Lap 1

The revs from my car’s engine was blaring as my foot remained planted on the the gas pedal. All three of my rear view mirrors were flashing blue and red as cop cars seemed to be everywhere and all around me. I didn’t stop, nor did I plan to. If they wanted me, they were gonna have to make me crash to do so. I stomped on the breaks and made a sharp turn while skidding to the right and dodging any pedestrian traffic. Some of my pursuers also managed to evade some of the traffic but others weren’t so lucky as they either bashed into them or spun out due to breaking too much. It was a fleeting victory since I still had so many of these persistent bastards on my tail.

RING RING RING

My phone rang and looked to see a name that made me narrow my eyes and grit my teeth. I pressed the answer button on my wheel so the Bluetooth could pick up the call.

“Cross…” I growled as I dodged more oncoming traffic.

“Hey hotshot! Hey thanks for helping us out!” Cross mocked. “We’ve been able to pick up every Blacklist Racer thanks to you. Now I’ll take that into consideration, if you give yourself up. So what’s it gonna be?”

“You should know me by now, Cross, it’s not in my nature to just give up. So you can take your pinstripes and go fuck yourself,” I spat, avoiding a few cops trying to ram into me.

“You’re gonna regret those words, you shitty little punk! I’ll enjoy throwing you behind bars before making you watch me turn that ride of yours into scrap!” Cross barked before hanging up.

I scoffed as I kept driving like life depended on it. I glanced at my speedometer and saw I was going over 130mph at least, but didn’t care. I got what I wanted from that asshole, Razor, and his crew. I could also give less of a shit that he and his posey were all busted. I clawed my way through all 15 members of the Blacklist Racers. This is just who I was, a street racer who knew how to put the petal to the metal without the restrictions of law enforcement. I’ve got my old man to thank for that, he brought me with him here, to Rockport City, from my home town when I was only 10. He homeschooled me and put me behind the wheel when I was 14 and I won my first race when I turned 16. 14 years later, I wish he could see me now. All these cops on my tail and being able to trounce the Blacklist all on my own. If only Cross didn’t bust him 5 years ago.

In the distance, I saw two SUV police rams speeding towards me. I took a deep breath and focused my mind as I drowned out all sounds and focused in front of me. Time slowed down as the SUV’s drew closer. I then grabbed the wheel and jerked it to the left, making my car turn along with it. The force of the turn made my body jerk with my car as the opening I saw between the SUV’s shrank. I pressed more on the gas pedal and managed to thread the needle right between the two large vehicles and past them. As time sped up again, I glanced in my rear view mirror to see the SUV’s break so they wouldn’t crash into my other pursuers. Smirking to myself, I kept on driving through the chaotic streets of Rockport.

RING RING RING

I looked down once more to expect to see Cross’ name on my phone again, only to my surprise it was Mia of all people. I was about to answer when I spied a road block up ahead. The ringing of my phone, combined with the sirens all around me, almost made me crash into the roadblock had I not reacted at the last second. The worst thing to come of it is when I grazed the back of the cop car with side of my car. Once I was clear, I hit the answer button.

“Now’s not a good time, Mia!” I snapped. “You got a lot of nerve calling me!”

“Look, don’t hang up!” She pleaded. “You can’t go back to any of the safe houses, Cross knows about them.”

“Oh, I fucking wonder why?!” I spat. “Would’ve been nice to know my ex was a narc the whole time!”

“Ex…?”

“Well what did you think would happen?! I’d forgive you for lying to me?! Fat fucking chance!”

“I know I screwed up, but I wanna help you get out of Rockport!”

“And why would you do that? I thought it’s your job to catch criminals like me?”

“It doesn’t matter! Head over to the old bridge, the one that’s been out for years on the edge of town!”

“That bridge? Why?”

“Your car is fast enough to make the jump, it’s the only way! I’ll call you later.”

Before I could question her, she hung up. I weighed my options as I sped through the streets. Mia did have a point in this, that old bridge led to the outskirts of the city and the cops would have to go the long way around to catch up to me. Only as soon as they would rejoin that road, I’d be long gone. I checked my gas tank and saw that it had just passed the halfway point. I couldn’t keep driving like this forever. If the chopper I barely managed to shake off was any indication, Cross had every available unit after me. Including his personal band of elite Corvette Anti Street Racer Squad. With no other alternatives, I made another sharp turn and drove towards the edge of town.

I glanced back up in my rear view mirror to see a cop car I recognized out of the lot of them. It was Cross, and he was leading the pack and trying his best to gain up to me.

“Okay, Cross, one last race.” I said.

We sped through the streets and I evaded and slipped past any obstacle in my path. The scenery changed from city buildings to Rockport’s scenic neighborhood streets. I saw the turn coming up and knew I was almost to the finish line. Suddenly, as soon as I made the turn, something bashed into my car almost making me spin out. Once I regained control, I looked over to see Cross’ car right next to me. If it weren’t for my tinted windows, he’d be able to see my face but I could definitely see him. He was staring right at me, and his eyes looked like he wanted nothing more than to do what he promised me over the phone. Too bad for him, this was one race I had no intention of losing.

I floored it and drove past him until he was behind me, along with any other pursuers. My car’s engine made the whole frame seem to rumble and shake as I passed 140mph. I wanted to go faster, I wanted to escape, I wanted to beat Cross, I…wanted to win! That’s when I saw it, the old bridge, the finish line. It was now a straight shot and I had one chance. I then reached down and flipped open a switch that activated my car’s nitrous. I had to time it just right, this was my last tank of nitro and my only chance at freedom. Then, as soon as Cross was just about to catch up to me again, I flipped the switch and the force of speeding up made me jerk back into my seat.

My engine roared with power as the nitro burned through my car. My speedometer read that I was now going over 150mph, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200mph! The bridge was drawing nearer and nearer, Cross was now far behind me, I kept my arms locked in place, and my car shot into the air and over the bridge. My eyes were wide open, my car flew through the air, this bridge was wider than I expected, I held my breath for as long as I could. With a loud thud and the high pitch screeching of my tiers, my car landed back on the ground and I stomped on the break with both my feet and snapped the wheel to the right. My arms and legs strained as I tried to keep my car from flipping over. Soon, my car had come to a stop and finally sat idle in the middle of the road.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around to see I was still alive. My car was a little knicked up but nothing too serious. I looked over to the other side of the bridge to see Cross had managed to stop just at the edge of the bridge as a few others had fallen into the water below. I watched as he angrily got out of his car and glared at me.

“YOU CRAZY SON OF A BITCH!!” He screamed at my car. “THIS ISN’T OVER!! NOT BY A LONG SHOT!! I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE YOU ARE HUNTED DOWN BY EVERYONE WEARING A BADGE THIS SIDE OF THE COUNTRY!! THERE WILL BE NOWHERE TO HIDE AND YOU AND THAT RIDE OF YOURS WILL BE HISTORY!!”

I let out the breath I was holding in as I stared at Cross. He continued his little rant but I smiled, knowing that I finally beat him in a race as I would hope I would one day do. With nothing else to do or say, I pressed on the gas pedal and sped down the road and away from Rockport City.

3 Hours Later

I had been driving nonstop down the road as fast as I could for some time now. Before my gas tank completely dried out, I managed to park my car behind a few trees on the side of the road. For the past 15 minutes I’ve been sitting here in my car and tensing up whenever I heard a car pass by. It was still about an hour or two until the next town over but I didn’t think that was a good idea since Cross would’ve already put some kind of a B.O.L.O. by now on my car. I glanced outside and saw that the sun had already set and the moon was becoming more visible. It made me think of all the times my old man used to take me out for a midnight drive which made me smile a little. He probably would still be here and not in the box if Cross hadn’t got the drop on him.

My dad was also an infamous street racer of Rockport some years ago. I remember hearing about how he always gave the cops a run for their money each time he went out to race. Jonathan Cross was just a fresh detective out of the precinct but was always on my dad’s trail. One day, my dad took me for a race. There was this guy who challenged us to high stakes and it should’ve been a big payday. Only as we raced the guy, who we thought was another street racer, turned out to be a cop undercover. My dad shook the cops off me and boxed himself in so I could make my escape while he went down. Turns out it was Cross who led the bust and him taking my dad down led to his promotion as lead investigator for the traffic police. My car, the BMW M3 GTR, is my only memento to remember him by since he bought it for me for my birthday before he got busted.

RING RING RING

My phone rings once more and I look to see it Rog, my good friend, probably the only guy I could trust at the moment. I picked up my phone and hit the answer button.

“Hey man,” I said quietly.

“Well, well, well, guess my buddy down at the chop shop owes me $200,” Rog jokes over the phone. “You should hear the police chatter over the radio, Cross is pulling out all the stops just to find you. The whole city’s turned upside down after your big escape. Can’t go five minutes without hearing a fuckin’ siren pass by or in the distance.”

“Yeah well, that’s not gonna happen. Unless I can find a way to just disappear,” I retort, glancing out my window.

“You know, I might be able to help out with that,” Rog said. “But it depends how much you wanna disappear.”

“How does avoiding a possible national level warrant sound?” I challenged.

“Hmm, well since they don’t know what your face looks like, I guess it’s doable,” Rog hummed. “I might know the perfect area where you can lie low until the Statute of Limitations expire in your case.”

“Yeah? Where do you figure?” I wondered.

“Home.”

“Home? But I-”

“Kid, I meant your home.”

I flinched as I realized what he meant. Of all places, it had to be there, of all cities.

“…Canterlot City,” I mumbled.

“Yup, it’s the only place I can think of where Cross won’t find you.”

“But…I haven’t been there in 20 years.”

“Which is why it’s perfect. The first place anyone would think to look for you, is the last place anyone would expect. Even for Cross. I even have a new name for you and everything so you can stay out of Cross’ radar,” Rog explained.

I then herd a ping on my phone which meant I had gotten an email. I looked through my inbox and saw that it was from Rog and it had all sorts of things in it. Passport, new drivers license, social security number, the works. When I looked to see what my new name was, I arched a brow.

“Really? That’s the best name you could come up with?” I deadpanned.

“Hey, I had little time to get all this put together. If you got a problem with it, then you think of a good name,” Rog huffed.

“No, I guess it’s fine, thanks for this,” I chuckled.

“No problem. Also, your new credit card has been linked to your private account you use to transfer all your winnings to for the races you won. Can’t leave you high and dry once you head back.”

“How am I gonna even get to Canterlot City? It’s literally across the damn country and I can’t exactly drive in this car.”

“Don’t worry about that, I got a guy who’ll bring you an extra set of wheels from your collection of rides you pink slipped from some of the Blacklist. You just send me your location and I’ll send it to him.”

“Can you trust him?”

“If I didn’t, I’d come deliver the car myself.”

“Cool, so where can we meet so I can see you off?”

Rog was silent for a moment until I heard him sigh. “Sorry kid, but this’ll be the last we talk to each other for a while.”

“You’re not seeing me off?”

“More like I can’t even if I wanted to,” Rog said in a sympathetic tone. “You got a lot of heat on you, more than anyone ever thought possible. And you said it yourself, Cross might very well make your case national level. The only thing I can do for you is send you on your way with a new ID and ride. Once my guy drops off your new ride, he’ll switch with yours and hide it. It’s the only way to ensure you make it out with no strings attached.”

It made me a little bummed that I couldn’t see Rog before I left and disappeared, but he did have a point. I met Rog when my dad and I first came to Rockport looking for new opportunities. He was good friends with my dad and later me as I got older. In a way, Rog is sort of like the uncle I never had.

“I wish you could come with me,” I said solemnly.

“Same, kid, but I’ve already been inside once. I’d prefer to stay outside before they decide it’s time to come for me.”

“Come on Rog, I doubt they’d catch you with your skills. I should know, since I was able to beat you,” I joked.

“Laugh it up, you little shit, you’re lucky I wasn’t driving my main car I race with,” Rog chortled. “Anyway, it’s about time we end this conversation. Cross is bound to walk up my doorstep.”

“I guess I won’t be hearing from you for a while…”

“Look kid, don’t be too bummed out. We’ll meet again one day. And when we do, I owe you a race with my main ride.”

“You’re on,” I said playfully. “Thanks for everything, Rog, it means a lot for all you’ve done for my old man and I.”

“It’s been fun, kid, take care of yourself,” Rog bid farewell before hanging up. As soon as he did, I sent him my location so he could send it to his courier.

I sighed again and looked back out the window and waited for whoever it was that Rog sent. My mind then drifted to what I still remember back when I used to live in Canterlot City. I was only 10 years old when my old man took me with him to Rockport. A vaguely remember a few people I used to hang out with, one of them was my old friend Shining Armor. I remember how I’d always used to hassle him and never let him win any bike races we had with each other. He’d get so pissed that he once threatened to throw my bike under a car, not that he’d ever do it since we were such good buddies.

I also remember that I used to know this girl who I used to call Cherry. I think it was because of how her hair was pink like those cherry blossom flowers. I don’t remember what her actual name was, but I do recall that she was especially kind to me for some time. When I left Canterlot City, I was saddened to go since I never got the chance to say goodbye. Now it’s 20 years later and they’re both full grown adults by now. I wonder if they even remember me after all this time?

A pair of headlights later pulled up beside where I was parked and I noticed it was a tow truck. Behind it was indeed one of the cars I pink slipped from one of the Blacklist Racers. To my surprise and elated satisfaction, it was Ronnie’s Aston Martin DB9. The only reason why I recognized it was Ronnie’s is because it still had its body kit and I had taken it to the shop to get rid of those dumb decals and accessories Ronnie put all over it. I instead just gave it a new paint job and it now had a nice smooth purple shine to it. I decided to step out of my car and approach the tow truck, but was unprepared as to who would step out. Of all people to greet me, Mia closed the door behind her.

“Rog, you cleaver bastard,” I cursed as I turned right around.

“What? No thank you for dragging this thing all the way here?” Mia complained.

“You can go tell Rog that he’s a dumbass for trusting you,” I spat. “And you can tell Ronnie while he’s inside that I still think his car looks better with a simple paint job rather than it being loaded with decals.”

“I came alone,” Mia said.

“Did you now?”

“Do you see anyone else?”

“That remains to be seen, is Cross with you?”

“Would you just shut up and listen to me?” Mia snapped. “I don’t have a lot of time and you need to get going. Your friend came to me to deliver your new ride and give you this.” She reached behind her and pulled out an envelope.

“What’s that?” I wondered as I took the envelope.

“Your new ID info. He said he already emailed it to you but he had these made so I could pass them off.”

“Whatever, just lower the car and I’ll bring mine around,” I grumbled as I walked back to my car. Mia sighed behind me as I hopped back in my BMW. I turned the ignition, sparking the engine to life again, and pulled it up behind the truck as Mia lowered the Aston Martin. I watched as she got back out of the tow truck and climbed into the car and backed away. We both then got out of the cars and walked up to face each other.

“Here,” she said, tossing me the keys. “The tank is full so it should send you well on your way.” I nodded as I handed her my BMW’s keys and walked past her. “Hey, did you mean what you said on the phone? That…I was now your ex?”

I paused and looked over my shoulder. Mia looked at me with a frown but I just stared back with a blank expression. “All this time I thought there was some kind of connection between us. I thought you actually admired me and I let you in.” Mia didn’t say anything as I continued. “They blamed me for getting busted by the cops. It hurt my pride a little when they pointed their fingers at me. How do you think I should feel after finding out it was you all along?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Mia said.

“You didn’t really hurt me, but you did use me,” I said as I turned back to walk to my car. “Just make sure my ride is well hidden. I’ll be back for it once I’m in the clear.”

“That might take years,” Mia said.

“Yeah, it might, which is why I have no choice but to trust you to take care of it and keep it hidden. And to answer your question, yes, I did mean it.”

I opened the car door and looked back to Mia once more who rubbed her arm guiltily.

“Where will you go?” She asked.

“I think it’s best I don’t tell you that. For all I know, you could go straight to Cross,” I dismissed. “Goodbye Mia, take care of yourself.”

I climbed into the car and shut the door. I put the key in the ignition and turned the engine on. The car hummed to life as I checked to see if everything was in order. Once it was all set, I tossed the envelope on the passenger seat and pulled away. The last thing I saw in my rear view mirror was Mia wiping her eye and climbing into my BMW so she could position it to be towed away. I shook my head since I had other priorities in my head. I picked up my phone and punched in the directions to Canterlot City. As expected, the city was at least a few days drive. I glanced up at my rear view mirror to see a little bit of Rockport before it disappeared from view. I reached over to the envelope and opened it to pull out my passport.

“Well, guess I should get used to being called this,” I said. “So long, Rockport, it was a wild ride while it lasted.” I pressed more on the gas pedal and my Aston Martin sped up quickly. I opened my window and stuck my head out to feel the wind blowing against my face and hair. “I’m on my way home, Canterlot, John Doe is making a comeback!”

Author's Note

The life a street racer is a double edged sword. Will our unknown hero, who now dons the name John Doe, be able to avoid Cross for as long as it is required?

Side note: This game was the first racing game I’ve played seriously when I was young and I still remember having a blast playing it. Now it’s a story I hope to keep writing!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…