PART 2 OF REBEL HEART.
Status: COMPLETE
Michelle and Brook are back in a brand new adventure with the crew! As new threats rise against them, the Night Blazers have to find a way to snuff out old problems while navigating their new lives. But old h...
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"Ugh, great. The suspension spring's bust, the chassis is banged up, the gearbox is fried, the shock absorber got shocked..." Brook surveyed the damage under Michelle's McLaren with a groan. Michelle stood beside it, leaning against the wall with her arms folded, one leg crossed over the other. She gave a little giggle at the way Brook assessed everything but straightened her face when she knew he was serious about his assessment. The two of them had snuck into the garage after breakfast the next morning to look over the damage her car took and fix it.
"Well, Mister Autophile, you're the only one I trust to fix her," Michelle said, patting the hood of her car. "There's no one I'd trust with my baby more than you." Brook grinned as he wheeled himself out from under the car.
"Oh, I will fix her. But we'll need some top-notch new parts. She's more dented than a river rock. And, as much as I hate to say it—" he came close to Michelle, circling her with one arm, "the best place for those are at an auto show." Michelle raised an eyebrow at him.
"Like the one hosted right beside the NNC?" Brook continued cautiously.
"Oh, uh-uh, no way." Michelle swung her hands up in denial and backed away. "There's gotta be some parts lying around this garage, Paige said Soriano's gotten practically every car ever made! He must have some spare parts!" Michelle began rummaging in every box she could see, hoping to stumble on parts that might magically appear.
"That would be true, Michelle," Soriano said, coming into the garage. Michelle turned around to face him as he spoke. "But parts for a McLaren F1 aren't the kind I have lying around."
"He's right, Michelle, your car is a rare make. We've never kept those before," Brook explained gently. Michelle sighed.
"Should've known you'd get me a one-of-a-kind car," she gave Brook a fond but wistful look. "I don't want to go to the NNC. We still don't even know what Zhang's next move is," she continued. "So Brook doesn't have to go to tonight's race."
"That's what I came in here to tell you." Soriano looked uneasy. "Apparently, the Nightshades contacted Paige. They want to set up another meeting with us before tonight's race. They want to discuss what happened last night."
"How do we know this isn't another trap laid by Zhang?" Brook asked, swinging his head to Soriano sharply. "I wouldn't trust those Nightshades any more than I can throw my Bugatti. They may be in cohorts with the Mao You gang and could be responsible for Zhang finding out about us."
"You don't know that, Brook," Soriano reasoned.
"But it's a good guess," Michelle huffed in the corner, defending Brook. Soriano sighed.
"I know you kids don't like this. Neither do I. But now that we're all in this mess together, it's better to see it through and dig ourselves out of it."
"But the Nightshades may be drawing us right into Zhang's hands!" Michelle protested. Soriano looked at Michelle's determined face and was suddenly struck by her stark resemblance to her father. He turned away as a wave of emotion came over him and cleared his throat.
