Grief's Fury

Okay, as voted for, here is the sequel to Night Solace.

It is set approximately two years in the future from where Night Solace left off. The boys have all have chosen to stay together and work for the Preventers. For a hobby, they race motorcycles. (Think pod-racing from Star Wars, only on motorcycles, and maybe a touch of Speed Racer!) This is where we start but is definitely not where we end! Does not have racing all the way through! It is just the very beginning! I hope you all enjoy!

PS. I think I made up the bikes…can't remember. Lol

Present time.

Twenty racers waited in a long row across the desert basin, the powerful machines beneath them misleadingly quiescent. The skill and strength required to control these highly calibrated, super motorcycles made these pilots the best across the world. The Elite. Today they would all meet for the first time, at the same time, in the first World Free Race. No carefully maintained tracks awaited these racers; just pure dirt, smooth rock, high canyon walls, and twisted tunnels.

Some racers double and triple-checked the straps and buckles of their leathers, which could make all the difference of survival if they hit the dirt. Most just waited with calm focus for the announcers to shut up and start the race. One or two showed their disgust at the announcers' blathering by flopping forward and taking a doze. (Namely, Duo.) The loud countdown would wake them when it was finally go time. As it was, it would be at least ten more minutes.

"Welcome to the First World Free Race! Created solely to pit these Elite Racers from all sides of the world in one extreme race, it has four dangerous laps and fewer rules," the announcer shouted to the cheering audience. "Sanq's own team, the Top Five, are here and ready to go! They have never lost a race between the lot of them, but today they are going up against all the other fifteen Elite at one time! Can they beat them all? We shall see! From France, we have four racers…" And on he went.

"Now in slot one we have:

1. The Almighty Dragon! (Wufei still blamed Duo for that name.)

2. Thunder Cloud AND—!

3. Lightning Strike! Watch out for those two; they do not play nice!

4. Sand Lion! Small and deceptive, keep both eyes on him. (Quatre rolled his eyes.)

5. Flash Bye!

6. Phantom! The first of our mystery girls who never shows us her face.

7. Slayer!

8. Soulscream!

9. Phoenix! Just when you think she is finished, she'll wipe you out!

10. Zero Tolerance! (Heero wished he could just shoot the announcers already.)

11. Ace!

12. Death's One! (Duo cackled.)

13. Beastling! This one will bite you hard. (Trowa leaned over and whacked Duo.)

14. Numero Uno! A favorite of the Germans!

15. Tsunami Smash! Nothing can stop this wave!

16. S.B.D

17. Pride!

18. Shadow!

19. Twinkle!

20. Dark Peace! She, like the Phantom, refuses to remove her helmet, breaking the hearts of many!

"These Elite pilots are ready to go as the final countdown begins!"

Earlier Before the Race:

Wufei futilely wiped his oily hands on the cleanest rag he could find. The rag really wasn't clean at all, but since it was only lightly spotted and brown rather than black with oil and other fluids, it could be called clean. He tossed it into the corner. It wasn't doing any good. He was nearly done with the tune up on his Neo 16, so he would wash up in a moment.

Duo cooed suddenly over his Neo SC100, making him jump. Wufei scowled over at his brother, who was whispering sweet nothings to the machine as he lovingly polished over the scarlet scythe and kanji decal. Rolling his eyes, Wufei turned back to his machine to scrutinize his own gold dragon decal to be sure there were no smudges. With a satisfied smirk, he deemed it ready to roll. All of their bikes carried decals designed by Solaris during the war: Trowa's bike bore the two classical play masks in blue and green, Quatre chose a snarling sand cat in saffron, while Heero had found the doodle of a winged sword in the pages of one of her schoolbooks and claimed it immediately as his.

Walking to the utility sink, Wufei judged that the others were almost done tuning up too. The five of them happily shared a garage. The other teams, while normally friends, likely regarded their teammates with suspicion while trying to sabotage the others' bikes themselves. The purse for first place was five hundred thousand credits. Few were willing to share even that large amount of money.

Personally, Wufei did not care in the slightest about the purse; the thrill came in the race, the adrenaline rush being much cooler without accompanying bullets. He knew that was how his brothers felt too. The five of them together were all they had. They were family back to back, always ready whether it was to take on the world once so willing to destroy them, the bad guys, or win a race. Their life was rarely boring. Especially when you were on the Preventers' payroll.

A wave of grief swept over him, nearly sending him to his knees, but familiarity with the emotion kept him unyielding. There was a gap in their protective circle just about the size of a smallish, fierce girl. The hole had not shrunk any in the two years since Solaris had left—whether to die or hide, they had not been able to find out. Searching high and low, they had relentlessly tracked every whisper and rumor. Even now, computers at home hummed under search programs looking for any hint to give them a lead. The stubborn, beautiful girl vanished into the shadows of the night leaving nothing behind except a single, pathetic note.

Her former so-called family had not been so hidden. Duo found the assassin family, and the five proceeded to tear the despicable people apart. Starting with their name and contacts, the pilots destroyed the Taigas' reputation and then the members of the family began to disappear one by one. There had only been six people they had allowed to live: four small children and two beaten young women willing to die to protect their babies.

Wufei scrubbed soap angrily in his hands, willing the grease and pain to disappear together. Solaris's leaving had torn a never-healing wound into their hearts.

Closing his eyes, Wufei forced his thoughts to stop, taking a deep breath before exhaling the air slowly along with the pointless fury and pain. She was gone and most likely dead by her own hand. Even if she was not, two years had passed. She was not coming back. It was time to get his head back in the game. He had a race to win.

They wheeled their bikes out to the starting line, breaking up to go into their own slots, grinning with excitement. Well, Duo and Quatre were; the others' faces could barely be called smiles, but the emotion was the same. They raced a lot, but not against so many racers of caliber. For once, they would not be racing just each other, but the other racers as well. It presented an actual challenge. Twenty racers lined up with a thrumming, eager energy arching back and forth, amping up the adrenaline pumping into their veins. The First World Free was theirs to race. Theirs to win. It was going to be the greatest battle in all of motorcycle history. That anticipation was dampened only slightly by the announcers babbling on and on. Duo merely flopped forward, lying over his bike and taking a nap. Further on up the line Wufei snorted at his ability to sleep anytime, anywhere. Finally, the announcers began to wind up their speech. Wufei tugged his helmet on, snapping it into place. The machine beneath him purred into life with the push of a button. Similar purrs and growls echoed his up and down the line.

The countdown began.

Focused stillness settled over Wufei like the quiet before a hurricane. It was that clear focus which kept him alive through all the Preventer missions and aided him in winning so many races. During the war he had fought with rage in his heart. Since then it had tamed and cooled into a strong sword. He did not falter anymore; he knew how he stood in the world. A predatory grin grew behind the black helmet.

Three long laps through the treacherous canyon came before they would be shunted off into the tunnels running within the canyon walls. No other track in the world compared to this one. Except for the first mile of tar, everything was off road and natural. Cleared of the more dangerous obstacles, yes, but otherwise left alone beyond the marking of the way. No one had run this track before this race. No practice drives. Not even a walk. Only overlooks from the top of the canyon and a map of the tunnels to study the night before. It was true test of their skills.

3

2

1

_O-`O

The wheel blocks flattened to the ground. Rubber burned black, smelly streaks on the pavement. Wufei's Neo shot forward at his touch as he jockeyed for position. He was in front. 0-100 mph in ten seconds. If he could hold this place until the canyon he would not have to deal with the cheaters in the bunch. A glance into his mirrors displayed Duo's bike easing up on his right. Good. Someone to watch his back. No race was run cleanly. It was an expected, even anticipated, part of the game. The judges turned a blind eye and the viewers ate it up as part of the drama. The five of them made it their personal game to run the race without the dirty tricks the other Elite pulled and still win all of the first five slots.

Duo entered the canyon ahead of him. Wufei kept a careful eye on Flybye, who hovered mere paces behind. The red canyon walls narrowed abruptly, forcing them into single file. To pass here would be phenomenally stupid, but could offer a position to win. The river-carved trench was a uniquely smooth surface, almost slippery. Cameras whirred, mounted high on the walls, and the helicopter above tracked them.

"SHIT!" The headset in his helmet crackled alive, blistering with Heero's curses. Wufei snickered, zipping through sharp twists and shifting his weight to account for sandy patches. "Twinklestar has me pinned and Beastling is riding my ass." With little room to maneuver to start with, Heero could only fight to keep his bike in one piece.

Suddenly, the curses turned into mutters of grudging admiration. "Daring move. Stupid, but it got her around us."

"What?" Duo asked impatiently.

"Phantom just rode the curve of the wall over us. I think she's in fifth now.

Quatre jumped in, reporting, "Slayer just slammed Tsunami out in self-defense. The guy dumped a string of tacks on the floor. Slayer barely made it past them. The tacks will probably take out some of the others, though. Slowed us down a bit, too," he growled.

"Get any farther behind Q and you are going to lose," Duo crowed.

QQQQQ

The canyon widened out to almost half a mile, giving the racers plenty of room to maneuver and get ahead or knock others out of the running. Taking advantage of the open road, Quatre shifted gears and shot past Trowa and Slayer. A very lion-like snarl came through his com link.

Quatre laughed evilly. "Aw, sorry Trowa. Did you want to go first? Well...eat my dust!"

"Duo is a bad influence."

"Yes, yes, I am! A winning one, too!" Duo's maniacal laughter set all their eyebrows twitching.

"Shut up, Duo," Heero snapped.

"Grumpy, grumpy." Laughter echoed from them all, the ease of friendship and the thrill of the race making them almost giddy.

Trowa, not to be left behind for long, sneered at Slayer's back and slid his bike left before swerving immediately to the right. Slayer blocked him, Trowa's front tire so close to Slayer's rear one that the tires' colors blurred together for a split second. Slayer tried to slowly to move back right and Trowa passed him, gone to catch Quatre.

Quatre had not gotten as far ahead as he would have liked when Trowa drew up beside him, Slayer a forgotten speck on the horizon. Three other motorcyclists fought for space ahead of them. Or more like two fought to keep the other trapped. Quatre and Trowa flashed ahead of the struggling three, who were so busy competing for space without totaling all of their bikes they didn't notice.

"Since we are here we might as well lend a hand," Quatre said diplomatically.

"Hn. He would get free sooner or later," Trowa answered.

Quatre sighed. "True, but those two might cost him a placing. They are Elite after all."

"We can't have that I suppose." Trowa's mirrors showed Thunder and Lightening viciously pinning Heero's motorcycle between them. The two's maneuvers showed why they made such a good team. "Everyone's just plain out to get you today, Heero: Twinklestar, Beastling, and now these two."

Quatre and Trowa hit the brakes so they seemed to drop backwards into the midst of the other three, effectively forcing Thunder and Lightning to split away from harassing Heero. Quatre and Trowa settled into a protective shield on either side of Heero. The stormy duo would not be able to try that again on them this race.

During their rescue, a few other Elite had passed them. Quatre had seen Ace, SBD, and the girl Dark Peace for sure. Trowa thought he'd noticed Pride slipping ahead as well.

Now that the challenge to one of their own was gone, the competition between the boys returned in full force. Quatre's bike held an advantage on flat, straight stretches, and he opened the throttle in hopes of gaining enough ground to win a slot above the two behind him, if not the two ahead.

HDTQW

The following two laps passed much the same with everyone fighting for position. Duo and Wufei continued to hold the lead while Flyby had fallen behind, only to be replaced with the Phantom girl who had done the curve pass over Heero in the first lap. Wufei was forced to sacrifice his nitrox to stay ahead of Phantom when the canyon narrowed. Twinklestar was taken out of the race when Beastling forced him to turn into a sand pit. Thunder and Lightning never made up the time they had lost picking on Heero.

Quatre, Heero, and Trowa spread out some before the tunnels. Quatre made good on his open road and passed Ace, Pride, and SBD before the canyon renarrowed and the race's win was left to the tunnels. Heero and Trowa fought to get around Ace before it was too late. The other Elite remained behind them, dueling it out with nasty tricks to take out their competition.

DDDD

The ominous, black mouth containing the twisting turns of the last lap loomed ahead. Its shadow stretched out to meet Duo. Inky darkness swallowed him, and for a moment, there was nothingness; there could be a wall of rock ahead for all he knew. Then, the lines of light leading deep into the tunnels appeared, allowing him to choose his tunnel.

He knew exactly what his first turns were going to be, even with little more than neon-green streaks of light and memories of a map to guide him. Duo grinned with the thrill of it. He had succeeded with much less in the past.

Acidic yellow arrows pointed out the tunnels' branches. It was here the race could be won or lost no matter the racer's current pacing. Choose a long tunnel and it might prove too long. A short one could be treacherous with sharp twists and narrow passage. Even worse, the long ones that held them all.

Duo did not even slow from 70 mph before blasting into the opening to the farthest left. A flash of headlights on his back told him Wufei was not far behind, but not following his path.

WWW

Wufei hissed through his teeth as his knee brushed the floor on a tight turn. The heat from the friction burned though his leathers, but he straightened out before his knee smeared onto stone. As long as he took his turns well he knew he could win this. He had seen Duo's choice of tunnel, and it was longer.

Wufei entered an almost ninety-degree turn way, way to fast. In desperation, Wufei brought up his foot and shoved off the wall. Pain screamed up his foot. The bike wobbled and swerved dangerously. He fought for control, jerking his body the other way to pull his weight up and rebalance. Blood pounded through his ears. That was close. Very close.

The rest of the tunnel flew by with ease after that, although Wufei could feel that he'd be limping away from the track. It grew lighter after a turn, and it was the last stretch. He blasted out into the daylight and the final paved stretch. The grandstands marked the finish line.

A blur in the corner of his eye warned him of a competitor for first place. He spared a glance. It was a girl dressed all in white. He had expected it to be Duo or even one of the others. Instead, he thought it was Dark Peace, one of the strange girls whom never showed her face.

She leaned over her bike as though she could be one with it. The engine purred with power matching equal to his engines. Still, he had a small head start and he would keep it.

Duo whooped in his ear, "In the light first, guys!"

"I'm way ahead of you, Duo, but so is some girl."

"NANI!" Duo wailed.

Wufei tuned him out. The girl was catching him. The gears of his bike shifted up at his command and he pulled away shortly.

500 yards.

He shifted into the highest gear, and the engine roared its eager reply. The girl still rode right on his tail, matching him for speed.

300 yards.

She would never quite catch him.

100 yards.

The pitch of the engine behind him took on a new pitch. A white blur shot passed him.

FINISH

Nitrox. There was only one unit of nitrox per bike. The girl had still had it in her tank. She had made the whole race without it until now, to beat him. The girl had beaten them all. No one had ever beaten one of the five before, and this girl beat them all.

Still, he supposed, second wasn't too bad when you got to race the best of the best.

Duo stopped beside him, only seconds behind. "Wow, we just got schooled."

HDTQW

The Elite not currently hospitalized lined up across the pavement in front of the grandstands. The five boys accepted their 2nd-6th place medals and then watched the girl gracefully accept the first trophy not going home to gather dust in their display case.

"We present you the survivors of the First World Free. The Grand Prize winner, Dark Peace! Will you now show the world your face?" the announcer questioned.

Dark Peace shook her head.

"Ah, well, we shall continue to pine away at the mystery of your beauty." The announcer faked a sniffle and tear.

The after party took place at the hotel overlooking the canyon. Quatre vanished into the crowd in search of water rather than drink the champagne being offered by the waiters. Wufei noticed that few of the Elite took the time to change before joining the party, leaving Dark Peach in her helmet for obscurity.

"It was a great to race against you today." The girl's voice gave no clues as to her identity either.

"You as well. You raced honorably," Wufei replied.

"Thank you. I have followed your team's races since you started. You boys certainly don't know how to lose."

"More like everyone else doesn't know how to win," Duo jumped into the conversation.

She laughed. "Perhaps. I should go now. I look forward to meeting you again."

"Hey, can you at least tell us why you don't show your face? OW!" Duo clutched his head where Heero whacked him. "I was just asking."

Dark Peace laughed again. "I am not ready for the world to know who I am. Some things need to change first. Later, boys."

Quatre returned in time to see them staring blankly into the crowd. "What did I miss?"

One month and 6 days later:

Commander Un led five of her top agents through the restaurant toward the reserved private rooms. She stopped them just outside an ornately carved door.

"I want your word upon your honor and the peace we fight for that you will not attack the undercover agent inside and you will listen. You will save any personal confrontation for later. Right now, she is here for the mission. You will do nothing to compromise her cover. I will tell you right now you will not like it, but you will keep yourselves under control."

"Yes, sir!" they said in sync, all wondering who could be so bad they would be willing to compromise a mission to kill.

Commander Un gave them a hard look and let them into the room before closing the door behind her. She stayed by the door, giving them their space. She wasn't stupid enough to get between them, their guns, and her undercover agent. There was no telling how they were going to react.

TBC

YAY! I've made it through the race! I had such a freakin hard time writing that out. I really think the rest of it should come easy now. I am really, really sorry for the wait. Hope you like!