Rush 2: Firecracker (A Rush Fan-Fic)

Chapter One

Niki looked at the speedometer of the car and ran his hand exasperatedly through his hair. "Slow down, you asshole. Are you trying to kill us both?"

"That's rather ironic coming from my new team-mate," replied James, "Anyway, it was you who wanted to get to the test track early to impress your new boss."

Niki scowled. After parting company with his previous race team, it had seemed like a good idea to sign with the same one as James; a decision that he was now starting to regret.

"It might have escaped your attention that this is not a race track," stated Niki, "And besides, I would like to get to our destination in one piece."

"Relax. You always get het up when I drive."

"That's because you drive like an asshole."

"And you drive like an old man."

"I do not. There is just no need to drive fast. It only increases the percentage of risk. Twenty per cent chance..."

"...I can live with, but not one per cent more," mimicked James.

"Now you're just taking the piss. May I remind you that this is an urban road with speed limits and unforeseen hazards?"

James took his eyes off the road and looked at Niki. "Seriously though, what's likely to happen at this time of the morning? A hedgehog crossing the road maybe, or a rabbit getting caught in the headlights..."

"Pass auf!" yelled Niki, in German.

"Don't tell me to piss off."

Niki pointed out of the windscreen. "Nien, vorsicht! Achtung!"

James looked back at the road again. Up ahead, there was a stationary car signalling to turn right into a petrol station and he was swiftly gaining on it. With no room for James to pass the car on the left hand side, there was only one thing left for him to do - hit the brakes.

Niki braced himself and waited for the collision. There was a dull crunch as James swerved his car into a ditch. A flock of crows flew up out of the hedge, cawing loudly. Still, the jolt was enough to throw them forwards; their seatbelts propelling them back into their seats, causing the back of Niki's head to smash into the plastic-moulded headrest of his seat. Then all went black.

As Niki regained consciousness, he could hear the sound of steam hissing through the car's radiator, James swearing profusely and a solitary crow still protesting. He touched the left side of his jaw where the seatbelt had cut into him. It felt wet. Niki looked down at his fingertips; they were coated red.

He looked across at James, who was rubbing his neck and shoulder, whilst still cussing. Painfully, Niki undid his seatbelt and put his hand on the door handle, when it was pulled from his grasp. With the car titled on an angle, Niki almost fell out of his seat and into the ditch. A hand reached out and grabbed him by the arm - a female hand.

"Jaysus. Are you okay?" the woman asked, escorting him out of the car and away from the ditch.

Niki's eyes traced a line from her hand and then stopped at her face. Pale with freckles and a mass of auburn-coloured hair, it was kindly and full of concern. Gold-coloured spectacles framed her emerald-green eyes.

"Feck, you're bleeding!" She pulled a wad of tissues out of her handbag, thrust them into Niki's hand and manoeuvred his arm to the side of his face. "Hold that there."

"It's just a scratch..." began Niki.

"What the bloody hell were you doing in the middle of the road like that?" shouted James, as he came round to the front of the car.

She looked over the top of her glasses. "Sorry?"

"You! Middle of the road! What the f...ARGH!"

"Stall the ball. It's a straight enough road, which leads me to believe that you must have been speeding. You're lucky you haven't killed anybody, ya eejit."

Niki nodded in agreement.

"This is not a race- track," she continued, "If you want to drive at speed like that, then I suggest you become a racing driver."

Niki started to smile. "He is a racing driver. We both are."

The woman walked towards her car. "Then I hope you drive better on a race track than you do on the road." She stopped and looked back at them both. "So, who do you drive for?"

"QPM Rover," answered James.

She nodded and then looked at James' car. "You're going to need a tow truck to get that out of there. Your car's banjaxed."

She got back into her car and pulled across the road into the petrol station.

"Mick bitch!" spat James.

"Asshole."

"Can you call women assholes then?"

"No, you're the asshole," retorted Niki, pushing James aside, "I told you to slow down, but you didn't listen."

Still holding the now bloodied wad of tissues against his jaw, Niki tipped the driver's seat forwards and retrieved his holdall from the back seat. He crossed over the road and walked towards the petrol station.

"Where are you going?" shouted James.

"To get us a tow truck. Asshole."