Need For Speed Fortune Valley Stories

Chapter 4 Desert Winds Part 2 & City Lights Part 1

Garage. 10:45 a.m. "Hello?" I called. "Oh hey Jordan." I called. "Really? He said that? Okay, tell him I'll be there." I asked as I hung up and I ran to my R34 and got in it and drove to the location. Ember Valley Visitor's Centre. Minutes later. "Okay, I'm here." I said. "You're here, good. Listen. The Demon Lords is running conveys into town, and the next one's my Koenigsegg with some extra tech attached. You and your friends are gonna grab it back for me, okay?" The gambler commanded. "Why would we do that?" I asked. "One, you owe me. Two, I'll let your buddy Dom peek under the hood before you hand it over." The gambler answered. "Don't need a third reason, we're in. Plus since I owe you that Koenigsegg. But you pay me back at least with something." I replied. "Yes! So here's what you do..." The gambler commanded and I nodded while he was talking. "They're transporting the Koenigsegg across city limits in two limits. We intercept, then grab the cargo." I commanded. "It'll be part of a convoy." Ellie replied. "What are you thinking?" I asked. "Quick hit and run. You get me close to the truck and I'll take care of the rest. Dom, you turned that Mustang into a runner yet?" Ellie asked. "Yep. Followed your specs, the plating's all in. It'll take a punch and dish it right back." Dominic answered. "And Letty, once I take the Koenigsegg. You and Branden try to figure out a way to take out that truck." Ellie commanded. "Now that's a crazy plan, but I'll do it. I'm a risky daredevil." Letty replied. "Uh Ellie. What happened to you?" Jordan asked. "It's a funny story to tell but I'm pregnant, something bothering you about it." Ellie asked. "No, not at all." Jordan answered. "Let's move out." I commanded as we all got in our cars. Ellie and I drove to the rendezvous. "Okay, we all know the plan right?" Letty asked. "Got it." I answered as I equipped my headphones. "On it, you're driving there Branden." Ellie answered as she got in the car and equipped her headset. "Roger that. Good luck you guys." Jordan answered. Letty got in the car as well. "Yeah! Let's go grab ourselves a hypercar!" I exclaimed. "Alright. The drone's online and I'm looking for the convoy. But you guys better hurry up to the rendezvous point. They might pass if you don't get there fast. Step on it." Jordan commanded. I nodded and I floored it. "Not sure what Dom did to this Mustang, but it feels tight and heavy. Like it tensed up for a punch." I said. "Remember, Branden, the Demon Lords will have enforcers protecting the convoy, so we'll have to get rid of them first. Get me on the truck before it reaches the Ember Valley Tunnel and we're in business." Ellie commanded. "Their aerial surveillance will be blind inside the tunnel. Perfect time for a hit and run!" Jordan exclaimed. "Excellent idea guys. But if we fail this plan, we'll have to go with an alternative plan." I replied. "So worst case scenario, we improvise, right?" Jordan asked. "That won't be necessary." Letty answered. "Jordan, how long have you know Ms.Disantos? She always has a plan B." Ellie asked. "Oh and a plan C, and plan D, and plan E..." Jordan answered. "You got that right?" Letty replied. "We're almost there." I said as I see a gas station after I crossed the off-road section. "Pull up here." Ellie commanded as I nodded and u turned to the gas station and stopped the car. "I see it! Truck's almost there! And they brought their muscle!" Jordan exclaimed. "Hey Dom, are the gas tanks filled up as well?" Ellie asked. "Gas tanks are filled up and no need to get gas." Dominic answered. "Cool, Ms.Disantos where are you at?" Ellie asked. "I'm at the end of the tunnel. If something bad goes down I'll get to you guys immediately." Letty answered. "I see the truck." I said as I saw a truck passed by and I got in my car. Ellie got in the car as well. "Well, here we go." I said as I drove out of the station and raced to the truck. "The Demon Lords won't let us anywhere near the truck. We gotta take out those cars." Ellie commanded. "I read you. You might wanna hold on to something. Trust me, it's gonna be very dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt." I replied as I caught up to the 1st enforcer and side swiped him and it rolled and crashed. "That's what I'm talking about. Let's get that truck." Jordan said. "Crap, he's too fast. I'll have to try to corner faster than that." I said in my mind as I saw the truck going fast. "You ready Ellie?" I asked. "Get me in position." Ellie answered. I floored it and to catch up and pull up to the rear. I noticed it was braking. "Watch out!" Ellie exclaimed. "Crap!" I slammed on the brakes hard but then I got brake checked. "What's going on?!" Jordan asked. "I got brake checked an- oh damn. Ellie's hurt. Ellie, are you okay?" I asked as I saw Ellie's forehead gushing out blood and her arm was in cuts and she was bleeding. "I think I'm hurt... try to think of a new plan." Ellie answered. "HOLY SHIT!!" I exclaimed as I saw explosions and a lot of collateral damage. "This guy's out of his mind!" Jordan replied. "Letty where are you at?!" I asked. "I'm catching up to the truck right now. Is Ellie okay?" Letty asked. "No, she's hurt. Don't worry, Ellie, everything's gonna be okay. Trust me." I answered. "Alternative plan: forget the tunnel. Get him before he reaches the city. Once you're there, Branden. You're gonna take the car." Letty commanded. I floored it and I slammed the enforcer on the side but it was heavy and it crashed. "Damn these guys are tougher!" I exclaimed. "Freaking tanks is what they are!" Jordan replied. "They're going down either way." I said as I side swiped the enforcer and he barrel rolled and wrecked. "You know Josh is gonna go mental when he finds out we took out his new toy!" Jordan exclaimed. "Payback, baby!" I replied as I floored it to catch up. "Branden, I'm here. Get close to the truck." Letty commanded. I floored it to the right side of the truck. "Here goes nothing." I said as I opened the window. Steadily trying to reach the ladder but my right foot was diagonally on the accelerator while my left foot was on the door. "Almost there..." I said in my as I almost touched the ladder and I grabbed onto it. "Locked on." I said. "Ellie, grab my hand!" Letty commanded as she pulled up to the Mustang on the right side and went side by side and showed her hand to Ellie and grabs onto it and she gets out of the car and climbs on to the 350Z's interior. "Ellie, are you okay?" Letty asked. "No, I'm not. I'm hurt..." Ellie answered as she started to pass out. I climbed up onto the roof and I see a underpass leading to the inside of the rig. "Branden? Branden, you got this?" Jordan asked. "Branden?!" Letty asked. "I got this. Take Ellie to the hospital. I'll be here when you guys get there." I answered as I floored it and jumped out of the truck. "WOOOOOO! That's what I'm talking about!" Jordan exclaimed. "Good job team. Let's take this baby home." Letty commanded. "See you guys there." I replied. "The Mustang's wrecked though. But it's a good thing I saved Ellie from the wreck." Letty said as she floored it. "Branden, that's a hell of a lot of cops on your tail. You sure you can handle them?" Jordan asked. "Don't worry about me. Well with this car? They'll never keep up." I answered as I floored it. "It handles the same as before." I said in my mind. "Man, I can't wait to drive it!" Jordan exclaimed. "Sorry, Jordan. The Koenigsegg's going straight to the Gambler as soon as Dom has a peek under the hood." I replied. "Damnit! Why don't I never get to drive the cool cars?" Jordan asked. "Don't worry, you'll get a chance soon. I promise. Man, it's a shame we can't drive it around. This thing's on fire." I answered as I drove to Airfield 73 and parked at the garage. "Bring it into the garage. Time I took a peak under the hood... Figure out what's so special about this thing before we ship it back to Weir." Dominic commanded. Minutes later. "This is Branden at your service." I called. "My guys just picked up the Regera. Disantos messed up the alignment and the brake pads, but I decided I won't bill her." The gambler called. "How generous." I replied. "I know, right? Listen, we gotta meet." The gambler commanded. "What, now? What about Ellie? I have to meet her at the hospital due to the accident during the heist." I asked. "Yes, now! But not actually now, just go see your girl first. Meet me downtown, my place. Elysium Casino, 'round the back." The gambler answered. I started the car and I drove off to the hospital. While I was driving, I heard my phone ringing and I answered it. "Hello. Branden here." I called. "Hey Branden. Where are you driving to?" Adena asked. "Mom? I'm going to the hospital to see Ellie." I answered. "Did something happened to her, is she okay?" Adena asked. "Yeah, it's a long story. She got injured during that heist the gambler assigned us to do. But I don't know for sure if she's okay. I know Ms.Disantos is at the hospital with her so I'm going there right now, I'll call you later if anything happens." I answered as I hung up and I turned on the radio and heard the voice of the curator. "Godspeed racers. This is the voice of the streets. Fortune Valley has new racers on the scene. Udo and La Catrina we're both badly beaten on their own turf. Rumors speak of two racers that drive a Skyline R34 and a Civic Type R. Are they working together? Who are those mysterious racers? Your Curator can only spectate." The Curator said. I turned off the radio and stopped. "Aces! Sounds like our little crew's getting noticed!" Jordan exclaimed. "You know that means the Demon Lords are gonna notice us too. Branden, are you on your way to the hospital?" Letty asked. "Yes I'm on my way." I answered. Minutes Later. Fortune Valley Hospital. "Branden, you're just in time." Letty said. "Is she okay?" I asked. "She's fine. But she's getting patched up." Letty answered as she and I walked to Ellie. "Ellie, are you okay?" I asked. "I'm recovering but I'm okay." Ellie answered. "I'm very sorry that I was reckless during that heist. It was the fact the truck did that on purpose to kill us." I replied. "It's okay Branden. In fact, it wasn't your fault. You guys got the car back to the gambler and there's something to be proud of." Ellie suggested. "I know and I just don't want you to get hurt as well cause I want you to be happy." I replied. "I gotta go, Ms.Disantos take care of her for me. I need to meet up with the gambler at the Elysium Casino." I said. "Be safe out there, Branden." Ellie replied as she blew a kiss to me and I blushed and exited the room and the hospital. I took out my phone and called the gambler. "It's already dealt with I'm going to where you're at right now." I called. "Good, see you there." The gambler replied. I hung up and got in the car and drove off to the casino. Elysium Casino. "Hear me out if I was gonna act-." I stuttered. "Branden. Good job with the convoy, by the way. D' you know how hard it is to impress me." The gambler replied. "I-." I stuttered and looked away with a blush. "It's impossible. I'm so impressed. I'm goddamn inspired. I've put down good money on you. How's the girl doing?" The gambler asked. "She's recovering for now. Letty told me they're doing a few tests, so after this. She's gonna be able to get out of the hospital." I answered. "That's good. Anyway, says your crew can own the city's drift and drag races. There's Shift-Lock for drift and Riot Club for Drag. Beat their bosses, get one step closer to entering the Rush. Think you kids can do that for me? Oh, and tell your friend Letty Disantos: guy I know got a job for her. VIP Pickup and drop-off. I'll send the details over. Sounds good?" The gambler asked. "I'll do it. But can I have my mom fill in for Letty? She's watching over Ellie at the hospital so I'd figure I'll my mom do it until Ellie recovers and she and Letty leave at the same time. Well it's not something we haven't done thou-." I asked. "Attaboy. Good talk. Also your mother is allowed to fill in as well for the job." The gambler answered as he drove off. "Alright guys, time to tackle Riot Club and Shift Lock! Which means I'm in the market for a drag car." I said. "Hey Branden, I have a drag car I prepared for you. It's in the garage, I want you to check it out so that way you don't have use all of your money for a new car. Just trust me. Jordan, what about you?" Dominic asked. "I'll buy and set up my own drift ride, thanks." Jordan answered. "Mom, the gambler's got a job contact for you to fill in for Ms.Disantos since she's staying with Ellie. You should have the info he sent to you on your cell." I said. "He does? Interesting." Adena replied. Minutes later. Garage. Airfield 73. "So what do you have in store for me?" I asked. "I have is a 1993 Ford Mustang Foxbody." Dominic answered as he took out the car cover of the car and it was revealed to be a Mustang Foxbody. "What's the under the hood?" I asked. "It has a 4.9L V8 and it can go up to 225 BHP. However, this is tuned. It's around 450 BHP. She floats like a hot air balloon. Also remember, drag cars don't have ABS so you're gonna have to use the emergency brake to help corner fast when taking turns at a perfect time if it's a race." Dominic answered. "Sweet! Thanks Dom, you're the best. I'll catch you later." I replied as I got in the car and drove off. Downtown. "Shall we see how you handle this drag build?" Dominic asked. "Dom, please, you act like you never seen this before." I answered as I shifted from Neutral to 1st Gear and drove off. "Not like this, I've seen some of the best racers burn out in the multiple heats of drag." Dominic replied. "Tch. If you're so concerned, why not come out and give me some pointers of the race?" I asked as I activated the nos. "Holy damn, that's fast." I said in my mind. "I'll pass. Last time you lured me from of the airfield I ended up with stitches. Well even though you don't hit that perfect start, as long as you focus on tight shifting you can still catch up." Dominic answered. "I got it, I know drag racing dude. So don't need to remind me of those things. All you need to remind me is that I have to use the emergency brake since it doesn't have ABS." I replied. "More than anything else, drag is about the car. You can be the best driver in the world, even though you were back then in the old Tri city bay. But if the hardware isn't there, you're not gonna win squat. If you keep losing, then it's time for an upgrade." Dominic explained. "That's why I got you, Dom. I know we'll make this baby purr. But if it doesn't turn out well, at least I can go with a backup car from the rival that I beat and they'll drop it at your garage so you can contact me that you have another car I've won. You can also loan me some cars as well if you want." I replied as I stopped my car when I saw a Mustang. I pulled up to it and opened my window. "You're driving a drag car but you're not one of mine. You seem pretty young as well, who are you kid? You could be a Demon Lords spy to take my crew down from within." Big Sister asked. "Name's Lee." I answered. "You're Branden Lee? The veteran racer from the Tri-City Bay? You can call me Big Sister." Big Sister replied. "What does the Demon Lords want with you?" I asked. "You're asking some dangerous questions, Lee. Prove you've got what it takes to race with the Riot Club. Then we'll talk." Big Sister answered. "Whatever you say." I replied as I parked my car to the start. "We have no rules but drag rules. You break those, I break you." Big Sister commanded. "Yeah, yeah, I know what to do since I've done this before." I replied as I closed my window. "Here goes the first run. Try not to make it an endurance battle, if it goes long, you lose." I said in my mind as I revved the engine. "This is not bad, Dom. It's a pretty good car. Thank you so much for that idea." I said in my mind as I launched off the start with a perfect start. It instantly refilled some parts of my Nitrous as soon as I kept performing perfect shifts. "Holy crap, this kid's fast!" Babo exclaimed. I crossed the line with a fast start. "Hell yeah!" I exclaimed. Minutes later. "2nd run. Don't lose." I said in my mind as I started again but it's a good start. "Ok, get it up to 3rd and push off the nitrous." I said in my mind as I pushed the nozzle buttons after I shifted from 3rd to 5th and I launched off fast like a rocket. "Awesome! This thing's on fire like a rocket!" I exclaimed as I crossed the line in my mind and stopped my car. "So Big Sister, huh? Cool call sign." I said. "Reminds this crew we're family and I'm the one calling the shots. Besides, you buck with the Demon Lords, you're not gonna wanna use your real name." Big Sister replied. "The Demon Lords?" I asked. "Yeah, The Demon Lords... We're headed to the casino district to show them that Riot Club bows to nobody. You in?" Big Sister asked. "I'm in, I'll meet you at the destination." I answered as I drove off and headed to billionaires row. "So Big Sister... what did the Demon Lords do to you?" I asked. "You win, we talk. How about that?" Big Sister asked. "As always." I answered. Minutes later. "A deal's a deal. Branden. Here's what went down. The Demon Lords comes to me one day, asks if my crew want to help rig some races." Big Sister said. "Sounds familiar." I replied. "I'm sure. I saw you at the Boomville race, and well... your fighting spirit inspired me. I told the Demon Lords to get lost." Big Sister explained. "Because that worked out so well for me..." I stuttered. "Yeah, it hasn't been great for us either. Things have gotten... tense." Big Sister replied. "I know that feeling... After the wreck I suffered in from one of them. I felt like it was like frightening that I couldn't even last a run... it was scary. So go on..." I explained. "Maybe after the next race. See you." Big Sister replied. "Yeah... for sure." I said as I hung up. "I think it's time for me to retire racing and put it to an end. But not now though, do it after you win the Outlaw's Rush." I said in my mind as I drove to the residential district in Lakeside. Lakeside. Minutes later. "Oh my god! Uneven incline in a residential district... These guys are crazy!" I exclaimed in my mind as I started off with a perfect start. "Damn, this kid is fast! Gross..." Big Sister said in her mind as she crossed the line second and I crossed the line first. "This is not over yet." Big Sister said. "Hold it together, Branden. You're gonna win. Complete the run and you'll pull this off." I said in my mind as I launched again and crossed the line fast. "And that's what I'm talking about." I said. "See kid? What did I tell you? You're just as crazy as we are!" Big Sister explained. "You know to be honest... it's probably because I see it before I go for it is the main reason. But to put it bluntly, Big Sister... you got me thinking." I replied. "You got fans, Branden. What you've been doing, man, it could really change things around here." Big Sister suggested. "I read you. Maybe this fight is bigger than Nova and my crew. Whether I like it or not." I replied. "The city needs you. Do what the rest of us don't have the guts to do, and you'll see. We'll all rise as one. Let's get out city back, Branden." Big Sister said as she showed a handshake sign to me. "Let's do it. Thank you so much for the race Big Sister. It has meant a lot to me and trained me to become faster than anyone I have raced. I'll see you around." I replied as I gave Big Sister a handshake. "One more thing. Do you have any plans tomorrow? We can go out tomorrow for to the pool if you want." Big Sister asked. "Sounds good." I answered as I got in the car. "That felt good, but it felt like I didn't win. If I had to put it this way, I'd say it's a tie." I said in my mind. I heard my phone ringing and I took it out and answered it. "This is Branden speaking." I called. "Hey Branden. You know that Big Sister Racer in Riot Club came by to the garage to deliver an drag tuned S15 for you. Stop by the garage to claim it." Dominic commanded. "A new car? Tell her I said thanks." I replied. To be continued.