Chapter Text
“Son, we need to talk.”
Vert’s vision narrowed, his head swimming with possibilities. Maybe it was the exhaustion from The Ultimate Race, but this was a step beyond. “...Dad?” was all he could muster.
The man in Silencerz racing gear, wearing his father’s face and speaking in his father’s voice, took a single step forward, one arm outstretched. “Vert. I know this is a lot, but I promise these researchers are here to help. We know at least some of what you’ve been through, but we don’t know exact details or the effects it might have had on you, so listen to me and please answer honestly: what happened at the end of your race with Gelorum?”
Vert’s eyes darted from his father to the purple-and-silver clad drivers and “researchers”, his ears pricking up at the warbled code-like speech. He was instantly reminded of the drones. He glanced behind him, seeing Reverb in his periphery. His mind ran through the possibilities in less than a second. The immediate possibility was the EDR, but that was on cooldown from sending back Sparky. Next possibility was to get in the car and run, but that had two issues. The first was leaving behind the 4th wheel and the Accelechargers, which the researchers had already taken over to some kind of research station. The second was timing, even if he could get away from his dad and about seven or eight others within a step or two, he’d have to start his car, take off, get to the Silencerz hologram wheel and then… right. The wheel is inactive. The realms are closed. Vert wasn’t sure if they were closed for good after his race, but escaping into the realms wasn’t a possibility right now. That left only one option, the option he least wanted to take.
“Ok, dad,” Vert said, turning back. “I’ll work with you. But you’ve gotta tell me something first.”
“Ok, what?”
“How long have you been driving with The Silencerz?”
“The Silencerz… is that the name Tezla told you to use for us?”
“You’re not answering the question.”
Major Wheeler sighed. “About… 12 years. It was…”
“After mom died.”
“Yeah. The, uh, the military came to me about a special project around the time she died. After coming home to take care of her and then, later, you… I lost a lot of purpose in my life.” Major Wheeler’s shoulders slumped.
“Dad…” Vert stepped forward, embracing his father for the first time in about two years. Vert felt his dad stiffen at first, before relaxing slightly to give a brief hug. “Sorry. I know you don’t usually…”
“It’s ok, Vert,” Major Wheeler broke the hug, stepping back. “The US Government had taken notice of my driving skills back in the Gulf War, so when they came asking me about Project Silent Runners, I couldn’t refuse.”
Verts mind began to spin like the wheels on any one of his specialized cars. He opened his mouth to ask about Dr. Tezla, Gig, and SCRIM, but was cut off when one of the researchers, with their high-collared coats and strange telescoping lens masks, stepped between him and his father, stating something in that garbled code-speak to Major Wheeler. Vert’s father gave the researcher a stern look, and the researcher twisted a dial on their mask.
“Enough questions, Acceleracer,” their voice was still garbled and artificially deepened, like one of Shirako’s bass-boosted tracks, but at least it was plain English. “You will have adequate time to catch up after you have debriefed us on your experiences in The Ultimate Race.”
Vert sighed. “Aw, man.” This was going to suck more than a beach day with no waves.