Chapter 10

“There. It’s done.” Katrina said as she typed in the final key strokes to disable the speed governor.

Richard didn’t need permission from Katrina to test out the car’s speed. They needed to put some miles on now, before any other vehicles showed up to do them in. In a few short seconds the powerful electric engine propelled them forward with enough energy to bury them in their seats. The video screen showed their speed increasing so fast that the car hit a hundred and twenty in a mere few seconds. They flew passed the other cars as if they had been standing still.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Karina said with rising fear. “You can slow down. We can’t get a ticket, remember?”

Richard slowed to eighty and held that speed for a long time. He studied traffic conditions, slowing only to traverse the known speed traps that had been outlined for them on a map that the team had made. They traveled for hours without any problems. Along the way they also passed many of the other contestants of the race. As Katrina had explained, their engine system was very powerful and could out strip anyone on the highway plus make up for all of the time they had lost at the beginning.

Katrina was fearful that the other contestants would notice the speed of their car and complain to the race officials about their car not following the rules that had been set regarding speed. Certainly they would at least get docked points.

The ride felt long without any discussion. Richard seemed lost in thought, about what Katrina couldn’t imagine. He seemed like a very shallow person. Maybe he just had nothing to talk about. She on the other hand had many doubts about how the day had passed thus far. There was a large pit in her gut about how she had used their weapon.

There could be little doubt that the two people in the Explorer had been killed. She struggled with the idea that it had been what they had deserved. If she had not done it she knew that it would have been the two of them that had been killed instead, but somehow that didn’t make her feel much better about what had happened.

Time marched on. Of the many racecars they passed, Katrina hadn’t seen the weird one that possessed the ability to split itself in half. She considered the mechanics involved and knew that the designer had to be very brilliant to come up with that idea in the short time they had been allotted to build the car. She wished that she could get a better look at it. At least she would be able to see it in Ohio.

Dr. Jenkins had been working on his One Tree engine design for over thirty years. So it made sense that their team had been able to pull off this miracle in such a short time frame.

A light came on the video screen. It was a warning light to tell them that the fan for their battery was dead. Not good she thought. Luckily it had been positioned just behind her seat and they had brought a spare, the only contingency that had happened according to plan so far.

Katrina unfastened her safety belt and turned so that she was on her knees facing backwards.

“What are you doing?” Richard asked.

“The fan for the battery died. I have to replace it.”

“It’s our first day and it died?” Richard questioned.

“The team couldn’t find a good heavy duty model that ran on low power. It’s a motor thing. The stronger the required speed, the more power you need to run it. So they decided on a small one but packed some replacements for us to swap out when they die.”

Richard watched Katrina’s butt wiggle as she worked. Katrina noticed his head turning from the road to her butt and back again and figured out what he was doing. “Are you staring at my butt for some reason?”

“Well honestly, it’s kinda cute, and you can’t hit me when you’re in that position.”

Katrina used her hand to slap the backside of his head. “I can still reach you. And if you touch me, the next time I hit you it will be with a screw driver in my hand. We’ll see how far it penetrates your skull.”

Richard turned to face the road again. “You’re no fun.”

“You’ll be less fun with a screwdriver sticking out of the back of your head,” Katrina returned. She quickly changed the subject. “I don’t know about you but I’m starving and I have to pee. It’s after two-thirty now and I’m thinking that we should break our GPS route to pull over for a few minutes. We have a significant lead and we still have no brakes. If we follow our route we will end up going through the middle of a city.”

Katrina pulled herself back from the uncomfortable position and sat properly in her seat. She put her seatbelt back on and continued. “And we can’t risk getting into an accident.” She was still holding a screwdriver in one hand and it waved around dangerously as she spoke.

Richard took the tool carefully from his passenger before engaging in the conversation. He tossed into the backseat. “That’s a little safer. What about Circleville Ohio?”

“We can stop before that. Look how far behind everyone is. And I’ll need to go to the bathroom again after I suck down a thirty-two ounce Gatorade. I’m so thirsty.”

“I’m game. My stomach is growling pretty badly at the moment too.” Richard said.

Katrina’s fingers started typing on the dashboard computer. The status feed was replaced with a map which highlighted their route towards Circleville.

“If we get off in Milford, we can head down 11 for a while before jumping back on the highway. There will be some places where we will have to stop at red lights and stuff but we’ll be avoiding any major cities.”

Richard nodded in agreement. “With the emergency break I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, the exit is in the next few miles.” Katrina said.

~~~

The phone rang on Jenkins’ desk. He had been waiting on the edge of his seat for Appleton’s call, hoping that the maroon Explorer hadn’t shown up on his video.

When it finally did ring, the pit in his stomach sank further into his gut. His first impression had been that the Ford would be seen in the video, and when Appleton spoke he confirmed it.

“It showed up twice.” Appleton said. “Once when we were all here working and once before we closed up shop. The second time they never got out. The guys just sat in the truck and watched the interns walk around. They did leave before the lot was empty. Not sure what that means though.”

“It means,” Jenkins said “that they were confident that everyone was going to leave before they needed to do whatever it was that they had planned to do. Did you get a good look at the guys’ faces on the video?”

“No. The angle wasn’t very good. I can call the FBI and have them look...”

Jenkins interrupted his friend. “No. We still have to protect our people. Remember that this is still an unsanctioned race. The FBI will arrest everyone involved, including you for your participation.”

Silence followed.

Jenkins broke the uncomfortable moment. “Listen, I made some investments early on to protect our team but I need someone to jump in and take my place to spearhead the effort. I need to go out and follow my car around the country to make sure it runs properly. It’s the least I can do. I got my passenger into this and I have to try to keep her safe. But I can’t manage both at the same time. I need someone who has been on the inside to take care of my… contingency plan.”

Appleton considered the invitation. “I’ll do it for you, but I have to know what it is first. I’m not going in blind.”

Jenkins smiled. He felt a little better about Katrina’s future now. “Listen I can’t tell you over the phone or in an e-mail. We need to speak in person. Can you come out to Circleville, Ohio tonight? I know it’s far for a meeting but I’ll spring for dinner at the very least.”

“Isn’t that where all the racecars are supposed to meet up for the night?” Appleton asked.

“Yeah. Our car needs quite a bit of work before tomorrow’s start time. I have to be on hand to make sure everything is perfect.”

Appleton sighed audibly. “You know we go way back, back far enough to remember our college days, and I wouldn’t take this on if it wasn’t you asking, because I really trust you. If you need my help this badly I’ll be there. Where am I supposed to go?”

“The Harper Motor Court, and thanks.” Jenkins said with a smile.

“You’ll owe me after this.”

“No problem. I’ll see you there at eight.” Jenkins said with finality and hung up.

~~~

A phone rang on a ratty wooden desk. There were several pieces of paper littering the top. Some of them had water stains, or perhaps it was coffee. The person who picked up the receiver pulled one of the papers close to him and listened as he searched a drawer for a pen. The man at the desk had a plump look and a large nose that appeared to have been broken several times in the past. He had short hair that had been cut recently and not well. His eyes were beady and as dark as spots of black ink. His shirt was not quite big enough, causing it to bulge in places as he sat. There were others in the room but his back was to them. He wrote several notes across the printed information that had already filled the piece of paper he had chosen at random.

As he hung up the phone he turned to face the rest of the room where four men and one woman sat waiting. When he spoke his voice squeaked like a young girl’s.

“That was our contact. It would seem that our hammer has failed. We now have to consider a more high-tech option to fix our little problem.”

Silvia Thruwell sat nervously in the corner. She had no idea what the hammer part meant but she was confident about what the high-tech part was.

“Our employer has given us the green light to move forward on this. Tell me what you need Miss Thruwell so we can set you up to work. Are you sure you can do this to your former classmate?”

Silvia smiled. “I would love to get Katrina back for getting one up on me. I’m the one who came up with most of the ideas for our project and she got all the credit. It’s time for me to teach her a lesson.”

“Good, as long as you’re up for the job.” The plump man turned to the group of men. “You two, get a list of what she needs and you two set up a space for her to work.” He turned to Silvia and added. “You need to be up and running by tomorrow morning.”

“But boss,” one of the men asked. “How are we going to set up internet overnight? We can’t get the cable company here that fast.”

“I set up this facility weeks ahead of our arrival. Miss Thruwell here will make sure that the final connections are established once all the equipment is here.”

Silvia fidgeted in her seat. She had something to say and wondered when the time would be right. She imagined that now would be her only chance and wondered if she could pluck up the courage to actually do it.

When the boss finished speaking she raised her hand.

He laughed at her. “You are not in school any longer young lady. Speak your mind.”

Silvia was really nervous now. She began to speak but stammered instead. “I just wanted to know… when I will get paid?”

“You get paid when the job is done, not a minute sooner. That’s how our business is done. You want your money? Finish what you promised as fast as possible. Now get to work.”

Silvia walked out of the office while the boss turned back to his desk and began making a barrage of phone calls. Her heart was pounding.

She crossed an enormous, empty, work space and walked towards the back wall. The whole wall was full of close set windows. The view outside was of an alley across from which there was another large building. From the furthest window she could make out Lake Michigan if she looked at an angle. If she hadn’t been scared half to death she might have appreciated the view more.

Silvia thought that the building must have been a factory of some kind in the past. Not that it mattered at the moment, of course. She had a job to do and she had to survive the process so she could get paid. She had a lot of student loans and the money from this project could go a long way. She took another moment to look at the view before she started making her list of supplies. 

Next Chapter: Chapter 11