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Synopsis: Bad weather, debris, traffic, pedestrians. Nothing more than a nuisance to Iketani, who has more pressing matters to attend to. Only his car, a Toyota 2000GT, the path ahead, and destination matters.

Against All Odds
By: Erich Sturmburg

Time; it favours no one,
Instead, it constantly challenges anyone,
Meeting the time; earlier, or on the dot,
But to beat time at the most disadvantageous state...

...It takes more than just speed...

Chapter 1
The Mad Run

2300hours; the end of the peak hour rush. Packed traffic from before came to a trickle as the roads cleared up. Dark skies lit up as lightning struck, forming brief delta streaks. Bad weather was coming; tonight will be a shivering one. However, one driver was not concerned about it. His name; Iketani Kousuke.

As the rev counter hit 7000rpm, the auburn, short-haired 28 year old kicked the clutch pedal as his left hand moved the gear knob to 4th. Brown eyes glanced at the speedometer. 180Kmh. Pretty fast for a car that is over forty years old. With a quick lane change to the outer-most, the red Toyota 2000GT overtook a cruising Nissan, followed by a pick-up. A faint 'tch' left his mouth. Traffic were nothing more than obstacles. His destination was more important, even safety was not of his concern. The modified inline-six engine's burble became a throaty growl as the needle in the rev counter went past 5500rpm. The whine of the turbocharger became more apparent as the revs rose. Iketani applied more pressure on the accelerator. 220Kmh. Not fast enough. The road ahead of him was still dead straight. Another flash of lightning streaked the skies. Rain was coming, but a matter of when.

235kmh, 7300rpm. Iketani up-shifted to 5th. The 400HP Toyota growled viciously as its speed hit 245kmh. The ducktail rear spoiler worked wonders to keep the red coupe planted while the front, aftermarket spoiler sliced through the air, providing downforce for handling. First droplets of rain began to hit the Toyota's windscreen. Iketani turned on the wipers in time before a torrent of rain followed suit. Ahead of him was a right bend. His right foot planted right on the throttle, he turned the steering wheel to the right. The 60s coupe responded, but not with its rear slipping outwards. Not uttering a word, Iketani released the throttle, and countersteered. Feathering on the accelerator afterwards, momentum had the Toyota slipping onto the second lane of the four-lane highway. 170Kmh. No, 155kmh. Iketani geared down to 3rd, and applied half throttle.

Unfazed about his car experiencing oversteer, he flicked the indicator switch; signaling his car indicator to the left. His destination required him to use the back roads, which meant a lot of dirt, gravel, and sand. The medium compound sport tyres, mated with BBS wire rims, meant that he would have a hard time navigating the rough roads, but it did not matter for him. The 1.73 metre tall individual steered the coupe into the filter lane as he applied the brakes. 80Kmh. Down to 2nd, Iketani made haste at the junction as he made a right turn, ignoring the traffic lights. The 2000GT began to oversteer once again. He floored the throttle and went a full countersteer. Rear wheels spun wildly as the tyres struggle to grip the wet tarmac. In the two-lane road, the red Toyota recovered on the outer lane while Iketani geared up to 3rd prematurely. 100Kmh. Conditions worsened as the rain turn to a thunderstorm. Visibility ahead was nothing more than thirty-five metres estimated. It did not matter for him.

“I rather break all the rules, and be there in time, then be late. God damn this weather,” he uttered, headlights to high-beam.

Speeds rose to 160kmh. Into 4th gear. He had to keep the revs low, believing that in the lower revs, the car would have better traction. He was wrong. It took a simple swerve into the next lane, the coupe slipped. Understeer. The truck ahead of him was dangerously close. Iketani jammed on the brakes and geared down to first. Rear tyres slid out, towards the outer lane, just barely missing the said traffic. He held his breath, experiencing his Toyota in a spinout. A rude bump indicated Iketani that his car had went off the road, before coming to a halt on the grass.

The idling, turbocharged engine burbled in the silence as the heavy downpour produced a nerve-wrecking sound as it hit the roof, windscreen, and bonnet of the Toyota. Iketani let out a heavy sigh of relief. A close call. If it happened much later, the car would have crashed into the rear of the truck. Or worse, wrapped around a tree, judging by the forest some ten metres ahead.

“Damn it,” he thought.

Wiping the cold sweat off his face, the brunette applied the throttle gradually, driving the Toyota back onto the asphalt. The rain had subsided, just. Brown eyes glanced at the rear view mirror. Nothing. Only rain as company. Shifting into 2nd, Iketani repeated the process. 6700Rpm, 110kmh. He bit his lip, and floored the gas pedal. The 2000GT responded with excessive wheelspin as the needle of the rev counter rose to 6900rpm, then slipping downwards to 5700rpm. The tyres gripped what ever traction it could from the wet tarmac. But no matter, soon enough, he would have to deal with the gravel, mud, and sand. He took a left turn just some fifty metres into the forest. The roads disappeared for packed gravel. A forest trail. To Iketani, it was a shortcut. Now, he would have to rely on his tuned suspension to keep the coupe planted onto the uneven surface. Keeping the revs high while at the powerband would steer him out from being bogged down by the loose surface. It did worked, for a while.

“Slippery. Very slippery,” he muttered. “I don't like this.”

Lacking traction, the Toyota 2000GT was as jittery as it could get. A quick flick pf the steering wheel would result in oversteer. Constant oversteer. The situation worsened when he reached a decline, with another trail merging into his. Brown eyes glanced at the rear view mirror. He swore under his breath.

“Well shit! Landslide!”

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And yes, I'm back. About damn time. And here's a picture of the Toyota 2000GT



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Fitting song for chapter 2
Lunatic Paradise - AXEL.K

An unexpected turn of events,
No matter how ridiculous it is,
No matter how tough it gets,
But when one has decided what to do...

...It even borders along madness...

Chapter 2
Off Road Madness

Panic, fear. The two words that described Iketani's feelings at the moment when he saw the landslide come rumbling behind him, some twenty metres from the Toyota. He switched gears, into 4th, half throttle. 145Kmh, 4800rpm. The decline became apparent. His eyes widened. A moderate right bend. Trying to keep the landslide off his mind, the brunette steered the coupe to the right, some ten metres before the corner.

“Don't spin out, please!” he thought.

The coupe's rear slid outwards as Iketani downshifted to 3rd. Revs rose to 5900rpm as rear wheels spun wildly. Balancing throttle and braking, the Toyota drifted into the corner from the outside. 130Kmh. That was the entry speed. Moderately countersteering, the coupe hit the mid-apex on the inside as expected. 110Kmh. Down to 2nd. The brunette floored the gas pedal. 90Kmh; exit speed, outside. Into 3rd prematurely. The rear left wheel hit the muddy surface, inducing unneeded oversteer. He released the throttle, and went on full countersteer. 65Kmh. 2nd gear. Iketani applied the gas gradually as the Toyota recovered. Brown eyes glanced at the rear view mirror. Ten metres estimated. The landslide got closer. Bad news. He has to get out of harm's way, fast. Iketani took notice of the path ahead, looking for alternative options. The narrowing gravel path was intimidating. The decline was easing out, but the trees were close to the gravel road. Losing out of control was of no option. 85Kmh, 5600rpm. Iketani remained in 2nd. The turbocharger's whine became more audible, somewhat enticing him to accelerate further on than switching gears to 3rd. A moderate left bend. 100kmh. Ignoring the landslide behind him, the brunette steered into the corner at 110kmh. As quickly as the coupe entered the turn, Iketani hit 3rd gear. 5000Rpm. The rear tyres desperately gripped whatever traction it could get as the 2000GT drifted into the corner.

“This shortcut better not be a long one,” uttered the brunette, stealing glances at the speedometer. “80kmh, and dropping. Better hit 2nd.”

Gearing down to 2nd, he applied half throttle, and countersteered. Brown eyes took notice of the next obstacle. A tight right turn. He swore under his breath. Instinct kicked in. Using momentum, and inertia, Iketani went full tilt on countersteering, and floored the gas pedal. As soon as the coupe recovered, the rear swung to the left. The brunette shuffled the steering wheel to the opposite countersteer. Full lock. 70Kmh, entry speed of the right corner. His right side window was in full view of the mass of moving earth and mud.

“This better not be a scene from a movie,” he thought, sarcastically. “
It's getting ridiculous by the second.”

65kmh. The coupe hit the inside of the corner midway. Iketani shifted into 3rd. 3500Rpm. The Toyota recovered prematurely. Keeping the accelerator floored, the brunette steered into the direction of the corner's exit. 5200Rpm, 105kmh. Brown eyes glanced at the rear view mirror. The landslide seemed to have run out of momentum, he thought. 5500Rpm, 135kmh. The turbocharger of the coupe spooled, increasing acceleration.

“I see it. Normal, civilian, tarmac road!” the brunette voiced out, then letting out a sigh of relief. “Finally.”

Slowing down upon reaching the road, Iketani steered the red car to the right, and went full tilt on the throttle. Rain was still pouring, but it did not matter. Traction was better on the cold, wet tarmac than the packed gravel. 7500Rpm, 170kmh. Into 4th gear, half-full acceleration.

...Brown eyes, ever so peeking into the horizon,
Keeping a close watch for possible obstacles,
But when a task came in a form of a Celica GT-Four ST205 from behind...
...The urban race back to the highway...
...Just got more challenging...

“Battle of the generation gap,” thought Iketani as he notices the white 4WD coupe flashing its headlights at him. “I'll gladly accept it!”

4th gear, 5900rpm, 190kmh. Hard left corner ahead. The rain was letting up. Good news for Iketani. But the damp asphalt made him thought otherwise. Brake lights lit up as the brunette depressed the brake pedal. Into 3rd, then 2nd. 6700Rpm, 110kmh. He swerved into the corner. The rear of the 2000GT slid out as the brunette countersteered. The chasing Celica followed suit, but gripped throughout. Iketani took notice of the 4WD coupe's attempt to overtake from the inside. He floored the throttle. The sudden burst of acceleration destabilised the coupe as the red 2000GT drifted towards the outer lane of the two land road.

75kmh. The brunette remained in 2nd as the red car recovered from the drift. By the time both cars exit the corner, Iketani, and the Celica were neck and neck. The white coupe was superior in traction, but the 2000GT was superior in acceleration. That meant Iketani would have the upper hand on the straights, but lose out on the corners. 3rd gear, 135kmh. The brunette took notice of the change in environment as the forest disappear in favour of the urban chaos; a city. The two land road widened to a four lane variant as traffic became more pronounced in presence. Traffic lights add problem; crossing pedestrians. Sure, it might be close to midnight, but being in the city, and night life rife in activity, anything could happen.

Iketani stayed on lane 2, whilst the Celica on lane 4. Red traffic light some two hundred metres ahead. Traffic was sparse fortunately. A quick, firm flock on the steering wheel directed the 2000GT on lane 3 as it blitz past a slow-moving MPV. The chasing coupe followed suit, too on lane 3 in order to avoid a public bus. 4th gear, 185kmh. A mild left turn was dealt easily for the red Toyota, even evading a pick up in mid-corner. The junction was approaching. The traffic light still lit red as the oblivious traffic continued at their own pace.

“Shit!” the brunette exclaimed, hitting the brakes, hard.

For an old car, even though equipped with aftermarket disc brakes, it still lacked an ABS system. The wheels locked up as the geared down to 2nd, then 1st. The Celica blasted past him before its brakes lights lit up, then steered hard to the left at the junction, barely missing a taxi. The rear of the 2000GT slid of the right, somehow directing Iketani to the same direction where the white coupe was heading. The brunette floored the throttle, and into 2nd prematurely. Amusingly, there it was; the Celica, moving at a slow pace, as if waiting for him. 7300Rpm, 126kmh. Into 3rd. In the three lane road, Iketani swerved towards lane 1, overtaking three sedans. Car horns blared as he squeezed through the gaps. 7500rpm, 170kmh. Traffic was getting dense. Brown eyes could not trace the location of the Celica ever since he overtook it a while ago. Iketani hit the brakes. It was getting too risky. Spotting the road shoulder, the brunette geared down to 2nd, and steered onto the road shoulder. A good sign for him. A clear path till to a filter lane, back to the highway. He glanced at the rear view mirror. The white Celica had followed in pursuit. A faint smile formed on the Japanese's face.

“Finally, something in my favour. The road surface seems to be dry as well. All the better with my medium compound tyres,” he thought.

7500rpm. Into 3rd gear. 135Kmh. Driving high speed on the road shoulder was getting intimidating. Traffic were like statues, and a possibility of any of them turning onto the road shoulder worried him for the first time. Flicking the indicator to the right, still in 3rd, Iketani hit the filter lane, and tapped on the brakes. 140Kmh through a moderate left bend, and at an incline, front tyres squealed as the coupe slowly edges towards the outer barrier. 130Kmh, exit of the corner, entry of the main highway. Stealing another glance at the rear view mirror, he took notice of the white Celica, who finally went full tilt on acceleration. Iketani replied with a similar response. 7500Rpm, 170kmh. Into 4th gear. A four-lane highway. Iketani hit lane 1 as the Toyota 2000GT reached 220kmh.

“Bring it, Celica GT-Four. Do your worst,” said the brunette under his breath, the needle of the speedometer indicated 230kmh.

This post has been edited by outlaw-2 on May 25 2012, 09:57 AM

Very descriptive, very poetic, very narrative. Although i am guilty of skim-reading at a moderate pace, I see it must be a driving practice run against the weather to test own's limits?

Very technical for a beginning. Will there be a formal introduction or any of the sorts?

I apologize if i'm mistaken.
(Been awake 30 hours again, will properly read again when i get the chance)

Yesh more writers!

Great beginning of a story, and I like how you used such an old model that can pack this much punch even on roads and gravel.

Also, just a little bit of advice, it will be much better if you introduce your main character in bio form so readers could understand your characters a bit better while they're focusing them on the story's progress.

I'd like to read more of this as I am working on my own. Keep it up!

Kuroi...you have no idea who this person is..to him,story first,then character backgrounds and such...as seeing this is an opening chapter in a thread..

Good to see you back Outlaw..glad i can have my fix here..and you Kuroi.im not going to miss on your fic aswell you can sure of that.

and the fic-wise,nice 2000GT there...it feels like an S30Z coming up in the future?

who knows..

This post has been edited by Benovelence on May 2 2012, 06:24 AM

Oh...how rude of me then...sorry about that.

A small preview of Chapter 3...

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The monotonous straights; brought to life by screaming engines,
The whistling turbocharger; challenged by the whine of the supercharger,
The striking red coupe, chased not only from the Celica,
But from another coupe...

...Blue in shade, black stained rims, a Nissan Fairlady from the Seventies...
...Turbo, and supercharged. A demon in its own right...

Chapter 3 - The Midnight Crisis

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This should give you a clue on what's going to happen.

i told you a S30Z/S130Z is coming..whichever comes first.

and like i said...good to see you back Erich...oops,its outlaw-2..silly me.

Song for the chapter: Ready to Take Off - Undead Corporation
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The monotonous straights; brought to life by screaming engines,
The whistling turbocharger; challenged by the whine of the supercharger,
The striking red coupe, chased from not only the red Celica,
But from another coupe...

...Blue in shade, black stained rims, a Nissan Fairlady from the seventies...
...Turbo, and supercharged...
...A demon in its own right...

Chapter 3
The Midnight Crisis

Beads of cold sweat formed on Iketani's forehead while parts of his white polo T-shirt formed sweat marks. His straight cut off-black denim pants and off-grey sports shoes are what that has been keeping him comfortable. 5th gear, 240kmh. Traffic was no problem for him. Lane 1 was still empty, compared to the other three lanes. The Celica, that has been alternating between lanes 2 and 3, finally decided to slipstream behind Iketani on lane 1. 260kmh. A moderate left turn some three hundred metres ahead. Lanes 3 and 4 were occupied with traffic. The remining lanes were open. He steered the 2000GT onto lane 2. The Celica remained on lane 1. 275kmh, 6900rpm. Close to the red coupe's top speed. Thirty metres before the bend, Iketani eased off on the accelerator. The 4WD car overtook him, and kept on accelerating.

"You're just as reckless as I am, but on a different level," he thought as both coupes entered the corner.

Front tyres squealed on the 2000GT as the speed dropped down to 230kmh. Down to 4th. Mid-corner. The red coupe ceased understeering, still in lane 2 while the Celica took the lead, somewhat dealing the bend with ease. 225Kmh, exit speed of Iketani's car. Into 5th while steering his coupe to lane 1, slipstreaming the Celica.

"Let's see how much difference there is in slipstreaming," uttered the Japanese under his breath, glancing at the oil temperature. "Optimal."

250kmh. Reading the revmeter does not matter at this point of time. He knew his car's maximum speed. 290kmh. That was the magic number. Iketani swerved into lane 3. 220kmh. Knowing the nature of his coupe, he had to ease off the accelerator before he could pull off sudden movements. Down to 4th gear. He had to keep the revs up in order to fully utilise the 2000GT's potential. The Celica was still leading, just. A truck cab on lane 3, taxi on lane 4, and a hatchback on lane 1. Only lane 2 was open. Two hundred metres. Brown eyes glanced at the white 4WD coupe. It was still on lane 1. Into 5th gear, 235kmh. Both cars were now even, neck and neck. One hundred metres. 260Kmh. Iketani had to react, now. The Japanese steered the wheel hard to lane 2. The rear of the red Toyota slipped as the rear tyres lost traction. 240Kmh. He held on, still in 5th, and countersteered. The white Celica hesitated to hit lane 2 as Iketani attempted to recover from oversteering, at high speed.

"This is impossible. What I'm doing is definitely impossible!" thought Iketani as the speedometer read 180kmh; he hit 4th gear.

Rear tyres spun violently, inducing more oversteer. Fifty metres. The Celica backed off, and slipped into lane 2. The 2000GT, the rear now swung to the right, forced Iketani to turn full lock in countersteering. Outside rear tyre gripped the dry asphalt miraculously. Brown eyes widened. There were two situations occurring. First, the Celica accelerated, tailgating him. 175Kmh. The Japanese floored the throttle. The second issue was of his concern. Another pair of headlights flashing; another challenger. All three vehicles cleared the obstacle by being on lane 2. The Celica hit lane 3, the new competitor on lane 1. It was only then he took notice of the vehicle on lane 1. Straight away, he knew it was heavily modified. The front aftermarket bumper bore no make logo, but Iketani recognized the model; a Nissan Fairlady S30Z, dark blue in shade. Somehow, with ease, the said coupe caught up with him. It accelerated faster than his 2000GT. Brown eyes widened. 230Kmh. Into 5th. The Nissan was right next to him. His Toyota's turbocharger was overwhelmingly drowned out by the screams of a supercharger in the S30Z. It was when the blue coupe switched gears, the Japanese noticed the faint blow-off whistle.

"Turbocharged, and supercharged?" he thought in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding!"

250kmh. The Nissan was edging ahead. Iketani bit his lower lip. His right foot was already floored on the throttle. His 2000GT was outclassed. The S30Z was at a class of its own. The Celica, however, was the same as the 2000GT. Their strengths and weaknesses make both Toyotas an equal match. 270Kmh, the white 4WD coupe caught up with Iketani. Pressure grew as he realised his red coupe was not performing well on the highway. Brown eyes glanced on the speedometer. 290Kmh. Maximum speed. The blue coupe was close to ten metres ahead, and still accelerating. Frustration kicked in. The highway then went into a faint decline. Iketani glanced at the speedometer. 295Kmh. Gravity assisted in the increase in speed, but was against the engine's potential. Oil temperature rose, now close to overheating. 300Kmh, the speedometer's maximum read out.

"This is bad. If I continue, the car's good as dead," thought Iketani, the speedometer now past the 300kmh mark. "But I can't stop! Not with the Celica, and the S30Z overwhelming me!"

Then, it dawned on him. Even though Iketani was supposed to rush for his destination, his need for speed had his intentions strayed. There was no point even in racing against the two cars. He eased off on the accelerator. Speeds dropped to 285kmh, then to 270kmh. The Celica overtook him, now somewhat chasing after the Nissan. A heavy sigh left the Japanese's mouth. 190Kmh. Down to 4th. The road levelled as the amount of traffic grew prominently. He switched lanes lane 3, then lane 4, evading a foreign SUV, and a van. Brown eyes took notice of the white 4WD coupe tailgating the S30Z before a short burst of flames spat out from the exhaust pipes of the blue car, and began outrunning on lane 1.

"It was a brief battle," thought Iketani, turning to lane 3 again, somehow having second thoughts. "but, it feels hollow. Something's missing."

Switching lanes to lane 2, he went full tilt on the throttle. 200Kmh. Iketani knew that the Toyota could not make it in terms of performance, but...

230kmh, Into 5th gear. Presence pf traffic became more apparent as he swerves into lane 3, barely missing a private bus. Brown eyes took notice of the two leading coupes. Even with a ducktail rear spoiler, the S30Z seemed to have trouble in stability when it came to lane switching. A similar weakness to Iketani's 2000GT. The Celica GT4 took the chance for the attack. Swerving all the way to lane 3, it went full tilt on the accelerator, overtaking the Nissan. Iketani saw this as an opportunity. He swerved into lane 3, slipstreaming the Celica. He glanced at the oil temperature.

"Down to optimal," he thought, then taking a look at the fuel gauge. "Half-full. Hope it lasts."

270kmh. With lane 4 all clear, he steered the 2000GT into the said lane. The Celica switched lanes to lane 2, while the Nissan followed suit behind it. A sedan, three hundred metres ahead in lane 4, and two MPVs, each on lanes 1 and 2. Once again, the Nissan went on the attack, hitting lane 1, attempting to overtake the Celica. 280Kmh. Iketani stayed put on lane 4, waiting for the right time to hit lane 3. The S30Z overtook the white GT4 with ease with its overpowering acceleration. 290Kmh. Maximum speed. Less than fifty metres. Iketani made his move. With haste, he steered the red Toyota 2000GT into lane 3. The rear tyres of the coupe slipped. The Japanese anticipated it, and eased off on the accelerator, and countersteered. Front tyres responded, for the worse.

Inertia sent the rear of the 2000GT to the right, the opposite direction. Brown eyes widened. He knew he had reached the limit of his coupe's capabilities, but he had went beyond it. By then, all he saw were the two chasing coupes, followed by the sight of the road shoulder, without any form of road barriers.

"No!" Iketani exclaimed as he shut his eyes, only noticing what it seemed to be a hard bump, followed by the rumble of the uneven rough terrain surfaces.

...But still...
...The show must go on...

"God damn it," the Japanese uttered under his breath.

This post has been edited by outlaw-2 on May 25 2012, 06:04 AM