Chapter 6
Johnny adjusted the microphone clipped to his collar, flashing a confident grin at Billy as the journalist adjusted his camera eye. The buzz of activity around them—the whir of cameras, the murmur of spectators, the distant roar of engines—set the perfect stage for what was about to unfold.
Two months ago, Johnny thought he was done with Banzai Bangers—at least for a while. But working on the XT-3000 with DRIFTERS had been surprisingly smooth. They had been as transparent as possible about their revolutionary vehicle, though Agent Nadim remained as cryptic and manipulative as ever.
In the end, with Johnny’s close supervision, their departments brought to life the best version of the XT-3000 and called it
“They Voyager! Terribly excited to see you here at Banger Blitz Raceway, Johnny but word is your ride is made of hotter stuff! The reason we’re all here, Johnny, tell us about her!” Billy started, his bionic eyes wide, filming.
Johnny chuckled, his grin just as wide as Billy’s vlogging eye lenses, “It all happened faster than I expected to tell you the truth, Billy. But the team at DRIFTERS have been working on bringing this beauty, the Voyager, to life for years and I have to say, they’ve succeeded.”
“Oho! Is that so?”
“It is indeed, Billy. The Voyager is a game-changer—an entirely new way to experience speed, power, and precision. Today, we’re not just proving its capabilities on the track; we’re showing the world a glimpse of the future.” Johnny said, confident of the work he and especially Cole Mcdaris had put into enacting the best version of the Voyager.
Billy nodded along and other reports, sidelined beside and behind the wall of paparazzi scribbled snippets they could catch from the exclusive. “And for those just tuning in and might not know, could you summarize what exactly makes The Voyager the ultimate vehicle as it's been described?”
And there it was, the question Johnny had been waiting for the entire time and one of the things that made this interview so exclusive and public at the same time. Cameras continued to flash and reporters recorded whatever they could grab beyond the growls of engines zipping along the tracks.
“I’d love to, Billy. The Voyager’s got an adaptive propulsion system that can shift based on terrain, gravitational conditions, even atmospheric density. It was designed for interstellar exploration, groundbreaking work that puts the stars in the hands of man the same way we’ve done the skies. But today, we’re proving its mettle against one of the fastest racers alive.” Johnny recited perfectly, even adding some genuine facts he cared about after the strict script DRIFTERS had him memorize for advertisements.
“Brandon—your archnemesis, some fans say. He certainly makes a formidable opponent. Have Victoris and the Shadow Wolf worked things out since your ‘retirement’?” Billy winked as he air quoted the final word.
Johnny chuckled at the assumption but his attention was pulled elsewhere as a familiar voice called out to him from behind.
“John! Hey, superstar!”
He turned to see his brother, Jamie. He sat in a wheelchair and was chauffeured by a neatly dressed Convar girl. Her uniform, crisp and professional had Banzai Bangers chest badge, she was one of the event aides.
Remembering the last question, Johnny smiled politely, “I have retired, Billy, I’m doing this for DRIFTERS not the Raceway. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to get ready.” He picked the mic off his shirt and pressed it in Billy’s unwilling hand, winking back at his camera eye as he walked over to Jamie.
Johnny offered the aide a nod of gratitude, “Thanks for bringing him over. I’ve got it from here.”
She gave a soft smile, “It’s not a problem, Jamie’s a fun guy.”
Jamie chuckled mischievously, “More than you know. Call me, will you?”
She rolled her eyes but smiled brighter, “We’ll see.”
Johnny took the handles from her as she left. He grinned down at Jamie, shaking his head at his brother, “Still at it, huh. There really is no stopping a player is there?”
Jamie winked, “Wheels were always better than legs, John.”
The two shared a loud and boisterous cackle as Johnny wheeled Jamie through the ‘backstage’ of the event. It was more claustrophobic than it would be on a normal racing day at Banzai Bangers and for good reason too. The Voyagers' debut challenged everything about what the world thought was possible, about what humans and perhaps even Convars thought.
And yet, for some, many in fact, it was still nothing but a racecar. DRIFTERS did well leaning into the fact that general audiences wouldn’t care so much about breaking the revolutionary boundaries of interstellar travel at a dimensional scale. It was too large a topic for even Johnny to understand half the time.
But call it the Ultimate Vehicle, give it Johnny ‘Invincible’ Victoris as its driver and test it on all stations against the racing menace, Brandon the Shadow Wolf, and boom. An overwhelmingly invested audience is born. It helped that the drama over Brandon’s excessive bloodlust two months ago still lingered in the public mind, the turnout for the event was huge as a result and so were the vendors.
All sorts of startups and even established companies hauled ass to snag a spot selling cutting edge protective gear, lubricant, installable weaponry, maintenance services and all sorts of racer essentials. Heck even DRIFTERS bought some stalls alongside renting the entire main track for the Voyager’s debut.
For a brief moment, Johnny and Jamie window shopped items, criticized the gear and so-called ‘hi-tech’ out on sale for more gullible buyers and stopped by a grill packed with customers many of whom were DRIFTER workers or Johnny’s old colleagues and happy to give their order priority.
Jamie sat with a thoughtful look as Johnny returned from placing their order. He cheered up considerably at his return, a fact Johnny didn’t fail to take note of. A part of him already knew what his brother was thinking about, a large part, after all, he was thinking the same thing and simply beating about the bush to ask it.
But there was no better time, “So…where’s everyone?” The moment the words left his mouth Johnny felt the urge to snatch them back as Jamie cringed.
The hesitation to even go down this path of conversation was clear but he answered, “Oh, you know how it is, they’re watching from home.” Jamie shrugged.
Johnny leaned against the wall, an orange canopy blessed them with shade from the beating sun. He stared at the flora patterns that cast beautiful colour reflections as he absorbed his brother's gentle lie.
The last show they watched was his debut. They’ll never watch another race, I know that.
He understood his family’s distance and though it hurt to think sometimes Johnny wondered if he’d have done the same thing if it were his child. Not that he ever got the chance to have any and even if he did, he’d never want them to follow his path, not after seeing what it did to Jamie.
“And Clara?” Johnny asked, his fist clenched with emotion as he asked after their only sister.
Jamie’s face turned less sour. “She’s stressed—wants nothing more than to pass her final qualification exams.” He chuckled like nothing was funny. “But the thing is, there’s a new test every week. It’s like she’s in a perpetual state of reading.” His gaze drifted for a moment before he added, “Not that she’d have time to watch, but she is thinking of you. Getting accepted into the Convar planetary exploration group was a dream come true, but now? Now, it’s all about proving she deserves to be one of the few who actually get to leave Earth.”
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Johnny nodded, appreciative of that little bit and rather proud of his sister’s accomplishments, “I’m sure she’ll pass with flying colours.”
He kept his expression neutral as they called out his order number and when he returned with their meal Jamie set it aside in favour for more time on the move. They kept a silence for a while as Johnny slowly brought them closer to the event centre where he’d been needed in about half an hour but it didn’t last long as Jamie spoke again.
“None of this was your fault, John, but after losing dad…” His voice was steady, resolved even as he trailed off the unspoken loss.
It was their father Johnny took after the most, in just about everything down to serving in the military and fighting the same war he died in. When their father died at war with the Convars the grief broke their mother and left Clara, the last born, isolated. Family became a scattered gathering and the memories of what used to be was all Johnny had left now.
He didn’t look up at Johnny even after his steps faltered, Jamie's eyes were set straight ahead as he continued, “Mom and Clara…they love you, and what the Exploiter did to me, you know it can be much at times. Right now, they’re just being stubborn, the same way you are.”
Johnny let out a slow breath at that moniker; the Exploiter. The criminal responsible for Jamie’s paralysis but no more than Johnny himself. If I hadn’t gotten Jamie into Derby Racing, he’d have never gotten hurt. Those were the same thoughts his mother and Clara surely had when Jamie got injured and likely the same thoughts they had every time they thought of Johnny. He understood they still loved him but they couldn’t deny feeling some measure of disdain for bringing more tragedy onto their family.
He obsessed over it every night as he lay in bed, sleep slipping further from his grasp. This was the worst time to bring Jamie into his world of racing—he’d already made enemies of Brandon and far too many members of the Road Rage Renegades, Banzai Banger’s old crew of criminal racers. And among them was the Exploiter.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Jamie said, looking up at Johnny, “But it's dumb! I would’ve ended up racing whether you put in a word for me or not. No one would’ve stopped me and if I still had any feeling past my chest, Mom and Clara would be just as mean to me as you.”
Johnny snorted at his foolish brother, “Let me do the dangerous stuff, for both of us.”
Jamie rolled his eyes, “Of course! Not much choice and no, I’m not getting any of DRIFTERS bionic limbs, but I’m here today because I believe in you, Johnny.” He said with a grin, “But also because I still love racing. Always will.”
Johnny gave his brother a small, grateful smile, but before he could say anything else, Terry came jogging over with a look of relief washing over his face.
“Oh god, I’ve been all over this place trying to find you.” He panted and wiped away sweat from his forehead, “Johnny, Agent Nadim’s looking for you, it’s time.”
At that Johnny looked down at Jamie with concern but his brother was already waving him away, “Go, I’ll be fine. Lots to see and I get your share of the grill.”
Terry lingered, eyes shifting between the two brothers before taking away the handles from Johnny. “Johnny you really should get going, I’ll stick with Jamie.” Then, lowering his voice, he added, “Watch out for Brandon. He’s in a bad mood.”
“Thanks Terry! Get a great spot to watch from.” With that, Johnny waved his brother and former teammate a brief goodbye as he hurried over to the starting track.
His mind raced as he jogged. Jamie had indeed read his mind earlier, things would have been better if he failed to bring his little brother into the world of Derby racing. The day the Exploiter ruined Jamie’s life and broke their family wasn’t too unlike this one except Jamie was the one to debut and not a space-ripping Voyager.
And unlike the Voyager his brother had to make do with the bare minimum in everything. Car chassis, suspension, fuel and even the weapons needed to defend himself from someone as savage and criminal as the Exploiter, a criminal Johnny had beaten one too many times.
He had his revenge, I’ve yet to have mine. The Exploiter could have never been good enough to defeat Johnny and so he took out his frustrations on Jamie, leaving him paralysed for the rest of his life. Johnny in turn swore death onto the man, it wasn’t legal outside the confines and circumstances of Banzai Banger racing but Johnny was fine to try for both, except, on the day he’d challenged the Exploiter to a one-on-one race to the end, the criminal disappeared and was never seen till this very day.
Johnny caught his breath, relaxed his balled fist and paced his emotions. He couldn’t afford to get worked up before a race, not with Brandon as his opponent.
He finally arrived at the Voyager’s pit stop and there Cole McDaris was already setting things up, making final adjustments and quality inspections with his team. The Voyager looked its default, a simple, unassuming silver 2000s Nascar stock. But if Johnny had learned anything the past two months it was that looks were deceiving and he could play that to his advantage.
“Hey Cole! How’s it looking?” Johnny greeted as he quickly hopped through the window to his seat and wore his Londsdaelite helmet. DRIFTERS being DRIFTERS had updated the helmet significantly from his final race two months ago and now the installed HUI controlled just about as much as he could with his own two hands.
Cole stood outside with his trusty tablet, scrutinizing every inch of the Voyager’s readings and stats. He hit a button and something lit up across the dashboard, “Last minute AI update for you. Meet your new co-pilot.”
A smooth, automated voice chimed in over his earpiece. “Good evening, Johnny. I look forward to assisting you.”
Johnny raised a brow. “Great. I got a talking car now. Does it have a name?”
The AI answered, “I presently have not been named.”
Johnny threw Cole an incredulous look. The scientist shrugged, “I’m busy enough coding and measuring energy coefficients, you think of a name.”
Humming for a bit, Johnny nodded and said, “Since you're an AI, how about i call you Albert?.”
“Understood, Johnny Victoris, I will answer to Albert from now on.”
A bang resounded from the roof of the Voyager, startling Johnny and Cole as Agent Nadim appeared at the passengers side, peering through its ajar window at Johnny. “Victoris! You’re finally here. I caught the interview, good improvisation right there.”
“Thank you.” Johnny said, his breath still hitched. For a moment there he thought Brandon had come over from his pit to brew trouble he didn’t have the patience for right now.
Agent Nadim eyed Cole for a moment before outright saying, “Mind giving me a moment with our star, Cole?”
Cole pushed up his glasses as he shrugged, “Sure, I just got finished anyway. Goodluck Johnny, show my baby off to the world! Make us proud!”
Once Cole was gone Nadim moved over to the driver's side and leaned against the window. “Alone at last.” He joked, his smile wide and predatory, “Remember Johnny, this isn’t just about the race for DRIFTERS. When you activate the Dimensional Drive and tear through to the preset coordinates, you need to pay attention. We’ve tried to cover all bases but if anything goes wrong, we’re relying on your senses, you need to be hyper aware of everything you experience on the other side of this. And I know its last minute but keep an eye out for any Okcelotlis.”
Johnny frowned, “Any particular reason?” Okcelotlis were a race of demi-humans that were thought to be an offshoot of the Convar species but if that were true humans weren’t allowed to know for certain and those that did were highly guarded. “It's hard enough finding one on earth, unless you’re sending me to their home world or…?”
Nadim shut his eyes in frustration as he shook his head, “Just…keep an eye out, Johnny, it's important.”
“Okay.”
“No, I mean it's important.” Nadim said intensely, his hand gripping Johnny’s shoulder.
“Okay, I get it. I’ll look out for any Okcelotlis and I’ll let you know first thing.” Johnny said, chuckling nervously.
That seemed to satisfy Nadim as he let go of his shoulder, “Good, good. Now, have a fair race, do the Voyager justice.”
Nadim gave some signal and the track lights flashed, signaling him to take his position. Johnny started the Voyager, enjoying the smooth soundless thrum of its engine as he pulled out of his pit and drove onto the main track. It wasn’t long before Brandon was across from him, already revving his engine and glaring sharp enough to cut steel.
Unfortunately, the Voyager is made from a hundred percent Lonsdaleite. Johnny thought with a smirk as he and Brandon settled behind the starting line driving his black Lincoln.
A voice boomed across the track, Agent Nadim addressing the world. “Today, we witness history. The Voyager isn’t just another vehicle—it’s a revolution. The new space frontier begins here and now!”
The countdown ticked. Johnny exhaled. “Here we go again!”