Spy Racers: World Tour

Chapter 5: Hotel Moscow

By the time they'd reached Moscow, the crew had all fallen asleep in the plane cabin. Miss Nowhere woke them abruptly by loudly declaring that they had arrived and that they'd better "get their lazy butts off the plane or face her wrath." The five teenagers gathered their things and piled into the hauler to make the 20-minute drive to the VIP lodge for all the teams competing in the grand prix.

As they were getting close to the lodge, everyone changed into their disguises per Miss Nowhere's orders- and it was a good thing they did. When the hauler pulled up to the front of the building, there were reporters and photographers everywhere, trying to catch photos and interviews of all the teams as they arrived.

"This is insane!" Tony said excitedly.

"For real. Yo, check out that paint job!" Echo pointed to another team's hauler, which was covered in a colorful array of street art designs. The team in question stood next to it in matching racing jackets, with a crowd of reporters fighting to ask them questions.

"Guess we know who the favorite is," Layla noted. "Frost- I mean, uh, 'Cam,' can you find out which team that is?"

"On it," Frostee replied, typing away on his phone. "Hmm. Black and green team colors...uh, looks like they could either be Empire Motorsports or DNC Racing. Hard to say which.

"You'll get a chance to meet all the other teams tonight," Miss Nowhere said, leading them through the crowd and towards the huge, glass double-doors of the lodge. "There's a formal dinner party tonight that everyone is required to attend. It's meant to help racers connect with future sponsors. I trust you all will use the time wisely."

She gave them all a pointed look, and they got the message. Their time at the party would be used to gather info about Jiro Okada and his team, not as a chance to sell their racing skills to potential sponsors, as much as they may want to.

"Wait, did you say formal?" Tony asked. "You didn't tell us to pack anything formal. What are we supposed to wear?"

"Relax, Toretto," Miss Nowhere waved him off. "You really think I'd let you kids go to a party of this caliber dressed like street rats? I would never let you embarrass me like that! Of course I got you all formal attire. Gary and Julius will bring everything up to your rooms later."

As they entered the lodge, the crew looked around in awe. They were standing in a huge atrium with a fountain in the center and a grand, double staircase leading to the floor above. A number of crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the space was furnished with mahogany and off-white coffee tables, arm-chairs, sofas. The staircases met at a small, circular landing halfway up, where a podium had been set up and covered with a white cloth. Sitting atop it was a glass case that housed a golden trophy, presumably the one that would be awarded to the winner of the Hachiroku World Tour. Guards stood behind and on either side of the case, looking on at the crowd gathering in the atrium.

Miss Nowhere led the group to the left, where a line of tables had been set up. Event coordinators sat behind each one, passing out paperwork to each team and looking extremely overwhelmed by the amount of people. Obviously they hadn't been prepared for all the teams to arrive at the same time.

"Midnight Drifters with Alliance Motorsports," Miss Nowhere said, placing a certificate of entry on the table. The coordinator studied the paper for a moment and then glanced back up at the group with a faint look of concern.

"Late entry, huh," the woman noted. "It's gonna be a tough run for you all. The competition is intense already and we're not even halfway through."

"We like a challenge," Layla said, crossing her arms.
The woman just shrugged and started typing away on her laptop.

"Lets see," she began, not taking her eyes off the screen. "I've got Cameron Foster, Michael Huerta, Connor McFarland, Gwen Thomas, and Madison West. That correct?"