With some relief, the technician noted the clean tasteless surface, as she gave it a long sensuous lick up the shaft. She eventually closed her eyes again in bliss as she reached the top, allowing her tongue to wetly circle the bulbous tip before pressing down hard on its slit. A lustful moan escaped her lips as she revelled in the feel of the slick mushroom-like head before suddenly plunging her lips over its entire surface. With her tongue still licking around all the flesh it could touch, Wiggy began to descend her mouth over the cock. Her movements started gradually at first but as she heard Alex slam the counter above, she steadily increased the pace.<br><br>Spurred on by his grunts, Wiggy eagerly lapped and slurped over the thick member, with the lewd sounds causing only a slight blush to touch her cheeks. Having had some practice in the past, she easily gulped down the entire length, as she began to bob her head greedily over the succulent member. Meanwhile, her fingers once again began to fondle Alex’s balls as she practically tried to suck the cum right out of them. The lustful techie was left sorely disappointed however as she felt Alex suddenly withdraw, only for her feelings to shift to confusion as he bent over and easily scooped her up. “Wait, Alex, what are yo-“ She was cut-off as she felt her rear roughly deposited onto the somewhat sticky counter with the sounds of crashing glass following Alex’s attempt to make room for her.<br><br>Wiggy instantly tried to cover herself as she opened her mouth to yell over the audacious act, only the words never came. She could tell there was no arguing the moment she saw that predatory look in his eyes, causing her own to grow wide with a mix of fear and realization. Her first thought was to escape but as she shifted her weight to jump away, the possessed racer pounced. Wiggy fell backwards with a squeal as she felt his weight upon her, unable to offer much resistance aside from a surprised gasp as he bit passionately into her neck. She squirmed half-heartedly beneath his touch, her thoughts torn between struggling free and enjoying the erotic massage performed by his wandering fingers over her waist's bare skin. <br><br>When Grey yanked her head back by her hair, Wiggy could only watch helplessly as her glasses slipped from her eyes and clinked against the floor. Her world instantly grew smaller as everything past Alex and her small area of the counter became a blur. She couldn’t even see the bartenders anymore until one sheepishly stepped forward to fulfil the biker’s demand for drink. She greeted the young man with a shy blush as she wondered what could be running through his mind. Her thoughts swiftly focused back on Alex however as he leaned close to her ear to offer a chilling promise, one which left her shivering with a combination of delight and apprehension.<br><br>As he yanked her head back forward, the tugging of her hair caused Wiggy to wince. “Please, Alex, we're going too far,” she pleaded, her message only made insincere by the lack of any struggling as she watched him uncork the beverage before pouring a bit of the cold liquid into her navel. When he moved to rain light kisses across her skin, a hand instinctively reached out to play through the locks of his lavender hair; encouraging his movements as she closed her eyes, bit her lower lip, and savoured each gentle peck. Once he finally reached her navel and began to eagerly sample the drink, the technician awarded his bold tongue with a series of delightful quivers as well as an approving moan.<br><br>Wiggy’s eyes remained closed as she sadly felt him pull away, only to sink her teeth more intensely into her lip by the touch of his bulbous head against her quim. She finally opened her eyes as Alex’s hand coaxed her mouth open but had little time to adjust as the sudden feeling of her pussy being slammed into dominated her entire world. Her entire body jolted as she locked her thighs tightly around Grey. The drink meant for her mouth only partially made its target as she threw her head back and pressed her hips upward, with the rest splashing haphazardly against her neck and chest. With an instinctive gulp she swallowed the little alcohol she had caught before crying out in sheer ecstasy as Alex began to pump into her with wild abandon.<br><br>Despite herself, Wiggy found herself growing hot at the thought of how she likely appeared, breasts bouncing with each thrust as she arched her back and wantonly moaned into the air, until finally she could take no more and screamed, “Oh yes, fuck me Alex Grey Mercer, ride me like that bike of yours, harder, faster!” If she wasn’t so lost in her need to fuck, Wiggy might have questioned the wisdom behind her begging. As the man’s personal technician, she knew first hand of the battered state he would normally bring his bike back in. All she cared about now however was squeezing as much pleasure from his throbbing member as possible. With a sudden grab, she slid her hands around and under his shirt, lifting it enough with her arms to expose his currently working back muscles. She then proceeded to dig her nails in - her own little challenges to Aurora’s earlier gashes - as she held on for dear life, with her panting chest mashing against his own while her body shuddered and rocked over the vigorous pumping of his cock.<br><br>As they continued to satiate their animalistic urges over the creaking counter, Wiggy just barely registered the crowds hooting and hollering, with a “Fuck me too Grey,” or “I love you Merc” intermittently penetrating the din of the growing audience. Wiggy even caught a few deeper voices amongst those calling for the racer’s affection. Thankfully the proclamations stopped there, with none daring to approach, likely intimidated by Alex’s ruthless reputation as well as the intensity he displayed while aggressively slamming his hips between Wiggy's tightly wrapped legs. With a mischievous grin, the technician celebrated this fact by moving one of her hands to the back of the racer’s head and pulling him into a passion-fueled kiss. With each thrust she moaned headily into his mouth as her tongue fenced clumsily with his own.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>24-12-2012, 10:46:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Already over a dozen men and women had entered the room, buying drinks and joining others. They had heard the word, yet were sceptical. The sight of Alex pounding the very soul out of this woman was proof enough. The man had set such a speed that a lesser man would have already blown his load, twice. Some cheered, others begged for the same, others were simply amazed. A few men began betting on how long the two would last, resulting in quite the pool. The man behind the bar had never been so busy before, rushing from left to right, serving beer and grabbing cash. He occasionally glanced at the two souls fucking, if it could still be called that. <br><br>Faster! Faster Alex! The man told himself, forcing his hips to go quicker and quicker. The air was filled with the sounds of flesh hitting flesh. A large trail of sweat was running over Alex’s back, trying to cool some of the heat he was building up there. His eyesight was half glazy, lust taking over control there. He was too busy digging his fingers into her rear, holding on to her for dear life, to notice the people around her. It was like ignoring the thousands of supporters when he was racing. All of it did not matter anymore. Each time he took her, buried his manhood as deep as he was able, he could feel her tensing up. Her insides felt like a warm hand clutching him and vibrating violently. He wanted to go deeper, faster, could he?<br><br>Alex bit his own lip, hard, as he began to reach the end of what he was able to. No doubt the woman could feel the tip of his manhood swell up, telling her he was close, very close. He gave her two more thrusts and then pulled out, stepping two steps backwards and letting her see him. His manhood was a throbbing serpent and his waist was a complete wet mess, no doubt mostly due to her essence. He gave her a small grin and then stepped towards her, grabbing her by the hip and lifting her from the bar. He guided her towards two barstools and let her upper body rest on one of them, the other close enough so she could support her arms. She was now facing the crowd while Alex held her lower body up with his arms. <br><br>He slowly moved forwards and began teasing her rear, smearing some of her wetness onto the tight little ring. No doubt the girl would think she was going to get the other one filled as well. He’d let her think that, revel in either excitement or fear. Once he was certain that it was wet enough, he plunged forwards, letting his manhood slip in her gender again, leaving the other orifice available to one of his digits. He had his left hand on one of her legs while his right held her hips, the thumb resting on her rear. He already knew what he was going to do next. He was going to go deeper and let her experience something else.<br><br>“Hands on your ass and spread them.”<br><br>He barked, demanding obedience. Should she tarry, he’d force her hands backwards, letting her pull her own cheeks apart. He’d enjoy the view then, for a minute, before slid a wet digit against her rear, teasing the sensitive skin there. A few circles would be made before he’d use a bit of pressure and force it inside, letting her feel the thickness of his manhood and thumb. The spreading of her cheeks would also allow himself to go a bit deeper, as if she could take much more. He’d force himself in as far as he could, occasionally meeting resistance within her. He’d hammer her right there, not stopping until she came like a bitch in heat. He’d let her climax while facing all the men and women in this bar. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>24-12-2012, 19:34:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy’s mind was completely lost within the sensations around her, the strong grip of Alex’s hands against her rocking butt, the feel of the rising heat emanating off his body and the sight of his lust-filled gaze. Like her animalistic lover, she remained completely oblivious to anything beyond his thrusting member, as she clawed at his back with one hand while cradling his head with the other. She hadn’t even noticed when their kiss had broken, apparently lost somewhere amidst the height of their depravity. It was only when she suddenly felt him pull out that some lucidity returned to an otherwise sex-addled mind.<br><br>With her chest still heaving from the brief exercise, she leaned back on the counter, propping herself up on her arms as she watched Alex step back. A sly smile crossed her lips as she noted the wetness around his crotch as well as the now glistening member, its purple tinged surface pulsing angrily with the throbbing head looking fit to burst. Her only gripe with the view was that Alex was still partially dressed. <br><br>When the biker approached, Wiggy unconsciously spread her thighs, eager to find the release she thought he was offering only for her lips to form into a disappointed pout as he effortlessly lifted her from the counter. She chose not to voice her complaints however as he had her shuffle over two barstools. Her only reaction was a slight wince as she felt the tip of his member sensuously rubbing against her rear before sighing out of both pleasure and relief as he chose to plunge his manhood back between her needy folds.<br><br>“Hands on your ass and spread them,” Alex barked to her surprise, a demand she followed a touch reluctantly as she muttered between pants, “Fine, just try to remain focused on pulling out in time.” Wiggy was beginning to feel that the man was getting a little too distracted as she reached back with her hands and gently pulled her cheeks a part. The last thing she needed was to become pregnant.<br><br>A small shiver ran through her body as she complied with his order, leaving her wondering if it was because of the cold against her ring or the fact that she knew he was just... watching. It was almost an unbearably embarrassing thought which is why she was pleased when she felt his thumb against her back entrance, preferring that he actually do something over stare shamelessly where he shouldn’t. With a grimace, she could feel as the fat digit slid in, causing her to grunt with resolve before gradually beginning to move her hips. Before long Wiggy was happily bumping back against each thrust by Alex, eliciting a series of lustful sighs and moans as she felt her nethers begin to grow hot in anticipation.<br><br>And then there was a flash…<br><br>Only not a climactic one like Wiggy was expecting but rather a flash from the crowd, and then another and another. Confused, the technician glanced up into the crowd, only to blush heavily at the sight. There were people just gaping, cheering, or simply staring at them. There were even a few people coupling up themselves or openly masturbating. It was a bizarre scene although infinitely better to the previous picture of dead bodies and drunken brawls. It was another flash which brought her attention back to the main problem however as her eyes fell upon <em>a camera</em>! And not just one, but several, with some people even carrying holoscreen recorders. “Alex,” she wanted to scream as she released her cheeks to grab the barstool in front, “We’re being recorded!” The words never came however…<br><br>With one final gasp, Wiggy’s knuckles suddenly turned white around the edges of the barstool as her pleasure spiked and she came violently over the thrusting cock. It had just been too much, the thought of being so exposed while bouncing back against Alex’s red hot member. For the next moment she was holding on for dear life as her body tensed and shuddered from head to toe, shaken from the very core, as she felt her sex contracting tightly around Alex’s thick, plunging, manhood. Her rear instinctively squeezed around the invading thumb as the world disappeared into an orgasmic haze. She could barely even stand as her knees almost buckled under the waves of pleasure permeating through the muscles and joints of her legs. With a long satisfied moan, her body milked at the limbs inside her until finally she collapsed weakly over the barstools, panting from exhaustion.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Marconi Drake</strong> on <strong>26-12-2012, 07:32:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br>This isn’t a place that sees a lot of expensive hookers...of rich girls. That does mean that Aurora is getting a lot of looks from some of the less subtle patrons of the hotel. Luckily, the fact that Dane seems intent on talking to her will probably keep most of the admirers away. Not saying he’s the type that strikes fear in the hearts of those around here - just that most people will do the best not to poke the big guy unless there was a good reason.<br><br>Really, if she had questions along that vein, he’d be more than happy to answer. Dane’s not exactly known for being shy. But yeah, should probably talk about driving - his second favorite thing. He’s taken his hat off as Aurora describes the job, rubbing a bit of sweat that has collected at near where the headband rested.<br><br>He made a motion to the man behind the bar, silent as to not interrupt her explanation. A drink arrives soon after - he’s here enough that the tender knows what he likes. He takes a sip as he listens, a flood of information that would be difficult for pretty much anyone to follow closely. And at times, it looks like he’s not even really finishing.<br><br>There’s a long pause when Aurora has finished speaking. Finally, he puts the drink to the side, large fingers wrapped around the glass for a moment more before he speaks up.<br><br>“I’ll need to see the truck first.”<br><br>A few words, but there’s a lot of meaning behind it. An agreement to the rest of the terms that she laid out in front of him - as long as he likes rig that he’ll be driving. Twelve hour halls - a piece of cake compared to the routes that he was used to running. But still a long time for a man to drive if the machine doesn’t agree with him.<br><br>A fellow has to have priorities.<br><br>His eyes flick up for a moment over Aurora’s shoulder as he waits to hear what she has to say. Focusing on Joy, a little ways down the bar. She, as well, catches his attention for the moment - another person who looks like someone you wouldn’t often see here. Of course, with her, he doesn’t know what she’s doing here. Not saying anything, however.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>26-12-2012, 12:59:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet<br><br><hr><br>The cameras, screaming and moaning did not bother him, nor distract him. In all fairness, one type of moaning did bother him; Wiggy’s. The woman wasn’t moaning hard enough, still had the gall to be able to properly communicate with him. Pull out in time? He had every intention of doing so from the start, yet now he was forced to be ‘creative’ in his ending. <br><br>He felt her resistance, her body tensing up. He knew she was close, so deliciously close. He was going to enjoy this, very much. He was a piston then, one slamming back and forth, unrelenting. He actually wanted her to break a hip, knowing it would be quite a tale to tell in the future. He felt her suddenly spasm, fluids discharging and her whole body tensing up. Her climax felt great, a dozen times more pleasurable than before. She was throbbing violently, massaging him and hugging him tightly. He knew she had just brought him so much more closer. The last bit would no doubt come soon enough. He bit his own lip so hard he could taste blood. He had to hang on, just one more minute.<br><br>His balls were aching, cock throbbing. He thought he could feel every joint in his body protesting. Just giving in was too easy. He was going to show this technician what real hardware could do. Her climax would no doubt continue, seeing as he wasn’t giving her a second to catch her breath or relax. He slammed again, and again, and again inside of her. Finally he lost it, his whole manhood suddenly swelling up to achieve an even bigger state of being. He licked his bloody lip as he pulled out from her, letting it actually ‘pop’ free.<br><br>He would do as she asked off him. He aimed his manhood and let lose the first two shots of his essence, thick amounts now landing on her back and rear, marking her as his. Pulling out had been achieved! He was a man of honour, respecting his partners. She had said nothing about sliding it back inside of her. So, without any remorse or guilt, he buried himself completely inside of her. His vision was blurry due to all the cameras, people wanting to capture the ‘Finnish’ of this little race. He was embedded as deeply inside of her as was possible, tip ejecting hot fertile seed with each passing second. He was throbbing violently and roaring out in pleasure, hands holding her body pinned down so she would take all of it whether she liked it or not. <br><br>When he was done he simple removed himself from her and grabbed a piece of cloth that was lying on the bar, cleaning his manhood with it. A sip of his beer later, redressing and a gentle pad on the girls shoulder and he was done. He glanced in the direction of the camera as he grabbed the remaining three bottles with his left hand. He was going to do what his handler was always begging him to do. One might see this as a present of sorts. No doubt she would find some sort of perversion in this. Women!<br><br>“Alright, the one who pays my tab gets to have an interview.” <br><br>He heard commotion and people rushing towards the bartender while he padded Wiggy one last time and made his way out of the bar. The minute he left she could have a moment of privacy, or as much as one could get in such a position.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>27-12-2012, 12:47:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Joy<br><strong>Location</strong>: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br><hr><br>After she'd finished her explanation of the job description, Aurora ordered herself a light beverage, following Dane's example. She eyed Dane carefully as he seemed to consider her offer. He was truly a large figure and secretly she wondered if that translated into a good performance under the sheets as well. She made sure not to let her curiosity become noticeable though. This was a business matter for the time being and when it came to business, Aurora was sharp and sometimes even ice cold. Any emotions had absolutely no part in the meetings, not even when the executives of large companies acting as prospective sponsors would ask her for a little gift to seal the deal. She'd do it, but that was all there was to it. This was not such a meeting though, however prudence was still required. <br><br>"I’ll need to see the truck first.", the Dane responded after a long pause. Aurora nodded in response. He must have agreed with the rest of the terms, which was a relief. She was probably prepared to negotiate a little more, subtract a few months here and there or allow him certain privileges. The man seemed to be more concerned with his work though, which was always a good sign. If her crew concerned themselves about their own work instead of money and conditions, it meant she was doing at least something right as a team manager.<br><br>"That can be arranged. Do you have any other questions, or perhaps things we as the crew should know?", she asked him. It was better to be safe beforehand, rather than to have unpleasant surprises when you were already underway. She took a sip of her drink as she watched Dane intently. He would probably make an agreeable driver.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Marconi Drake</strong> on <strong>28-12-2012, 17:08:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br>He’s got no doubt about that - it’s a brave new world, and for the most part, it seems to be made up of people who will do everything they can to squeeze everything out of the other that they’re negotiating with. He doesn’t have a tonne of experience with racing leagues - not that he’s too worried about it, driving is driving, after all. But, even he’s heard tales of what goes on behind the closed doors of sponsor boardrooms. The fact that her team is as successful as it is makes Dane think that she more than knows how to handle herself when jackals come calling for favours.<br><br>He could have held out for more. Should have, maybe. But, to be completely honest, Dane is a little tired of the running life, always fighting tooth and nail for a few extra percentage points of profit. Man just wanted to drive. Now. So, the terms were fair, and he took them.<br><br>He takes in her words, a booming laugh slipping from his lips as she asks her last question. The sound is enough to make some of the grimy old picture frames on the wall behind the bar shake.<br><br>“Darling, there are probably all kinds of things you should know. “<br><br>Hand patting hers for a moment, massive paw dwarfing her own...and her glass...in the process. That’s the way Dane was like. You were either a complete stranger, enemy, or life-long friend, and apparently he decided this brief chat was enough to upgrade Aurora to the latter.<br><br>“Long life, short answer: I’m entirely too popular in some places. Very unpopular in others. Both situations have been known to cause serious problems. Everyone’s got a past, and I’ve got one enough for three or four people.<br><br>Try to keep business and personal separate but...you know how one tends bleeds into another. Friends and enemies pretty much anywhere.”<br><br>Reaching back for his drink, pulling it to his lips as he lets her consider that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>28-12-2012, 23:10:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Joy<br><strong>Location</strong>: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br><hr><br>Aurora chuckled a little uncomfortably when the big Dane laughed at her question. She was quite sure that there was very little she could do if this figure decided to have a go at here right here and now. She had some experience&nbsp; in fighting off unwanted advances, but the pure size of this man was no match for her at all and there'd be very little concern from anyone around here if a strong looking man like Dane would take advantage of a girl like Aurora. He wouldn't dare though, she figured. Not unless he didn't care about the job at all. It seemed unlikely, no man would go through all that trouble just to get at her. <br><br>"I have no doubts about that", she replied happily. The trick was to simply ignore his joke and remain ice cold. That's what got her where she was now anyway. "As for the enemies and friends in the towns, I think most people can say they have an enemy somewhere. No town is without them. If it's a guy or two though, I don't see a problem unless you decide to drag the entire crew into your personal matters. That or if you don't make it back to the truck alive. I think you'll be okay on that part though", she said as she sized him up again. The man was a giant and it still astonished her. It also kept her a little curious.<br><br>"I just got to know if the enemies you make don't mean that there's hordes of thugs and bandits waiting for us at every turn we take. Assuming that's not the case, we can go ahead and look at the truck if that's cool with you." She emptied her glass and put it on the bar.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>28-12-2012, 23:57:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Dane, Aurora<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em><br><hr><br>Joy had become too interested the nutrient spheres sitting at the bottom of her second empty glass. Sucking through the wide straw was just as fun as focusing her attention on studying racetracks. She was just about to swallow another sphere when the large man sitting a couple seats down erupted with a booming laugh that shook the counter and the empty glasses behind it. The sphere had slipped unnoticed down her throat and though she struggled to cough it back up, she was quiet about it. She spit the sphere out of her mouth, not wanting to deal with the trouble that it brought when she unexpectedly swallowed it. That loud laugh was unexpected. Who knows how many metal walls that laugh can penetrate if it were to be found driving the truck. Joy glanced at the two sitting at the far end of the counter, though letting the fact that her hood slip back a bit, exposing the thin purple highlights in her hair, slip her mind as she stole another glance.<br><br>When Aurora spoke and mentioned hordes of the thugs waiting for them at every turn, she glanced to other places in the quaint bar they were in. The men were still playing their card game with the usual complaints and threats made. Outside was awfully quiet, but Joy assumed it was just because this was a more quiet part of town. This was a nice hotel and they even served the nutrient spheres here. Joy wondered if there was an ambush waiting to happen as they left the bar. Can't be too comfortable in any part of New Amsterdam. They had been a couple of times Joy escaped with her life just running away from vagrants wanting her clothes or something underneath them. Well, if Dane came along, she thought this would be a walk in the park.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Marconi Drake</strong> on <strong>30-12-2012, 04:48:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal<br><hr><br><em><br>Well, he isn’t sure that was true - sure there was a lot that a man might do to get at her, if they were inclined. But, he wasn’t that type, even before one factored in that it would not be good for his future employment opportunities.<br><br>Aurora could keep up that icy demeanor - Dane was the kind of guy who would delight in trying to break it down. He has a way of getting people to warm up to him. That wide, friendly smile stays on his lips and he nods.</em><br><br>“I’ll do my best to keep it out of the job. And I’ll make you a idea - if I end up getting myself killed, you can fire me.”<br><br><em>A wink as he says that, and he is reaching into his pocket. Some cash pulled out and laid down on the bartop to cover the drinks as she talks about seeing the truck.</em><br><br>“I’m eager to meet her.”<br><br><em>Pulling his tall form off the stool, which creaks a bit under the weight of the muscled man. Moving on with her towards the door - as he passed, he turned his head again to look towards the woman who was silent at the end of the bar, apparently focused on her drink, purple highlights peeking from under her hood. <br><br>Still, not sure who it is, but for the moment, let's it slip by. Reaching for the door, pushing it open and holding it for Aurora.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>02-01-2013, 11:21:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Joy, Open<br><strong>Location</strong>: New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em>, Racing Course<br><hr><br>She chuckled and flashed Dane a smile. "I'll be sure to remember that", she said in response to his comment. "I'm Aurora by the way", she continued. She thought he may have found it a bit odd that she hadn't told him her name yet, but that's how she liked it. Everything ought to go in the order in which she wanted. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew never seemed to care so much about that. She hopped off the bar stool and made her way to the exit, not noticing that one of their team members had been listening in all along. Her long and exposed legs strode towards the door that Dane held open for her. It must have been quite a sight for anyone who had been paying attention, and indeed the men that Dane had been gambling with took a good look at her green bikini bottoms as she walked out.<br><br>Aurora felt a little safer crossing town with the huge man to keep her company. There was nothing like an giant strongman as a bodyguard when a well off woman such as herself had to travel across backwater townships such as this neighborhood. She didn't know if or when he'd start demanding some form of alternative payment off her, as Alex would do sometimes. For now though, she seemed to have this bulk of a man under her control and she was happier for it. Everything went smoothly since they had arrived in New Amsterdam, as far as she knew anyway, and she hoped their luck would continue when the race would start.<br><br>Arriving back on the race track's truck parking lot, she pointed towards the <em>Titan</em>. "Ain't the newest one, as you can see", she explained to Dane. "But our baby can take a good amount of gunfire and perhaps even an anti-vehicle round or two without being forced to slow down. It's a little cramped inside, except for the garage in the back. I'm sure you'll be able to conquer yourself a sleeping place though." <br><br><br><br><div align="center">(http://cghub.com/files/Image/217001-218000/217535/119_large.jpg)</div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>02-01-2013, 12:04:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Dane, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel <em>Cigüeñal</em>, Raceway Parking Lot<br><hr><br>Joy placed her hood back on her head, hiding the highlights in her hair, just now realizing they were exposed for Aurora, Dane, and the barkeep to see. When the two of them walked past her towards the door, her pulse raced, but when she wasn't noticed, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was just like when she narrowly escaped from a collapsing mine shaft she took after giving Alex direction to race through it, winning the race of course. She turned to watch the two exit out onto the street. At this time, she too pushed herself off the bar stool and followed the two back to the Titan.<br><br>As she walked, she could not help but gape her mouth in wonder at how tall this man was and by just the height, the weaker fellows on the street steered clear of him, easily warding would-be predators off of the team handler, who unlike her, chose to dress in the team uniform out in the town. Joy followed the two rather closely, but far enough not to be heard by their ears.<br><br>When Aurora and the Dane giant arrived at the parking lot, Joy, thinking that she had got away from being noticed by the two standing a distance from the <em>Titan</em>, leisurely walked past Aurora towards the open garage. She removed her hood, revealing her dark brown hair streaked with purple, and greeted the team handler, "Mornin' Firestone." She stole a glance at the tall man's face, who looked surprised by her appearance, but Joy tried not to stare at the muscles he wielded. Turning back to the access ramp, she witnessed a young boy holding a box. He looked like an ant carrying a weight hundreds of times his own size. "Did the old lady send you?" The boy silently nodded and handed the box to Joy. She immediately opened the box and found that it was filled to the top with nutrient bars, even the ones that Alex took a liking to. In the very center was a box of preserved CLIF bars, Joy's favorite. She smiled at the little boy, who in turned shared her own grin. Taking a bill from her back pocket, she handed the boy the money and bid him farewell. Joy then made her way into the garage, stashing the box off to the side, but making sure to take all the CLIF bars for herself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>02-01-2013, 21:48:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex, Aurora, Dane, Joy (All Briefly)<br><strong>Location:</strong> Rusty Mullet, Racing Course<br><br><hr><br>The next few moments passed in a twisted blur of horror and orgasmic rapture. Wiggy was still in the throes of ecstasy as she felt Alex plunge back in, allowing her to feel each and every swell as his manhood continued to eject its hot, sticky, contents. With each pulse, the once-shy tech could feel her chest tighten in fear, and yet all she managed was a needy moan as her treacherous body did all it could to wring Alex of every spare drop. The only thing Wiggy wanted to do at that moment was to pull away, and yet she barely had enough strength to push past the waves of pleasure rippling through her body, never mind wrench herself free from her lover’s iron grip. <br><br>When the blissful haze finally began to ebb, the world seemed to shut off to Wiggy. She had felt a last few touches by Alex but beyond this, all she could think of was the possible consequences, something which HE seemed incapable of doing. After a shaky rise, she grabbed onto the edge of the counter for support, giving her free hand the chance to play timidly across her belly. She could almost sense the seed inside her, threatening her with the possibility of bearing new life. It was enough to leave her feeling faint, to the point that she barely registered as two strangers approached.<br><br>Wiggy could feel their hands as they began to roughly grope her, too far gone to care. She stumbled as they positioned her between themselves, her brow furrowed more in heavy thought than concern. She didn’t even flinch when the sounds of lowering zips filled the air, followed by the touch of a member pressing teasingly between her cheeks while the other did the same against her quim. It was only when she felt a slight dribble down her leg - a last reminder from Alex - that she finally snapped. Her eyes suddenly flared with rage as she screamed inwardly, “That stupid fuck!” <br><br>As the world snapped alive around her, the first thing Wiggy felt was a hot breath against her neck, prompting her to throw her head back in a precise strike. She was rewarded with a delightful crunch and howl of pain as the man behind her stumbled backwards, gripping his nose. This left the stranger in front which Wiggy swiftly grabbed by the shirt before ramming her knee between his legs. With a groan the man collapsed, giving the infuriated technician time to escape. <br><br>The next few moments passed in a blur, literally, as Wiggy fell to her hands and knees to find her stuff. She simply couldn’t see anything beyond a few feet without her glasses, a thought that might have been scary if not for the overwhelming anger she currently felt. After a brief time of useless searching, the flustered technician changed tactics and improvised by grabbing a few discarded clothes from some of the “busy” couples nearby. She eventually left the bar wearing a white pleated miniskirt, a pink tank-top, and a pair of black go-go boots. Thankfully the top didn’t show any belly but on the downside the miniskirt felt like she was wearing a men’s tie around her waist. To top it off, she had been too squeamish to “borrow” the panties along with the rest of the ensemble. <br><br>Wiggy continued to fret the rest of the way home, muttering to herself angrily even as she hitched a ride back to the truck. On the bright side, the day hadn’t ended on a complete sour note. Alex would be doing his interview and Wiggy had at least a little fun. Still, while this might have helped her assuage her fury a little, it didn’t do anything for the growing knot in her chest over the prospect of pregnancy. As her ride stopped, she hopped out with only a half-hearted “thanks” before making her way to the truck.<br><br>Wiggy soon caught sight of two blurry figures. The one was easily recognizable by a pair of bright, green, bikini bottoms. The other however was a complete mystery to the technician. All she could tell of the stranger was that he would likely dwarf most people she knew. It was enough to make her hesitate but not enough to completely stop her. While the idea of waiting for the giant to pass was tempting, Wiggy was just too tired to be cautious. She needed a shower, a fresh pair of clothes, another pair of glasses and something to do. If she was lucky, Joy would let her tinker with Rex for a bit.<br><br>She barely slowed as she passed the two, offering little more than a slight turn of the head and a polite smile as she greeted them. “Hi Fire, new frien-?” Wiggy’s sentence cut short and her eyes visibly widened as the close proximity allowed a better glimpse of the mountain her friend was escorting; he wasn’t just tall, he was built like a rock, chiselled from foot to shoulder. With just a little anxiety, she quickly faced forward again before continuing her march into the garage. And with that, she disappeared into the truck, moving so swiftly that she easily missed Avalon as she cut straight through the garage and went towards her room.<br><br>Wiggy knew it had been rude and she hoped it wasn’t anyone important but her briefly found courage could only last so long when faced with someone as big as Dane.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Marconi Drake</strong> on <strong>04-01-2013, 16:12:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Joy, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> New Amsterdam, Hotel Cigüeñal, Racing Course<br><hr><br><br>"Aurora. Good name."<br><br>He really didn't think it was odd that you had not mentioned it before now. In the Runner community, names were a thing of great importance - more than simply something to call another, they served as a way to track a Runner across the land, to enter into a business deal. A name was something to be given out in its own time, when the person was ready. <br><br>She had given the name to him. That meant a certain level of trust, at least in his view.<br><br>And in all honesty, it is not only the gambling men who get an eyeful of those bikini bottoms as they leave the hotel. Dane knows how to make a deal. And despite Aurora's concerns, he is really a gentle soul, not one to cause harm unless provoked. <br><br>But be fair - he is still a man. He is going to look. And appreciate. <br><br>Moving through the townsite with a sort of ease that comes from a man who knows the place well, who is aware of the dangers of such a place but is not particularly worried about them. <br><br>I characteristically quiet - at least until they arrive at the parking lot and he catches sight of the truck. A low whistle passed between his lips and he is making his way towards the truck. Reaching out and letting his hand run across the road-marked surface of the grill on the front. A slow smile. <br><br>"Hello, gorgeous."<br><br>Another moment of examination before he is turning back to her. <br><br>"Going to be fun working with you."<br><br>The terms of employment acceptable to him, it would seem. Just as he was coming back to where she stood, he spotted Joy coming up. Surprised is an understatement, recognizing the purple streaks in her hair. The girl in the bar. Well that was a twist. Aurora didn't seem to notice that this woman had been spying on the two of them in the bar. Part of the team apparently. <br><br>He doesn't says anything about her appearance at the hotel, not yet. For now, simply a friendly nod in her direction. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>06-01-2013, 05:59:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora, Dane, Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Garage<br><hr><br>Not long after she took out all the CLIF bars out of the box with the other food bars, Joy saw a glimpse of Wiggy wearing what looked like a schoolgirl's uniform rushing past her and straight to her room. Joy only interacted with the technician when she was in the garage working on her 3-REX or other vehicle but it was only small talk. Since they were both had aspects of shyness, the two of them never interacted closely. Indirectly, whatever Wiggy did to the system on her REX, helped her out a lot, but never had Avalon thanked her for it. Maybe today she would make a change.<br><br>She took the box of CLIF bars and made her way to Wiggy's door. She knocked on it, hoping the occupant inside would open and invite her in. I wonder if Wiggy likes CLIF bars, Joy thought to herself, knocking on the door for another time.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>07-01-2013, 00:55:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy’s room was a complete mess of wires and monitors, with many running along the floor or hanging off the walls while a single large cable dominated the room by hanging low from the roof. The technician had even gone so far as to rip off a steel panel at the far end of the room, near the foot of her small bed, where she had extracted a few of the Titan’s cables and attached them to a laptop on the floor. Along the right side of the room sat her chair and desk, with several monitors, gadgets and books littering its top, while three lockers and a door of frosted glass, which led to a tiny shower, dominated the left.&nbsp; <br><br>Once Wiggy had entered the messy haven of gadgetry and cables, she turned on the light above her desk, before moving to dig through her lockers. From there it took only a moment to shove aside more technological odds and ends until finally coming upon what she was searching for, a pair of clothes, a towel and glasses. With her items in hand, she was ready to hit the shower when a knock suddenly echoed from her door. The first thought to cross her mind was to ignore it, fearing that it might be Aurora come to introduce the new crew member, but with the second knock Wiggy pushed aside her anxiety, tucked her towel and clothes beneath her left arm, slipped on her glasses and moved to answer. With a single breath for courage, she took hold of her door’s handle and slid it open.<br><br>Wiggy almost sighed with relief when she was greeted by a familiarly shy face and a head of dark brown hair, streaked with purple, rather than a wall of muscle. To top it off she noticed her poncho-clad friend baring gifts in the form of a box of CLIF bars. While the surprise was beyond pleasant, the techie still felt as if she had been thrown a curve-ball seeing how rare it was that Joy ever visited, a shock which manifested into a brief stammer. “Oh, J-Joy, hello! I wasn’t expecting you, please come in,” Wiggy stepped politely to the side before gesturing for the rider to enter, “I was just about to take a shower but I can spare some time to chat if you like. You’ll just have to excuse the mess.”<br><br>Despite herself, Wiggy couldn’t help but allow her eyes to wander, from the poncho and short-shorts to the racing boots. The tech just found it so strange to see the shy woman wearing anything but the team jumpsuit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>07-01-2013, 17:11:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div style="text-align: right;"><em>“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” <br>― Friedrich Nietzsche</em></div><br>The young man simply kept on walking, eyes narrow and jaw shut tight. He stepped into another side street as he lied to himself that his frustration and anger was mostly due to the smell around him.<br>That smell, that God-awful smell is everywhere. You think eventually one would get used to it, but the truth is you just can’t. It smells like rotting garbage left out in the sun for a few weeks too long. <br>That’s what Alex told himself, the garbage that was never taken away, but deep down he know the truth. It’s the bodies of the millions, maybe billions of people who are lying dead, everywhere. Mankind had shown its true colours when society began to collapse, rape, murder, torture, and theft, all of it bubbling up to the surface. Finally humanity was honest, letting out the ugly beast it had kept dormant for centuries. Alex had learned what that beast was the moment he had been born. His father was an even tempered man, only really hitting him with beer bottles or a belt when he had deserved it. The man was a kind man, if not a great thrower. Alex had seen prostitution in young children, living organ theft, rape, public hangings or burnings, all of it. <br><br>A few decades ago one might have diagnosed such a child as traumatic, yet Alex was one of many. Not a single child born in this hell hole was free of witnessing such events. Some towns and cities still clung to an ethic code, although it was only a sliver of what it had been. <br>Among the old people –the ones who had seen the world before the great collapse-, a sort of paralysis set in among most of the survivors around the world, paralysis and a fanatical craving for news, more news, the latest news about... well, about the situation they were all in. When that craving for news was met with only more disappointment, many of them chose the easy way out. You can still see it in some of their eyes; the sorrow and pain because they had seen what mankind had once been. <br><br>Alex stepped over another corpse –or something close to it-, and made his way back to the garage. He wasn’t as drunk as he would have liked, the interviews having sobered him up somewhat. He spotted the large machine he called home and stopped in his tracks. He noticed an ogre of a man standing next to his handler, simply towering over her. They appeared to be chatting and the way Aurora was glancing now and again spoke volumes about her opinion of him. Alex had to grin at that. No doubt Aurora wanted to make a good impression.<br><br>Collecting himself, Alex leaned against a nearby wall. He’d wait a few minutes before he moved towards them, introducing himself as he passed them. For now he simply wanted to observe them and pray that the interview he had just done would not be aired this same day. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>07-01-2013, 23:39:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Quarters<br><hr><br>Joy waited as the door to Wiggy's quarters slid open, revealing the occupant of the room, dressed the same clothes the figure that ran past her in the garage a second ago. Having never seen Wiggy in a skirt before, only in the team jumpsuit, Joy had to pause to take in the whole thing. No doubt those clothes didn't belong to her, the ones underneath her arm did. How Wiggy acquired the ridiculous get-up she was wearing was beyond Avalon's understanding. With difficulty, she tried to hide her shock with a weak smile and allowed Wiggy to greet her.<br><br>She stepped inside as Wiggy allowed her to and Joy's smile faded, replaced by another expression of shock, though more intense that the last look. She had seen the old movie like the Matrix and saw similar aspects of the interiors of the hovercrafts in those movies with the inside of Wiggy's room. Wires, gadgets and pieces of gadgets littered the floor and every surface that she could see. It wasn't that much different than her room wich sat adjacent to this one, though with a small hallway separating them. The difference was the mess, which to Wiggy, might not even be a mess in her perspective, just organized clutter. To Wiggy, Joy's room would be a mess, but she didn't know that.<br><br>"You know what, for the time since you were brought onto this truck, I've never been in your room," Joy said with a warm smile. She looked at the clothes and towel underneath Wiggy's arm and the unusual outfit the technician was wearing. She didn't want to ask directly, thinking that Wiggy wearing the skirt and shirt made her anxious already. With her presence and her eyes seeing it, that anxiety might have doubled or tripled. "I just wanted to say hello, since I don't really think I've done that in a while." She paused, not knowing what else to say. Thinking what she said was everything she could say, she pulled out two CLIF bars out of the box and handed it to Wiggy. "Go ahead and take your shower, Wigz. You look weird." With that she turned on her heel and made her way back to the door.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>08-01-2013, 01:47:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy shuffled uncomfortably as Joy took a short pause before smiling weakly in her direction, a smile which easily pierced her weak upper-crust and left the shy tech feeling a little more self-conscious and exposed than she already was. While she couldn’t be sure what was running through the racer’s mind, she figured it couldn't be good by any stretch of the imagination. She tried to at least reciprocate the politeness with a forced smile in return.<br><br>The technician found some relief when Joy took her offer to step inside but winced outwardly at the look of shock which soon played across the racer’s face. She knew her room was just a little messy but it obviously was a lot messier in the eyes of others than she expected. Her shame only tripled when Joy commented on the fact that it was the first time she’d even seen the interior of her room, leaving Wiggy with the thought that she’d just made the worst impression on her team-mate possible. This notion only confirmed itself in Wiggy’s mind as Joy’s next series of fleeting actions made it seem like the racer was attempting a hasty retreat.<br><br>Wiggy timidly plucked the CLIF bars before offering a soft “Thanks,” not feeling particularly deserving of the gesture but happy that Joy hadn’t simply dashed out at that point. The techie couldn’t help but anxiously chew her lower lip as she watched the racer leave, desperately trying to think of some way to salvage her first impression before it was too late. Finally as Joy reached the edge of the exit, she stammered the only thing to come to mind. “L-listen, Joy, I… I know it can’t be easy having to race against Redline tomorrow, especially considering the history you two have, so if you need to chat, I- I just want you to know that my door is always open… I guess.” Wiggy regretted the words the moment they had left her lips, believing that she’d perhaps stepped over the line and was simply being insensitive at that point. She offered something between a wince and a weak smile as she glanced up in Joy’s direction.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>08-01-2013, 03:36:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><hr><br>Joy placed her hands on the threshold of the door, stopping her momentum from going further outside. She straightened herself and turned to listen to what Wiggy was proposing. Redline, one of many of Elite's rivals. The rivalry stemmed to before Joy got in the driver's seat of her 3-REX. It actually stemmed before the REX was actually purchased. She knew enough that the race tomorrow was going to be grueling, if not deadly. If somehow Elite could get an advantage over the expensive cars and bikes their rivals were racing. Then Joy suddenly got a lightbulb idea as she looked at one of the monitors above Wiggy's desk.<br><br>"You know, Wiggy, you know how to hack without anyone noticing right?" Joy asked, putting the box of CLIF bars on top of the mess called the bed. She took one and unwrapped it. "I was thinking, maybe you could hack into the garage manifest for Redline. We can just have a look at what these guys are packing."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>08-01-2013, 15:14:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy frowned in thought as she considered Joy’s suggestion before finally assenting, “We can try, although I can’t promise anything. Sometimes teams can be pretty paranoid about their systems, even when it comes to protecting something as simple as a manifest.” With a casual movement, she tossed the towel, CLIF bars and most of the clothes onto the side of her desk, giving up on the shower for now. Instead, she asked Joy to turn around before kicking off her borrowed boots and skirt and wiggling into a pair of panties and jeans.<br><br>Once she was feeling comfortable and a lot less exposed, Wiggy gestured for Joy to grab a nearby stool, hidden in the corner, before sitting at her desk and turning on her laptop so that she could get to work. The next few moments passed quickly as the technician’s monitor flipped through a series of screens, her posture and gaze almost relaxed even as she single-handedly worked across the keyboard in a blur of energy. It was clear enough that Wiggy was in her element as all her previous anxiety went straight out the window, replaced instead by a deep focus for the task at hand.<br><br>With the pace she set, it wasn't long before the stream of data came to a stop, leaving a white page with a neatly compiled list to dominate the screen. Luckily it hadn't been too difficult - the Redline crew apparently didn't believe in network security. With a proud smile, Wiggy snatched up one of the CLIF bars, before leaning back and allowing the racer to view the screen. The list gradually scrolled down, detailing equipment from weapons and vehicle parts, to current assignments for the Redline crew. The latter was mostly just fluff compared to the rest, at least until a single name appeared, “Avalon…” followed by the writing, “Assigned to…”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>09-01-2013, 00:31:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Dane, Wiggy, Joy, Alex, Open<br><strong>Location</strong>: Racing Course, <em>Titan</em><br><hr><br>Aurora let out a low whistle when Wiggy passed by. She wasn't in her usual attire and it looked like she had been having some good fun in town, Aurora figured. She leaned closer towards Dane. "That's Wiggy, technician. She's our smart little girl, so you be careful with her, understand?" She watched as Wiggy hastily made her way into the Titan. "She's a bit shy at times. Don't take offense if she seems distant or afraid. When you got some electronics problems with your new lady that you can't fix yourself, she's the girl to go to."<br><br>Next, Joy came passing by. "Morning sister", she replied to her before turning back to the Dane. "That's our second driver, the girl I told you about. You'll be replacing most of her shift, so she'll be happy about that. She should be easy enough to get along with, I suppose." It had seemed Aurora completely failed to notice Joy in the bar, so she made no mentioning of that.<br><br>Then after a while, Alex arrived to introduce himself. "Hey there Alex", Aurora said. "This is Dane, our new rig driver." She looked between Dane and Alex for a moment and smirked. She found herself in some powerful company right about now, and she liked that part of the job. "I'm sure you know about him. Thing about Alex is though, he's not a complicated guy. It's really easy. Anything he wants to drive, he drives. Anything he wants to shut down, he shuts down. Anyone he wants to fuck, he fucks. Anyone he wants to waste, he wastes. He's the guy our team relies on, so make sure you don't cross him", she explained to the Dane.<br><br>"Now, you want to explore your new girl yourself?", she asked, referring to the Titan. "Or do you want me to show you around?"<br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>09-01-2013, 04:28:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><hr><br>Per Wiggy's request, Joy turned around so that the girl could get some privacy taking unwanted garments on and putting more comfortable clothes on. A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn back around and Wiggy pointed her towards a stool so she could sit on it. The stool sat in the corner with a heavy, complicated manual and a bunch of wires stacked on top of it. Taking the stuff off first and placing it aside ... anywhere ... in the current mess, Avalon took the stool and sat it right next to Wiggy, who with such grace and fluidity, inputted a sequence of taps on a holographic keyboard, supposedly inputting a command. Joy looked at the person who owned the hand that pressed those buttons and found it to be just Wiggy. She had not changed, she was just relaxed and composed. Joy couldn't help but stare a bit more before seeing the lists that filled the main screen. Avalon refocused her attention to the details on the list. She did it, Joy thought, leaning it close to see the secrets Redline had failed to cover up before the race.<br><br>"All of that against two of us," Joy began, seeing the registers racers and their respective vehicles on the list. Redline was highly competitive, using everything at their disposal to gain a clear advantage. Not one, not two, but three main racers, sporting a aerodynamic bikes of custom build each. The support team consisted of three more drivers, as Joy noticed and voiced her jealousy when reading, "3-REX R.H.T.'s. They all have repulsorlift tech on their support bikes?! Wigz, I know it might sound illegal, but can you, uhm ... hack the manifest so that the replacement RHT (Repulsorlift Hover Technology) units for their REX's are delivered by tonight? You see, they're getting a fresh shipment from overseas." Joy, jealous because Elite did not have the necessary funds to purchase a custom set of RHT units for her REX, leaned back and sighed heavily. She focused her attention on the box of CLIF bars, snatched one and unwrapped it, taking a huge chunk out with one bite. "Seems like Redline is pulling all stops for this one race."<br><br>She continued to nibble on her bar when Wiggy addressed her by her last name. "What?" she asked, but stopped as Wiggy stared at the placed where she read her name. She too leaned in and read the detail of the entry. "Avalon... Megan ... assigned to .... Redline Marketing," she read, pausing to see if she read it wrong. She was in disbelief that that name ..., "Mom?" appeared on the manifest. She slowly stood up, eyes watering, but still focused on the entry on the list, and turned her head. She closed her eyes, letting a bunch of tears slide down her face. She turned her body around, ashamed to even look at Wiggy, who she thought probably knew that her mother ... wasn't dead. She had been fooled. By Dad, by everyone else, she wondered in her vulnerable mind. Her fists clenched and with such a sudden move grabbed the box of CLIF bars and threw them at the closed shower door, sending every bar flying about the room and landing mostly on the floor. The door only wobbled with the bars just adding to the mess. Joy's head hung low, shook back and forth, as if in denial that what read on the list wasn't true.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AribethAmkiir</strong> on <strong>09-01-2013, 06:30:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Alex, Dane, and Aurora<br><strong>Location:</strong> Parking lot, outside the Titan<br><hr><br>Alex Sandstrum, Lex to those who got to know her, wondered through the empty parking lot of the New Amsterdam racing course.&nbsp; Her left hand held the strap of her red backpack, slung over her left shoulder, and her faded jean jacket.&nbsp; A black hat, turned backwards, sat upon her pixie cut red hair.&nbsp; She'd decided to go red this week, green, purple, blue, and pink had all been done recently and she avoided the natural tones that were so blase.&nbsp; A white tee shirt, possibly two sizes too small and cut off to reveal her flat abdomen, sported the Elite logo.&nbsp; Some might think it poor taste to wear a shirt belonging to the team she was planning to work for, but Lex just thought it showed commitment.&nbsp; Her cargo pants flared around her legs yet narrowed to hang firmly on her obviously feminine hips.&nbsp; The shoelaces of her sneakers were loose and broken, yet her shoes failed to slip when she walked. <br><br>She paused momentarily next to a man who was leaning against a wall, tossed a silver coated wrench, something that seemed too big for her to handle, over her head before snagging it out of midair.&nbsp; She twirled it around her index finger once before stuffing it into the side pocket of her snug cargo pants.<br><br><strong>"That's the Titan, right?&nbsp; I bet it is.&nbsp; They're going to flip when they get a load of me.&nbsp; Yup, they'll never lose with me on board,"</strong> Lex psyched herself up, oblivious of anyone close enough to hear her.<br><br>The two figures in the immediate distance didn't seem too intimidating to Lex.&nbsp; She didn't think either one of them were a driver for Elite, though that likely meant they were part of the support crew.&nbsp; The big guy looked like he might know the inside of an engine, but Lex wouldn't be sure until she smelled him.&nbsp; The woman looked like a PR rep.&nbsp; Oh, well.&nbsp; If the big guy new his shit she'd be able to breeze by the interview and start building her babies.&nbsp; How she missed the sweet, quiet pounding of the pistons, the wanting, throaty growl of an exhaust, the large, hard manifold, and the gentle gasp of the intake.&nbsp; The thoughts of tuning their engines sent shivers down her spine.<br><br>Without further daydreaming, Lex marched the short distance to where Dane and Aurora stood outside the Titan.<br><br><strong>"Wow, you <em>are</em> a tall drink of water,"</strong> she said as she peered up at Dane then turned toward Aurora.&nbsp; <strong>"heard your team needs a new mechanic.&nbsp; That's me.&nbsp; When can I start?"</strong>&nbsp; She asked as she pulled the large wrench from her pocket and placed it over her shoulder.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>09-01-2013, 16:04:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy may have been focused but she wasn’t completely unaware of her surroundings, a fact which caused her to shuffle uncomfortably as she felt Joy’s gaze upon her. She never did like being watched while she worked even if it did happen to elicit a pleasant prickle. She found it only distracted her from the task at hand which is why she almost sighed with relief when the racer refocused on the monitor. From that point as Joy made her instructions, Wiggy complied. She diverted shipments and bumped up their scheduled delivery times, the light of the monitor reflecting off her glasses as she set aside her energy bar and diligently worked at the modifications. Like Joy, she could see they were racing against the odds, and knew that they could probably do with any possible leg-up; even if underhanded.<br><br>Wiggy didn’t care so much about the legality as opposed to whether Aurora would give them permission, or not, to attempt a theft. The last thing the team needed was to be disqualified; they were already struggling on their meagre pay and had poured quite a bit of their funds into the current race. She found the work relaxing however and so kept all possible drawbacks to herself for the meantime, happy enough to simply go with the flow. A flow which came to an abrupt halt at the revelation around the corner, Avalon’s mom was alive and a stunned Wiggy couldn’t help but utter her name in complete disbelief...<br><br>The next few moments left the poor tech shocked and almost choking on her bar when Joy suddenly freaked out, her eyes widening as the racer heatedly tossed a box against the frosted door. A loud bang ensued as energy bars flew across the room with the technician unable to do much but gape in dismay. She had been expecting something along the lines of a pleased reaction, maybe even a tentative one, but nothing with so much aggression. And then it hit her, <strong>“Oh god, you didn’t know!”</strong> At that moment, Wiggy would have given anything to simply melt from the current plane of existence, to disappear and be forgotten, an urge motivated faintly by fear but mostly by the heart-wrenching sight before her. The angry clenched fists and tearful shaking head was such a sharp departure from the shy, pleasant, girl she had known. <br><br>With all the strength her courage could muster, Wiggy shakily stood from her seat, her eyes glancing anxiously at the exit before returning to the pained racer. The temptation to make a hasty retreat was ever present while only growing stronger as she nervously chewed at her lower lip and tentatively reached out, with the knot in her chest reaching its tightest when her hand hovered just above Joy’s shoulder. She withdrew only slightly at the thought of sharing the fate of the CLIF bar box but finally, with a breath for courage, Wiggy took the plunge and gently gripped Joy’s shoulder in a show of reassurance.<br><br><strong>“Joy, I’m so sorry, I thought your father had told you,”</strong> she started to explain only for her voice to falter as she continued, <strong>”B-but, this is good news, right? We’ve had feelers out for some time, trying to find her, and now- now that we have, w-we can finally bring her back! We could even try snatch a bit of that technology you wanted, just give the word and we can load up and head out.”</strong> Wiggy wasn’t the type to grab a gun and raid a heavily secured garage but… the situation demanded a few exceptions. With her free hand she nervously adjusted her glasses, her features teetering between a wince and an expectant gaze as she watched and waited for Joy’s reaction.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>10-01-2013, 08:04:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room to Garage to Joy's Room<br><hr><br>Joy was completely lost in her memory, the time when her mother didn't come home one day. She found her father working hard in the garage, though it seemed like he wasn't getting any finished. In fact, it seemed every rotation of the wrench was for nothing. Joy found her father in tears after finding his daughter there in the garage. Alex had won the race, but it seemed like her father came in dead last.<br><br>At first he was hesitant, more so than any time before. He sat Joy down and told her the news, the very tragic and terrible news. Megan Avalon, was out to get supplies in the town after the race was over, but members of the team that were worried that she didn't come back in time, found her dead in a suspected bandit firefight. Thinking she wasn't going to see her anymore, Joy listened to her father, on the reason why her mother gave her the name Joy. He would say, <em>"Be joyful. While in the driver's seat. While you're living your life. It's the one thing that people can't take away from you, if only you hold onto it for dear life."</em><br><br>What a lie. Joy loved her father for giving her the joy of her very own 3-REX, loved him for the love he gave her. But now she hated him. It wasn't love, it was sympathy, giving her something to hope for all these years, even after he died. She wished ... she desired that if her father wasn't dead, she would be the one who gave him the killing blow. But it was the hand on her shoulder that snapped her out of her malevolent thoughts. She turned her head and listened to Wiggy reassuring her.<br><br>But it wasn't enough. In fact, all Wiggy had done was help Joy to refocus her anger at something else. It wasn't the box of CLIF bars, one of which had been crushed under one of her racing boots, nor was it her father. The target of her rage was her own mother, Megan Avalon, going missing all those years ago and finally being found in the hands of Redline, supporting them and making her millions no less. She turned around, her glare meeting Wiggy's face. "You don't get it Wigz. My mother is alive and well, working for Redline. She broke my father's heart, which made him lie about her getting killed by bandits. In the end, my mother killed my father." She turned on her heel, finally popping the crushed package under her feet, and started for the door. She closed it one the afternoon air blew into the garage. She took off her poncho, revealing the shirt underneath. "If anything, I'd like to have a word with my dear old mother. I'll get her to spill the beans and get me those RHT units." <br><br>She went out into the garage and walked to her own room. If Wiggy followed her, she would witness Joy shamelessly take off her shirt, short shorts and racing boots off to put on her second suit, for her last suit was still in its drying stage. This suit still had the team colors, but with a different design and backwards color scheme. Climbing into the suit, she inserted her arms into the sleeves and made sure her zipper was zipped all the way up. With a metal clip, she tied her hair up into a high ponytail and turned and headed to the door.<br><br>"Wigz. Make me a route to Redline's garage," she said as she retrieved a CLIF bar that had escaped the confines of Wiggy's room. The mess would have to be cleaned up later, the CLIF bars put back in their box some other time. Right now, Joy was going to pay her mother a surprise visit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>DarkEnigma</strong> on <strong>10-01-2013, 18:53:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fuck that man is big, Alex thought as he moved past Aurora and the other male. He simply passed them and raised a hand above his hand, waving to them twice as he made his way inside. He’d get to the actual introduction soon, probably picking on the man until he threw a garage door at them. Alex had to grin at that, some hulking behemoth at the wheel seconds away from snapping. <br><br>They had a previous driver a while back that matched his features, if not carrying a bit more fat. He guessed his name was Joe? Or something like that. The man had a mean temper and knew how to use his fists. It was good that they had a bit more muscle on the team, not forgetting male humour! Alex was sure that this new man would no doubt understand his witty humour. He was just entering the cargo hold when he heard the sounds behind him.<br><br><em>“heard your team needs a new mechanic.&nbsp; That's me.&nbsp; When can I start?”</em><br><br>Alex had to grin at that, liking the arrogance and pride. You did not survive in this world, or this team, if you did not seize the moment when it presented itself. If that failed, one simply forced a moment upon him or herself. He made his way past his motorcycle, digits tracing over the metal. He had argued with Joy over adding repulsive technology, or something like that. Alex wasn’t one to get angry suddenly, yet he had walked out of the room, mumbling something about taking the fire out of the driver.<br><br>Sure, those bikes and cars would go smother, if not a bit safer, yet it lacked something. The feeling of hot rubber meeting resistance, or a gasoline igniting, what could be better. No. Alex knew that he would stick to the old fashioned ways. He knew a few things that his bike could do what Repulsorlift technology could not. <br>He was just about to meet up with Joy, ask her if she knew a good diner when he heard the commotion.<br><br><em>"Wigz. Make me a route to Redline's garage,"</em><br><br>He had rarely heard Joy speak like that, if ever. He did not enter the room, suddenly hesitant. What in earth could prod Joy in such a state. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>10-01-2013, 23:11:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy, Alex, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Wiggy's Room<br><br><hr><br>Wiggy couldn’t pretend to know what Joy was going through although she wasn’t sure if the racer had a complete grasp of the situation either. She wasn’t about to start trying to contradict her however, at least not while the woman looked so… determined. Instead she simply bowed her head and listened, only to flinch at the sound of the popping CLIF bar as Joy turned to leave. With a sigh, Wiggy resisted the urge to follow even with the tempting sight of a poncho hitting the floor. She knew Joy wasn’t going anywhere without knowing the target’s location and so decided to take the time for something she had been dying to do from the start… have a shower.<br><br>It was the quickest rinse she had ever had, a brief wash under a cold spray with just enough time to dry up and redress before Joy was back at her door. By the time she saw the racer again, Wiggy was wearing a pair of dark black cargo pants with a matching, cropped, tube top and a pair of old world military boots. Her hair still felt damp but she was ready to go, a detailed map in one hand while the other gripped the strap of a dusty green duffel bag. The bag was one she kept in her locker in the event of an emergency. It contained a few small gadgets, some guns and ammo as well as an explosive or two. <br><br>At the request for a route, Wiggy promptly offered the paper she had in hand. <strong>“Right here,”</strong> she stated neutrally as she watched Joy pick-up a CLIF bar, <strong>“As well as a rough schematic of the building’s layout.”</strong> The structure lay not far outside the race-course, within one of the more abandoned areas of the city. Their only problem now was that they had little idea of what to expect once they arrived. Raiding the garages of competitors wasn’t beyond the norm for the team but usually there would have been a lot more prep, scouting and general information gathering. This time, they were going in completely blind.<br><br>It was then that Wiggy spotted Alex, just outside the room, a sight which caused a lot less turmoil for her emotions than she expected. When she had left the bar earlier, she felt like wringing him by the neck, but now her previous concerns seemed almost trivial next to Joy’s own. It wasn’t as if she had any power to dispense proper vengeance anyway, at least not without hurting herself in the process. The fact was that Alex was their money-ticket and until such a time that this changed, he would be put on a pedestal. Joy was by no means a slouch on the tracks but the crowds loved Alex, revelling in the mayhem he caused with each race. With that worry off her shoulders, hopefully to never return in the near future, she drew her attention back to Joy before giving the determined woman a prompt nod to let her know that she was ready.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>11-01-2013, 07:21:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Wiggy, Alex, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> Titan, Garage, New Amsterdam Raceway<br><hr><br>Joy took the map and glanced at the rough schematic. "Wigz, can you lead the way...." Joy said, but trailed off she saw Alex now in the garage. If memory serves her right, Joy remembered that it was Alex that didn't know what was going on because on that day, he was bogged down with post-race interviews and had only come back to the truck in the wee hours of the morning. Alcohol was surely to blame, but Joy wasn't around to dig him out of the drunken mess he was in that day. There was no blaming him. The only person to blame was her mother. Her expression changed suddenly, from a brief state of shock from seeing Alex present in the garage to a determined look.<br><br>Whatever he wanted, or didn't want, would have to wait. Joy, with map and blueprint in hand, started on her way, walking past Alex like she was a different person. When it regarded her mother, she was a different person, one who had been told a lie because ... well, she didn't know all the facts, but she was determined to get it from the actual source. She exited the garage, heading for the large threshold that led into the raceway.<br><br>She looked at her map, but could not understand some of the details. Whatever map Wiggy had downloaded, it had been too complicated to comprehend. "Wigz, I can't read this map at all," she said to the following technician. "Can you make sense of this?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>mj2002</strong> on <strong>18-01-2013, 06:59:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged</strong>: Lex, Dane, Open<br><strong>Location</strong>: Racing Course, <em>Titan</em><br><hr><br>"Wow, you are a tall drink of water," Aurora heard behind her. It was a feminine voice, but not one she recognized right away. She turned around and looked at the woman who had approached them. "Heard your team needs a new mechanic.&nbsp; That's me.&nbsp; When can I start?", the woman continued. Aurora gave the woman a good look. Red hair, black hat. At least the woman had a sense of style. Her gaze dropped to the woman's t-shirt and pants. That would need a little work, but it wasn't all that bad either.<br><br>She turned to her new driver Dane and had to look up in order to face him. "<strong>Take a look inside if you like, looks like I need to leave you to that for now</strong>", she explained to him before she turned back to the other newcomer. She was confident to be sure and while that was never a bad thing, Aurora still had planned of verifying her competence as well. She'd met many a man or woman who used their charms and stature to advance in this tough world, hell she was one of them herself. It took one to know one, so this would be right in her alley.<br><br>"<strong>You heard right, Miss .....?</strong>", Aurora said, fishing for the woman's name. "<strong>Why don't you come inside and we can see if you are what our team is looking for?</strong>" She gestured towards the side entrance of the truck and would lead the way towards her office high up in the truck. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Scribbles</strong> on <strong>21-01-2013, 23:54:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Joy, Open<br><strong>Location:</strong> Racing Course, Redline Garage<br><br><hr><br>At Joy’s request to make sense of the map, Wiggy slung the strap of the weapon bag over her shoulder before dutifully stepping up and taking the paper back. <strong>“Sure, follow me.”</strong> With both hands on the paper, she proceeded to lead Joy to their destination.<br><br>Once they arrived at the track the two simply walked along its side, continuing along a well-worn path until they reached a ramp built into the very super-structure of the racing course itself. The ramp extended out from the stands and was surrounded by two large concrete walls with a chain-linked gate blocking the entrance. Above it, the crimson worded sign “Redline” stood. Wiggy could already see that getting in would be easy at the sight of the meagre protection. The two could simply walk up the stands and jump in from the top of the ramp, or they could cut through the chain-and-lock which held the gate closed.<br><br>The only real obstacles would come in after they’d gotten past the wall. The ramp was a plain dirt road with nothing to hide behind between the entrance and the garage, meaning that they could easily be spotted should someone decide to simply look up it.<br><br>If the two managed to peak down the ramp they would see a well-lit garage, where several bikes lay about in various states of disassembly beside a large black car. The car had no windows, replaced by metal with slots for seeing, and a frame that had clearly been reinforced with steel plates. The words Redline had been painted in deep red on either side. Both the bikes and car looked to be undergoing maintenance for the upcoming race, with two men in white and red overalls working on the bikes while one man lay under the car’s engine. They were all covered in grease and oil, making it difficult to distinguish much about any of them.<br><br>At the far side of the garage opposite the ramp, was a man with a short black beard and combed back hair, currently dressed in a black leather jacket, blue jeans and black racing boots. He sat on a stool with his back leaning against the nearby wall. While the others operated on the vehicles, he simply sat back with his arms folded and silently watched. The man was clearly there to guard the garage as he had a rifle leaning against his stool, ready for use. Next to the man was a large steel door, leading to the rest of the facility.<br><br>Once they had arrived, Wiggy stuffed the map into the weapons bag before quietly motioning for Joy to take the lead. It was then that they heard the growing rumble of a truck engine. Behind them and slowly approaching on the track was a dark green, old world, military truck with a similarly coloured canvas over its trailer. Two men sat in the truck although it was difficult to see much beyond their silhouettes. <strong>“Those must be the parts you ordered,”</strong> Wiggy quipped. Both Joy and the tech were currently hidden, under cover of night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Engine Heat: Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AribethAmkiir</strong> on <strong>22-01-2013, 01:43:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Tagged:</strong> Aurora<br><strong>Location:</strong> Parking lot, outside the Titan<br><hr><br><strong>"Lex, I don't do Lexy, or Lexus, or Alexus, and definitely not Alexandra,"</strong> the redhead replied as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.&nbsp; <strong>"Sandstrum's the last name if you need it.&nbsp; Miss Sandstrum makes me want to vomit though so if you'd be kind enough to refrain from that, I'd be ever so appreciative,"</strong> Lex added.<br><br><strong>"Sure, if you ask me to sing "O' Susanna" though I warn you now you best have earplugs."</strong>&nbsp; A grin came to her face before she followed <br>Aurora to the office.<br><br>The other woman seemed friendly enough.&nbsp; Though one look at her and Lex knew she was no driver, or a mechanic.&nbsp; She was likely bright enough to be a tech, but she didn't come across as that either.&nbsp; Which simply meant that Aurora was the one who was actually in charge.&nbsp; That made sense since she was the one with an office, and the one doing the hiring.&nbsp; Lex wasn't all that lucky, but it seemed like she'd had a bit of luck today.<br><br><strong>"You know, I'm not sure if there's an engine up here, but that's the fastest way to determine if I'm what your team needs.&nbsp; Which I totally am,"</strong>&nbsp; she commented as she climbed the stairs behind Aurora.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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