Pathways of the mind - Nano 2016

Chapter 2 - I name you Muttley

"That was damn rude!" Risty swore even as she accelerated after the woman. She was starting to feel rather pissed off at the moment. After everything else today that stupid woman was really starting to get under her skin and she was going to prove they could race. It didn't matter what else had happened today she was going to prove that in the end.

Sten was thinking evil thoughts at that damn woman as well. What was really annoying was she hadn't even bothered to ask their names or give hers, "Man what a bitch!" He said over the intercom even as they dropped over an edge and power slid into a tunnel. After that drop his adrenaline was used up for the moment.

Eventually they arrived at... a place. It looked more like someone dumped a load of cargo containers in an enclosed space. They could see at least a dozen containers from where they were at. There was grass for the most part but between certain containers there were paths worn into it. Scattered around was rubble, rusted bits of this or that, and maybe eight or ten kids scattered around.

"Get your asses over here!" The woman yelled out. The other kids started to come over though she had to yell a few more times, "I said get ya lazy piss poor exuses of racers asses over here. Got two newbies who might join if they can do better than I watched."

That got the other kids attention. The stragglers hurried over and lined up in front of the woman. Their line was ragged and they had lined up in pairs, one in front and one in back. It was a mixed bag of kids from what looked like ages twelve to seventeen. For the most part the kids in the front were girls though there was a boy. The ones in back were mostly guys except for the girl behind the boy.

"Des skags are the new team. Teach them the rules of livin' here and for racin'. Tiffy show them to the unused container." She again didn't bother asking their names though she turned to them, "Follow Tiffy and he'll show ya to a container which was used by ah team lost." She walked off to a container which was slightly separate from the others.

"Falla me." Tiffy said as he turned and walked to a container which was slightly away from the others. "Gots ever thing ya need inside." He waved towards the open doors of the container before slouching off to do whatever he had been doing.

"Well shit! What the fuck is it with everyone? Doesn't anyone around this damn place understand the concept of being civil? At least introduce themselves?" Risty was glaring in the direction the boy had headed. She wanted damn questions answered and now.

"Because they don't want to get close to anyone in case they lose them in a race or to another team." The man from earlier walked around one of the open doors of the container, "Now time for your first lesson, disengage the lifters. That will deactivate the tangler field holding you on. Once both of you step off your flyer it will change into something you can carry around."

Sten felt whatever it was holding him release as the flyer lowered to the ground. He stepped off and collapsed against the door before he realized the guy's hat was again different. Now he had a fedora on, "Where the hell did you come from? You couldn't have made it here that fast. You didn't have a flyer or the toy thing."

She stepped off the flyer and as he had said it turned into a puppet like thing. When it did she had to stare at it since it looked like a badly drawn dog. Big jagged teeth, large angry looking eyes, and short stumpy arms and legs with sewn on nails. For some reason, she almost expected it to make some sort of noise. When it made a sort of whooshing cackling sound she jumped before leaning over and picking it up. When she did it somehow grabbed onto her shirt.

Now that she had her flyer she turned and looked at the man. Much as Sten, Risty had to blink since he had a different hat again, "Just who the hell are you? How do you keep popping up and why are you here?" She flopped down next to Sten as well.