I can't believe I finished ANOTHER chapter over the three day weekend, I wasn't expecting to. I just wanted to write out the beginning since it has to do with the last ending, and then I found myself…writing some more. And then I finished…it really threw me for a happy loop! Anyway, there REALLY won't be any updates the rest of the week or so since I have a test coming up, but I'll try to write some more over the weekend.

Anyway hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Acceleracers

Chapter 9

Swamp Realm Part 1

Backtrack five minutes ago…

"Teku-izing."

Giving the thumbs up sign, Kurt pressed the main control on his car. The dome began to vibrate with a techno beat as blue and orange neon lights shot out from under the car. Kurt drummed his fingers on the side of his car as Shirako bobbed his head to the music, GIG hovering over head. Pork Chop was surprised by the sudden noise and banged his head on the hood of his car. Growling, Pork Chop stalked to the edge of the garage with Wylde right behind him.

"TURN THAT DOWN STINKU!" He yelled, the threat going unnoticed by Shirako. He only bobbed his head to the music and turned his Bassline on. The car produced a steady bass undertone that complimented his newest track…he even felt like dancing, and did just that. While Shirako danced away the two Metal Maniacs groaned in annoyance. Karma only shook her head at Shirako's antics. That was, until she heard a loud 'CRASH' that was completely off tune with the rest of the song. She glanced around for the crash, but everything was completely encased by the techno song.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT?!" Karma yelled to Vert, confusion clearly etched across her face.

"WHAT?!" Vert yelled back, causing Karma to roll her eyes. She glided over to the Bassline and turned down the music, Shirako obliviously dancing near his computer.

"I thought I heard a crash, did-ANNA!" Karma yelled, finally glancing at the girl.

Tools were scattered at her feet as the tool box lay on its side away from the wreckage. Her eyes drifted shut as her body was being pulled by gravity toward the ground. "SHIRAKO!" Shirako, startled, looked back in time to watch the descent. Quickly moving forward, he latched onto one of her arms and pulled backward. She landed with a soft thud on the ground as Vert and Karma rushed forward.

"Lani, we have a medical emergency down in the garage. It appears that Anna has fainted." GIG relayed above the garage as Lani rushed down with a first aid kit. Anna lay motionless on the floor, almost as if she were frozen in time. The steady rise and fall of her chest was the only thing that contradicted that idea. Suddenly, her fingers twitched and she let out a whimpered groan. Her eyes fluttered open as she stared into the faces that surrounded her. She let out a heavy sigh and winced as she shifted, realizing that she was on the cold concrete floor.

"What happened…?" Anna groaned as Lani rummaged through the kit, kneeling beside Karma and Shirako.

"You fainted, do you feel alright?" Karma asked as Lani pulled out a flashlight and began examining Anna's eyes.

"I feel…ow Lani, watch were you point that…I feel fine now." Anna gently shoved Lani's hand away, removing the blaring instrument from her sensitive irises.

"What happened Anna, you just collapsed out of nowhere?" Vert asked.

"I just remembered something is all…is this going to happen every time I remember something?" She groaned sarcastically, as Lani continued checking all of her vital signs.

"The memory combined with your earlier accident could have caused enormous stress on your body, resulting in your fainting spell." GIG explained, hovering around the group like a fly.

"It didn't happen in the Lightning Realm though…" She questioned.

"Maybe this memory was stronger…so what did you remember?" Karma asked, an eerie quietness settling over the dome.

"I remember…that I had really good friends, we were close and they were really worried about me leaving somewhere. One of them did something to a cell phone, in fact," She glanced up into Shirako's orange tinted eyes, "she was really techno savvy; kind of like you." She pointed up at him, a startled surprise evident in his eyes.

"That's scary; there maybe a second Shirako out there in the world," Vert joked causing Anna to pass a ghost of a smile over her face, "Thank Shirako by the way, he's the one that caught you."

"Well, thank you very much Shirako." Anna moaned as she shifted into a sitting position, Karma holding a steady hand on her shoulder as Lani finished up. GIG passed without a word, trailing his way to inform Dr. Tezla of all the happenings down below. Suddenly the dome was filled with a blaring alarm, the golden rings of the Wheel beginning to spin. Taken by surprise, Pork Chop tripped over himself on the way to his car, and Wylde cheered while jumping into his. Pork Chop stumbled back onto his feet, boots clanking together as he sped toward his car. With a heavy groan from the car, Pork Chop climbed inside and was ready to rev things up.

"Let me just finish this last gauge…"Monkey muttered, only to be cut short by the forward motion of the car. He flew into the air and came down with a heavy crash against the fading and ripped upholstery of the car. While Monkey was protesting to be let loose, Pork Chop sped out of there running right into Karma and causing her Chicane to be rammed straight into a pile of tires. The Chicane sputtered one last time before dying out, causing Karma to curse the Metal Maniac. Everyone else had begun a hasty run toward their cars, Anna included. She stumbled lightly to her car before regaining the feeling in her legs.

"Anna, you're in no condition to drive after what just happened!" Lani yelled, Anna already half way to her car.

"I'm fine Lani, I'll be okay!" Anna yelled back, her car roaring to life before peeling out of the garage like a bullet. Lani sighed at the woman's stubbornness and watched as the driver's began to leave one by one. Her eyes shifted as she noticed a very stubborn Wylde attempting to join the others, even with his own freak accident.

"Kurt, you're in no condition to drive either. You can barely walk in the condition you're in." Lani explained over his groans of pain to reach the shift stick. Fingers stretched as far as they could before curling around the top of the handle.

"Who's walking?" Kurt replied as he shifted into gear and trailed along with the others. Lani sighed in frustration again, moving onto her final recovering victim. She huffed as he too was already in his car and sparking it to life. Taro drove right past her as Lani threw her hands up into the air.

"Unbelievable! We got the stubborn ones this time around…"

…

…

Drivers flew through the portal only to be welcome by a lush, green swamp. Trees bloomed overhead as vines covered trucks until some were barely visible anymore. Vines also swung from tree to tree, creating a variety of webs that the drivers crashed through. The area beneath them was a murky, oozing swamp, thick moss floated along the surfaces. The cars came crashing down onto a track that lay high above the actual swamp, areas of it covered in sticky sap and 'other' substances. The drivers coasted along the track, delving deeper into the heart of the jungle. Bugs of various shapes and sizes loomed overhead, waiting for their moment to pounce.

Meanwhile the Drones had also made their own entrance into the swamp a short while ago, using the reconnaissance drones to their advantage. The drones created the perfect line for them to follow, which was accessible through Gelorum herself. Suddenly, a large mosquito came buzzing around the trees and swiped at the recon drones.

"Something is interfering with the recon drones," Gelorum relayed silently; "you'll have to rely on finding your own lines."

"Understood." The captain had relayed back.

"If you find the girl…you know what to do…" The captain nodded again and turned off the radio link. He was suddenly met by a barrage of attacking vines, wrapping them violently around the Drone leader. The leader used one of the Accelechargers, the symbol in the shape of a thin line, to become two dimensional and escape the grasp.

The drivers were having little luck navigating their way around the swap, coming upon a large and thick tree that the track circled around. The tracks began to spill into different directions, a multitude of ways that the drivers could chose from, and had no way of knowing where they would lead.

"Hey which track are we supposed to follow?" Tork asked to Tezla, whom was at a loss for words.

"Last time some of the tracks lead to no where." GIG commented, earning a wrathful glare from Lani, whom did not want to remember this realm at all.

"They have to split up." Tezla deduced.

"But they won't be able to help each other that way." Lani countered.

"It's the only option, tell them Lani." Tezla firmly stated as Lani turned away.

"You be the one to tell them this time, I refuse." She huffed and glanced back toward the monitors.

"This is Dr. Tezla speaking, the drivers should spilt up." The others nodded in agreement.

"Move some Metal, Maniacs!" Tork commanded, each driver choosing the one opposite a teammate.

"Teku spilt up and stay online!" Nolo commanded, each branching off from the other. Anna chose the track that had not previously been selected, leaving her to fend for herself. The vines began to grow thicker and the leaves began to droop down on lower branches. Although she was alone, Anna could not help but feel that something was watching her…

…

Shirako was bobbing his head along with his music, content to be in his own little world and race. The bass line filled his car with thick, techno music as he drifted along the steep slopes of the track. His car gave a sudden jerk as he heard a strange high-pitched cry come from his roof. He stared up at it in wonder as his car was lifted off of the track by a giant mosquito. Apparently, they had giant mosquitoes in this realm! It gave another high-pitched cry that ruined the music he was playing.

"Man if you're going to buzz, at least make it in tune." Shirako jacked the volume all the way up with the touch of his finger as his speakers vibrated to life. The loud sound combined with the rhythmic quakes of the car sent the mosquito into a state of panic and shock. He dropped the car in surprise as Shirako came crashing back toward…was he still on Earth? Ah, whatever, he had his music; he continued along the path he chose to wherever it took him.

Wylde found that his track entailed him to be followed by a couple of rouge Drones, each aiming to destroy the Metal Maniac with their energy blasts. He shifted his attention back in front to give a cry of surprise at what he saw. Towering over him was a monster, completely covered in sticky green moss and beady yellow eyes. It gave a roar and tried to reach for Wylde's car. Wylde swerved away at the last minute off the track, causing one of the Drone cars to hit the monster. It gave a shrill cry and caused the cars to go crashing into one another. Sighing in relief, Wylde was confronted by the fact that the smooth white road he landed on…was a giant worm. With very big rows of teeth. Wylde shifted his car into another gear and sped out of there back onto the safety of the track.

Another Metal Maniac around the same time was having bug troubles of his own. A giant mosquito had attached itself to Taro's car, whom merely shrugged the creature off as he evaded the Drone that was following him. It wasn't until the creature punctured a hole into his roof did he started to feel concerned. The mosquito rammed a few more holes into the roof of Rivited, until Taro had enough and yanked the needle of the mosquito down. It squirmed and tugged trying to break free of the iron like grip as Taro kept a tight hold. He smirked as a low rising branch looped over his head and sped his car quickly toward it. With a final cry, the mosquito crumpled into a heap on the track and causing the Drone to flip off the track as well. With a glance down at the now broken needle he was holding, Taro tossed it out the window of his car.

The Teku were having as much luck with the creatures of the swamp as the Metal Maniacs. Nolo was being attacked by a Drone plane while a mosquito had taken a rest on his back end. Suddenly, the car jerked as the gas tank was punctured sucking the Synkro dry of gas. Nolo huffed and activated the new techno program that Shirako had installed for all of them in the garage. The mosquito was startled and flew off of the car, only to collide directly with the Drone plane and sending them both down in a blaze of flames.

Kurt was trying to shake off a few Drones that had chosen the same track as he had a few miles back. Ramming the back end of one, he sent it spiraling down into a tree branch. Ramming into the other, the Drone exploded on impact with another tree root.

"See ya." Kurt sang out, waving farewell to the Drones, until he was forced to slam on his brakes as he came to a dead end. Punching his car in frustration, he shifted gears to back up. His eyes caught a bright red and purple color out of the corner as he gazed at the contraption. It was large and bright, six gigantic tires all coiled around a long strip of rubber and covered with vines from age.

"Lani, could the Accelerons have built something inside of the realms, to help a driver maybe?" He asked, choosing purposely to ignore the doctor he still didn't trust.

"He's found a Hyperpod, an Acceleron vehicle transport system." Dr. Tezla murmured in awe.

"Kurt, you can use it!" Kurt smirked as his car climbed high onto the Hyperpod and carry him safely over the cluster of vines that previously blocked his path.

Meanwhile…

Anna still couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed, and yet every time she looked in her rear view mirror there was nothing there. She sighed deeply and chalked the feelings up to paranoia and her imagination. The track she had chosen so far was running smoothly, no obstacles in her path or any sign of the Drones. It almost made her nervous being stuck in the quiet like this. The trees around her were getting lower as the branches continued to steep down. Curving along the track, she felt her car give a sudden jolt to the side as she cried in alarm. She looked outside her window and grumbled in anger; so much for things running smoothly.

"Hey! Bug off!" She commanded the mosquito that landed on top of her car. It was a sickly purple and yellow color that gave off the slightest odor of rotten eggs. She gagged at the smell and swerved her car side to side in hopes of getting rid of the pest. It didn't budge an inch, only sway along with the motion of the car. Once the rocking had stopped it punched a hole straight through the driver's side area. The needle missed her right thigh by a fraction of an inch as she gave a startled yelp. The needle slid out, bringing some piece of roof along with it. The mosquito gave a second punch, this time almost grazing her left knee.

"Stop punching holes in my car bug breath! Dr. Tezla was nice enough to give me one and you go turning it into Swiss cheese!" The mosquito only gave out a shrill cry in response. Anna noticed that the branches were getting lower to the ground as the perfect idea came to her. Pushing an all too familiar button, her car was launched into the air as the mosquito came crashing into a branch, squashing it. The mosquito rolled off of the top and down onto the track behind her.

"Better than bug spray." She mused with a smile as she accelerated forward. She was come face to face with Pork Chop when their tracks merged into one. Monkey gave an enthusiastic wave out of the back of the car, which Anna returned with a half wave. Monkey was then pulled back into the front by Pork Chop as the track split again across a vibrant lake surrounded by trees.

"It looks clear across the water Pork Chop, let's go that way." Monkey pointed as Pork Chop huffed. He chose to go in the opposite direction, pulling into a dense fog and denser forest area.

"What are you doing the other way was easy-"Monkey was cut off by a bark of laughter from Pork Chop.

"Ha who needs easy?!" He gruffed as Monkey only sighed dejectedly.

"You two go on ahead, I'll take the path across the water." Anna mused, turning in the direction opposite where they had gone.

"Try not to cause too much trouble Drone lady." Pork Chop commented as Monkey groaned-his friend was running all his chances to impress her.

"Try not to get lost Ham Bone." Was her quick reply as Pork Chop barked a little laugh. Monkey smiled as he saw his friend warm up a little to the reply.

"See Monkey man, the Drones like to take things the easy way out." Pork Chop reasoned as Monkey shook his head-there went that idea. Pork Chop nodded at his logic and glanced out his side mirror once, then twice, then…

"Hey Monkey man, hand me that anchor chain back there." He pointed to the back seat as Monkey leaned over and reached for the rusted brown chain.

"What do you have a chain for?" He pulled the chain forward, pooling the metal into a pile between him and Pork Chop.

"My anchor…"Pork Chop responded as if it were the simplest answer in the world. Grabbing hold of the anchor, Monkey heaved it into Pork Chop's big paw. Seeing his friend lean out the window, Monkey took control of the steering wheel. Pork Chop threw the anchor at the Drone plane that had been following them, landing a perfect bull's eye when it made contact. He swung the chain from side to side as the Drone finally crashed into a tree. However, the resulting action caused the car to flip over the side of the track, followed by an end on end collision until they came to rest. They came to rest on a small metallic body, the front end composed of two giant red drills and the back of a ramp that flipped up suddenly.

"What is this thing?" Monkey said, hearing the gears whine and twirl as the thing rumbled to life.

"I don't know…but I like it!" Pork Chop laughed as the drill moved forward plowing them through the thick tree root that had previously stood in their way…not that they had known it was there in the first place.

...

"Try not to get lost Ham Bone."

Anna followed the opposite path that the two had taken, finding a much clearer route that wasn't encased in fog. The track hovered over the slightly blue lake that encompassed most of the area. Suddenly, she slammed on her brakes and peered out at the scenery. The trees were standing tall above her in an endless sky and the vines hung in such a manner as to give the impression they were suspended in mid air.

"Anna are you all right, your car read out shows an emergency stop." Lani had radioed in, although Anna barely registered it.

"What…yeah, Lani I'm fine…" Anna answered monotonously, continuing to gaze around at the surroundings and felt IT again. She got the feeling of when she was having a memory, a pounding pulse and light feeling in her body, but nothing was happening. She had the feeling for a while now, but standing at the very spot she was in made the feeling intensify. It was like the area was one big giant memory waiting to be unleashed.

"Anna, are you having another memory again? Should I send a driver to make sure you're okay?" Lani worried slightly, sending Tezla a look.

"Lani, no I'm fine really…but I DO have that feeling again…only it's different." She pondered.

"How so?" Anna hissed as she struggled to find the right words.

"It's like…it's a memory only…mixed with something else to make something different…like…a repeated instance…you know, it's kind of like a memory mixed with déjà vu," Anna glanced around one more time, feeling that she was close to making the breakthrough and then it suddenly flashed like a light bulb, "I think I've been here before."

Lani stared up at the doctor in surprise, a look that was mirrored in his own purple tinted shades. Lani sputtered before regaining her composure, because apparently Anna forgot about her Drone background.

"Well you did say that you have been in the realms before…"

"No Lani I mean, really, I feels like I've been in THIS realm before. This specific realm, the Swamp Realm." Anna emphasized, causing Lani to look more confused than ever. Dr. Tezla, on the other hand, held a look of pure shock and covered his mouth in surprise and contemplation.

"It couldn't be…she can't be…" Tezla mused quietly above a whisper, jotting his thoughts quickly down on paper. He shoved the piece of parchment into his pocket for safe keep, making sure Lani couldn't see the action (although GIG had).

Anna shook her head to clear the oncoming barrage of thoughts, musing to save them for later when she wasn't racing against the clock, literally. She revved her car again and sped forward, spiraling up along with the track to reach a higher place among the trees.

It's too bad really, that Anna hadn't taken the time to stare into the murky blue lake, to have the mutated fish stare back up at her. Because if she had she would have noticed something far grander, and much more important. She would have seen a lone green and yellow car stick up out of the water, half submerged beneath its depths and beginning to cover in moss. She would have seen it and felt its familiarity, perhaps even a memory that was waiting in the wings.

She would have seen the car that had previously haunted her memories

For those of you who are confused, please refer to chapter 4 at the end (not counting the prologue as one)

Eh, Eh, EH! That's some big piece of clue that was tossed there at the end (tosses paper labeled 'CLUE' to reader).

Let me know if you guys think that Anna fainting or almost fainting every time she has a memory is too much, I'm still trying to test out the idea for later chapters

And for those of you, who still don't get end, leave a message in the review and I'll remember to add it to the next chapter at the beginning. (But first, see if you can remember whose car that is and what not). That was a fun and long chapter to write, see you in the second part! Please Review and I hope you enjoyed it!

CT

PS

Here I'll give you another hint; I messed up his accent in the fourth chapter since I didn't know what it was at the time. It's not Spanish, it's Puerto Rican.