A Viper's Journey

[ebonyviper]

A VIPER'S JOURNEY
by EbonyViper

DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belongs to Pixar Disney. Ebony and Tony Blitz belong to me. There is no copyright infringement intended in this fanfiction. I'm only doing this for entertainment purposes.

WARNING: This chapter contains slight mature content!

Chapter 1: Unpleasant Beginnings


It was New Years Eve and everyone in the city was celebrating the turnover to the new year. She was not much for parties and would've preferred to spend the night street-racing or in the desert by herself, but Ebony felt obliged to attend at least one of those parties. After all, she was the Black Viper and the rest of Tuner society likened her to their queen of sorts.

Ebony was driving down the Strip, looking at all the revelers, but ignoring them. She turned off to her left and headed down a near-deserted alleyway, passing a couple making love to each other, and turned again until she found herself facing an iron door. It was guarded by a large, tuned Ford Explorer who looked just about as threatening as the Viper's own spikes.

“You have ID?” the SUV asked in a deep, rumbling voice that would make other cars quake in their tires, but Ebony held herself steadfast and still, not at all frightened by his tone.

“Black Viper,” Ebony stated simply, knowing that her reputation would get her into this secret speakeasy without any arguments from anybody.

The SUV blinked for a moment before he moved aside to let her in. Ebony didn't look at him when she passed by, but she knew that her presence must've unnerved him.

When she drove inside, she saw that the speakeasy was full of tuners who were conversing amongst each other. They stopped abruptly and looked up as they saw her come in, then whispered to each other and giving her furtive looks.

Ebony noticed this, but snorted, knowing that they were talking about her, but drove slowly along, looking for a place to park and enjoy the refreshments that were being served here. She didn't have long to search as there was an empty space in the corner.

She settled on the mat and listened to the conversations going around the speakeasy. Before she could order, however, a waitress brought her a can of cranberry ethanol infusion.

“Hold on,” she said firmly, “I don't drink and I didn't order that.”

“Oh, I know,” replied the little, blue Mazda Miata, then jerked her antenna behind her, “That guy over there did. Black tuned Toyota Supra.”

Ebony looked to where the Miata was pointing and saw the Supra. He waved at her and appeared to be friendly enough. What caught her attention were his golden eyes, which seemed to stare right into her soul.

Who is he? Why is he looking at me like that? Ebony thought as she studied this newcomer, I've never seen him before in my life. Is he new around here?

Before she could think of what she should do, he was coming over. He carried a small can of oil in his antenna, the same flavor as her own, and was smiling at her.

“Happy New Years,” he said in a suave voice, “May I sit here?”

Ebony blinked for a moment, then nodded, “Yes, you can sit here, and Happy New Year to you too.”

The Supra nodded and took his place near Ebony, who only gave him a sidelong glance before turning back to her drink.

“So, I see here that everyone knows you,” he said as a way of starting off a conversation with her.

Ebony looked back at him, “Yes, true. They know me.”

“May I ask how they know you?” asked the Supra.

“I'm the Black Viper,” Ebony replied simply.

The Supra appeared confused for a minute before he remembered what he had been told about the Black Viper. So she is the one known as the Black Viper, the dreaded terror of Vegas, he thought, Rather young, but I guess that's how all street-racers start out.

“I've heard some rumors about you,” he said, “So they're all true?”

Ebony replied, “Yes. Now, may I ask you some questions?”

When the Supra nodded, she continued. “Who are you? And why do you have an interest in me?”

“Ah, my dear,” said the Supra, “My name's Tony Blitz and I'd like to have a race with you because... well, you fascinate me.”

“I do, eh?” Ebony raised an eyeshade at this, looking curiously at Tony, “I'm most willing to accept a challenge, but it's much too crowded here.”

“How about taking the race to the outside of Vegas?” suggested Tony, “That way, we won't put anybody else in danger.”

Ebony blinked for a moment. “That sounds alright. When do you want to have the race?”

“Right now,” said Tony, “We can leave this place now, if you'd like to get away from the crowds.”

* * * * *

Ebony wasn't sure as she followed Tony to the outside of Vegas. Something seemed off to her, but she just didn't know what it was... yet.

“We shouldn't go too far,” cautioned Ebony, “because we'll be too far away from the gradual safety of the city streets.”

“Oh, we won't,” Tony replied reassuringly, “We'll be within sight of Vegas just in case anything happens.”

It seemed like he was really driving close to her. She noticed this and tried to pull away to give them both some space on the road, but he always managed to close the distance.

“Does the desert always look like this at night?” her asked her.

Tony's question caught Ebony off-guard for a moment. She looked out toward the desert horizon, “Well, yes. It always does. That's the desert for you. Haven't you ever been in a deser—”

She stopped in mid-sentence when she felt a pinprick against her side and turned to glare at the Supra, but couldn't get any words out. Suddenly her whole world spun and she collapsed onto the road with a faint moan. Then darkness enveloped her.

On Tony's face was a malicious grin. His plans were working out perfectly. He dragged the unconscious, drugged Dodge Viper away toward his hideout in the desert.

* * * * *

She woke up with a gasp. Pain flared through her frame like wildfire and she cried out in response. She didn't know where she was because everything seemed so dark. Ebony tried to flick on her headlights to see where she was, but to her dismay and slight panic, they didn't work. In fact, they had been busted right before she was dragged here.

Ebony attempted to stand up, but the pain flared again and she yelped, sinking back down to the cold, rocky cave floor. She was trembling fiercely and she could now feel a sort of sticky, oily stuff trickling out of her mouth.

Something's... broken inside... she thought faintly, W-ha' he do to me...?

Bright headlights suddenly blinded her, causing her to hiss in pain and shut her eyes against the glare. “W-wha'...?”

“Quiet my dear,” the smooth, suave voice of the Supra penetrated her thoughts, “Won't do for my toy to escape now injured like that now would it?”

Before she could saying anything, he mounted her and forced himself inside her. This caused her to cry out in even more pain even as she came close to climax. The Supra eventually dismounted, satisfied with his criminal act.

Ebony, however, was lying in a pool of her own oil and whimpering from such brutal treatment. She was dizzy and starting to breathe more rapidly. Tony gave a sneer and kicked the Viper in the side... hard. She yelped and began trembling again.

But something in the Viper's mind snapped. She somehow managed to find the strength to pull herself up on her shaky tires and lunged toward Tony, jamming her side spikes, hidden within bottom side compartments, into the Supra's side.

She felt a sort of strange satisfaction when she heard him scream in surprise and pain. Knowing that she had not much time, she quickly withdrew her spikes and left Tony there in shock from the attack and limped out of the cave and into the desert. However, she headed away from Vegas, hoping that if she could make it to the next town she'd be able to find some medical supplies to use to patch herself up, even if she had to steal them.

The night saw the taillights of the black Dodge Viper fade into the distance, not knowing where she was going and now afraid for her life.

[Evangeline]

OK... story is good, but are you sure you don't want to put it in the PG-13 zone? I can give you the password.

[ebonyviper]

It's only one chapter. The rest of the story isn't going to be like the first chapter.

[elizar]

Easy solution: Put the first chapter in the PG-13 forum, then do the rest here.

[ebonyviper]

I would much rather prefer a rating system like the one WC has. I may rate chapters differently.

[elizar]

Oh, so it is now a question of how the rating system is rather than rating warning and sections? Must be rather bizzare rating system since this stuff is lower than PG-13. Could you link it to me where it is detailed? I wanna see the insanity.

[Evangeline]

Warnings or other info in the title might make sense, yes. I'm also thinking of making the creative and RP sections members-only so casual lurkers don't get more than they bargained for.

[ebonyviper]

evangeline said:

Warnings or other info in the title might make sense, yes. I'm also thinking of making the creative and RP sections members-only so casual lurkers don't get more than they bargained for.

I would agree with that idea.

At Wingnut City, I have this first chapter rated T (you have to login to see the the rating system at the Wingnut City Library in the Creative Section)

[elizar]

# B - Ages 1 - 4
# K - Ages 5+
# K+ - Ages 9+
# T - Ages 13+
# M - Ages 16+
# MA - Ages 18+
# S(plus a rating) - Slash

Is it just me, or is the T rating just the same as PG-13? Just add the label and be done with it then.

[ebonyviper]

By the way, this is only a condensed version of what happened, because I don't like too much description in a story, but only enough as I see fit to tell the story as I see it. Oh, and it's not related to the events that are being described in the RP, just to clear up some confusion.

[ebonyviper]

A VIPER'S JOURNEY
by EbonyViper

DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belongs to Pixar Disney. Ebony, Tony Blitz, Tempest, Inferno, Ricardo Sanchez “Rico”, and Tanner belong to me. There is no copyright infringement intended in this fanfiction. I'm only doing this for entertainment purposes.

Chapter 2: No Place to Go


The slot canyon of Cathedral Gorge State Park provided her with shelter from public scrutiny and from the elements. She drove slowly toward the end and settled down on the sandy floor, dropping a bad of medical supplies that she had managed to successfully swipe from a pharmacy and not get caught.

Ebony paused for a few minutes to access how badly she had been injured by Tony Blitz. Her sides looked as if somebody had taken a sledgehammer to them, forcefully bashing the metal inward and making it rip apart in some places. There wasn't any oil leakage, thank Chrysler, but she was in a lot of pain.

She lowered her antenna and touched the gashes gingerly. “Owww...” she winced as a flash of pain took hold of her body. It was hurting her badly.

She immediately reached over and grabbed the bad, turned it over, dumping everything out onto the ground. There were tubes of antibiotic ointment cream, rolls of bandage patches as well as clinical tape, and a few bottles of Gaspirin for the pain. She had even swiped a box of Gask-It's to keep herself from going hungry.

Taking a bottle of Gaspirin, she broke the seal, shook out two tablets, and popped them into her mouth. She chewed on them for awhile, then swallowed. She picked up a small can of fuel from the pile, opened it, and took a few sips before setting down on the ground near her left tire.

She then picked up the antibiotic ointment, the bandage patches, an the clinical tape and set to work on fixing her damage.

* * * * *

Where can I go now? Ebony thought as she lay resting in the sand, I can't go back to Vegas. He's still there. He'll hurt me more if I show my face there again.

She shuddered at that thought. What that Supra had done to her had changed her considerably. No longer was she the fearless legend of street-racing fame. No longer will she get the respect that she had worked so hard to earn from her fellow tuners.

They won't see me as the Black Viper anymore, she thought sadly, I let myself be taken advantage of and now I'm paying for it.

Ebony dropped her antenna to her side, feeling the areas where she had applied the bandage patches. Tony had given her those injuries and had utterly humiliated her.

The only option she had left was to self-exile herself. She had to get as far away as possible from the nightmare that had ruined her life. But this saddened her. She started to cry.

I'm never gonna see Tempest and Inferno again. I'm never gonna see Rico again, she thought sadly, I lost the only home I knew because of Blitz. He ruined it all for me.

She realized that she was now truly and utterly alone. There was no one around to see her cry.

After a few minutes, the Viper slowly picked herself up, collected the medical supplies and placing them in a side compartment, and drove slowly out of the slot canyon.

* * * * *

She was looking at the maps at a visitor's center new the border of Nevada and Utah, wondering whether or not she should head east. Her situation certainly called for it and she had no choice but to head in that direction. She had nothing to lose anyway.

“Thank you and please come visit Nevada when you have the chance,” a desk clerk said to Ebony as the Viper picked up a few Utah road maps, “Have a safe trip.”

“I will...” Ebony replied as she tucked the maps into a side compartment. Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen...

She drove away from the visitor's center without even looking back. She doubted that she'll ever get another chance to return to the city that she had used to call home.

It's in the past and I can never go back, she thought as she followed the highway toward an unknown destination in the east.

Ebony didn't know where she was going, but she knew that the longer she drove, the further away she would get away from him. She also knew that Tony Blitz would try to find her and exact his revenge on her for what she had done to him. Ebony had used her spikes in self-defense, but she believed that the Supra would not see it that way.

* * * * *

Tony Blitz himself had eventually recovered from the Viper's sudden and unexpected attack. He winced as he stood up, feeling pain from the gashes that the Viper had left in his fender with those spikes of hers. He hadn't realized that she had those weapons hidden within side compartments until he felt the blades ripping through his sheetmetal.

He could still pick up on her scent even thought it had been eight hours already. He was pleased to find out that Ebony had been leaking oil when she had escaped from him.

I can follow you wherever you go now, little brat, the Supra thought, a sadistic smirk spreading across his torn front. He also thought that it would be a better idea to keep the scars as a memento.

He drove out of the cave and followed Ebony's scent. The Supra now had thoughts of killing the Viper if he ever found her again. Obviously, putting her through harsh mental abuse and severely brutalizing her was not enough.

* * * * *

Ebony had, after many hours of driving, stopped at a small town in Utah. She was hungry and had managed to scrounge up some money somehow to buy herself a can of fuel at the local diner.

She tried to remain inconspicuous as she sipped on her fuel and looking over her map so that she could figure out where she was going when a local tuner came up to her. She eyed him suspiciously.

“Hey, haven't seen you in town before,” he said as a way of greeting, “Are you just passing through?”

“Just passing through,” she replied cautiously, “I only stopped to get a bite to eat because I was hungry.”

Ebony didn't volunteer her name, unless the tuned male, a rust red Pontiac Sunfire by the looks of it, decided to ask her. She watched with surprise as he politely dipped his front to her.

Wha--? Ebony raised an eyeshade at this behavior, Does he already know of me that he would honor me like that?

“My name is Tanner,” he introduced himself, “I control this part of Cedar City.”

“I'm Ebony, but I won't stay long so don't worry. I have no intentions of taking over your territory,” Ebony replied quickly, “I'll leave just as soon as I finish this fuel.”

“Whoa, hey!” Tanner waved his antenna in a THAT'S-NOT-THE-POINT gesture, “I'm not looking to chase you out. You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

Ebony paused for a moment, then shook her front, “I think I get what you mean, but sorry, no. I can't stay very long anyway.”

“What's your hurry?” asked the Sunfire.

“I can't tell you,” replied Ebony, looking away.

Tanner blinked for a moment, confused by Ebony's evasive remarks, but he knew better than to question the small female about the reasons for her behavior right at this moment. But the way she was acting so tense around him told him that she must be having some issues. He looked at her with sympathy in his blue eyes.

“Ebony, listen,” the Sunfire said, “Don't leave so soon. You wouldn't be able to make a long journey the way you are right now. At least stay until you've healed from whatever happened to you.”

She looked at Tanner for a long moment, debating whether she should snap at the Sunfire or leave the issue alone. Finally she decided to look away, not wanting to start anything that she thought would go wrong for her and cause trouble that she did not want to come to this town.

He might find out where I'm at if I stay here too long, she thought.

Ebony looked back at Tanner with sad, emerald green eyes. “I'm sorry, I can't stay here,” she said, “I have to keep going if I want to stay alive.”

“Why? Is someone after you?” asked Tanner.

“I'd rather not say,” Ebony shook her front, “I don't want to bring trouble to your hometown.”

Tanner sighed, but knew that he wasn't going to be able to persuade Ebony to stay in Cedar City any longer than she was comfortable.

“If that's what you want,” he said, but you'll have no protection out there, either. Where will you go, Ebony?”

“I don't know,” the Viper replied, “but it is the only way I can keep away from him.”

“Who?” asked Tanner.

Ebony fell silent for a minute, nervously rolling the empty gas can around on the pavement. She dropped her antenna to her bandaged side.

“His name...” she said slowly, rubbing her side gingerly, “is Tony Blitz...”

Tanner looked at the bandages on the Viper's side. “He did that to you, didn't he?” the Sunfire asked somberly.

Ebony nodded, “Yeah... I have to go now... I can't stay any longer, but thanks for listening to me... Goodbye, Tanner...”

With that, the Viper shifted into gear and drove away from the diner before Tanner could say anything more to her. He watched her shogun wing disappear when she passed the last building at the edge of town.

Ebony, I'll make you a promise, Tanner thought with determination, If Tony Blitz ever comes here, I will try to hold him off as long as I can. Good luck and be safe out there.

The Sunfire then paid for Ebony's fuel and then went to round up his friends to tell them of his plans.

[ebonyviper]

A VIPER'S JOURNEY

DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything in it belong to Pixar Disney. Ebony,Tony Blitz, Ricardo Sanchez, Rayburn, and Clover all belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. I am only doing this for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 3: Rejection

She had to stop again to rest. Her sides, even though they were healing now, albeit slowly, were beginning to hurt again. A cry caught in her throat as she settled down among the thick vegetation alongside the Mississippi River.

With all the stops and starts that she had been doing, Ebony realized that she had driven about 1,646 miles. This had taken her a total of a week and a half as her injuries dictated as well as her need to avoid the major highways.

Ebony lay still for a few minutes as a sort of queasy feeling passed through her frame. I'm just getting sick, that's all, she thought with her eyes closed, It'll pass soon, I hope.

The Viper remained out of sight of any prying eyes, including the riverboats. She didn't want anyone to find her and force her into public view. She didn't want him to find out where she was at.

Have to deal with this alone, she thought as she was starting to drift asleep, Nobody can really help me...

* * * * *

Sometime later, she woke up with a scream. It took her a few minutes to calm down and reassure herself that it was only a dream. A bad dream.

But the dream seemed so real that it was scary. She saw Tony Blitz leering hungrily at her and she could do nothing about it. She squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the first blow, which thankfully never came. Because that was when she had woken up, feeling cold, frightened, and alone.

Where am I? Ebony wondered silently as she looked around at her surroundings.

It was them that her keen sense of hearing and smell told her where she was. The sound of softly lapping water against the riverbank, a boat's whistle in the distance, and the scent of river water identified her location.

River... water smell... lapping water against the riverbank... a boat whistle sound...

She opened her eyes to find that it was already nighttime. She had slept almost all day.

Mississippi River... She looked out across the wide expanse of water in front of her through the tree-line and saw lights marking a certain point on the dark water in the distance, What city is that?

The Viper rose slowly and unsteadily up onto her tires, still feeling a bit of pain, but the coughing suddenly started. Her body shook violently and she fell back down on the thick bed of vegetation that she had been laying on.

Ebony tried to rise up again, but only on her front tires. The coughing grew even worse. At that moment, she jerked her front up and then back down. Something oily came spilling out of her mouth. She collapsed heavily and lay panting. She was feeling hot and very dizzy.

I-I can't stay here, she thought feverishly, I-I can't be vulnerable like this.

She slowly and unsteadily once again attempted to stand up, swayed a bit on her tires, but managed to stay upright this time. Her breathing was labored and she was trembling almost continuously, but she had to make it to that city across the river to get herself out of danger.

* * * * *

Natchez looked like an old antebellum southern city that had a lot of history to it. Ebony was always fascinated by history, but she rarely got the chance to look into any history at all while she was still living in Las Vegas.

After spending about five and a half days in a very cheap motel that she was able to find to recover from her fever, Ebony was beginning to feel a sense of security again. Tony hadn't found her yet so she figured that it was safe to venture out into the public and try to live a normal life again.

She secretly chose Natchez as her new territory and managed to befriend some of the local tuners there. Even the current leader, named Rayburn, had a grudging respect for her. His sister, Clover, took Ebony into their circle as a fellow female confidante, although she was looked upon as the lowest on the totem pole at the moment. She would have to earn her keep to rise in rank and knew that that would take awhile.

Ebony quickly learned the hierarchy and rules of this tuner gang that she had been adopted into and tried her best to follow the Tuner Code exactly to the letter. She did not reveal her reputation as the Black Viper, nor reveal that she had deadly spikes hidden within her compartments. It wasn't the right time or place.

No, she thought as she drove down the street, I can't tell them who I am. Rayburn's still a bit suspicious of me and I bet that Clover is too, even though she seems to be friendly enough. I'm perfectly fine with that, but I can leave whenever I feel like it. I'm not permanently bound here, although it is a nice city.

She lowered her antenna to feel her side. The scars were nearly healed now, but had been covered over with black paint, which was the first thing she did when she felt better. She wanted to hide the fact of what had happened to her two weeks ago from the others.

They don't need to know and I don't need to tell them, she thought, I don't want to make my problems theirs. She continued to drive along and was making plans to visit the city's local library later on.

“Ebony!” the low, harsh voice of Rayburn cut through her thoughts. The Viper turned to see the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution coming toward her.

She managed to appear humble in front of the hard-edged male. “Yes, Rayburn? What is it? Am I doing something wrong?”

Rayburn stared down at the small female Viper with hard, gray eyes, which, interestingly enough, reminded Ebony of Ricardo. They seemed to radiate a sort of recognition to her, but the hard star unnerved Ebony to a certain extent.

I must've done something wrong that he didn't like, she thought with disdain, although I don't really know what I've done wrong...

“Leave,” Rayburn's gruff voice again penetrated her thoughts, “You are a danger to my gang and as a female you know what that is. I don't want you coming around Natchez again. Understand?”

Ebony was taken by surprise by this announcement. So is she a danger to a gang that she's barely known for six days? And she is supposed to know the reason. What the hell am I supposed to know about what reasons I'm not welcome here? She wasn't sure how to take this kind of rejection and just stood their with a confused look on her front.

“Didn't you hear me?!” Rayburn demanded, making her jump and yelp, “I said for you to leave! Now!”

Reversing quickly, Ebony made a U-turn in the middle of the street and drove away as fast as she was capable of without going over the posted speed limit. There were tears streaming down her sides as she was driving out of Natchez.

I guess nobody wants me around, though I don't know why, she thought bitterly, I am truly an outcast, even with my own kind. This is what it feels like to be truly alone and nobody cares what I'm going through.

She left city limits without ever looking back, although she would have to stop somewhere to figure out where she was going to go next in her journey.

[ebonyviper]

A VIPER'S JOURNEY
by EbonyViper

Chapter 4: Rescue at the Last Minute

DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belong to Pixar Disney. Ebony, Tony Blitz, Maven, and Krill belong to me.

The illness ravaged her body and decimated her health. It felt to her as if she were dying and in fact she did want to die because of what she now knew she was carrying inside of her.

She hadn't realized it at first, but when she once had a glimpse of herself in a storefront mirror, she saw the reason why she had been feeling ill. Her sides were beginning to swell out, an indication that she was in term.

He did this to me... the young Viper thought, I'm carrying his child... My life is ruined... I just wanna die...

Laying against a rocky outcrop out in the Arizona desert, Ebony was too exhausted to keep moving. She figured that it would be best to let the heat of the desert sun take her as she believed she had nothing else left to live for. To her already delirious mind, Ebony felt that she would just be a burden to the world if she continued to keep living.

She was tired and had closed her eyes for a bit, wanting to sleep, but worried that she was going to have that nightmare again. She tried to force herself to stay awake, but failed and succumbed to the darkness.

* * * * *

She was on the verge of passing out when she came to the next town. But, instead of going in, Ebony took a backroad that led her to a stand of trees behind some oddly-shaped hotel rooms that looked like caution cones.

Ebony didn't think too much on the significance of this particular desert town, but just wanted to rest from her long drive. Her body was trembling badly from her illness.

Ducking into a hidden grove, Ebony settled down on the grass, exhausted and weak. At least she'll be safe here for a few hours before she had to leave again.

Only for a little bit, she thought wearily as her eyes began to droop, but not for too long...

* * * * *

She woke up again to the sound of screaming. Her eyes snapped open and a growl rose in her throat. She hated being disturbed from a sound sleep like that.

It was already nighttime as she slowly stood up on still-weak tires to check out what was going on. There wasn't much she could see and all she heard was someone yelling something about tires, more screaming, and then silence.

Ebony huffed slightly in irritation, hoping that whoever had disturbed the quiet of the night and her sleep had been dealt with. She wasn't concerned about what might happen in the next few days at this town. All she wanted was some sleep.

She slowly rolled back to her sleeping place and wearily lay down again. Her body was aching terribly, but at least she was able to sleep without any other interruptions for the rest of the night.

* * * * *

Just before dawn, Ebony had decided to leave. She wasn't too keen on sticking around and being discovered by this little desert town's inhabitants and them finding out about her current condition. She was afraid that that would help Blitz find her.

She drove up the sloping and winding road carefully, not wanting to crash into a ditch and harm her baby. The morning was starting to get lighter, but Ebony was still inclined to use her headlights to be able to see better.

At one point, she passed a gorgeous waterfall as she was driving over a bridge. She stopped and studied it for awhile, taken in by its beauty.

I wish I could sketch that, she thought, it looks so pretty. But I don't have a sketchbook, nor do I have any money to buy one. I guess I'll just try to commit this all to memory.

Ebony had never really taken notice of her surroundings before as she was more focused on staying one tread ahead of Tony Blitz. It was like her creative soul was crying out to be heard and that she should listen to it.

Maybe I can find work in the next town or something, she thought as this new idea came to her, I need to support this baby and myself somehow. It gets so tiring of always being on the move and stealing to survive all the time.

She dropped her antenna to her swelling side, feeling the baby move inside of her. I will protect you, Little One.

Ebony sighed and continued driving, determined not to waste anymore daylight. She was slower than usual, as the baby was getting heavier, and if she could make it to the next town, she could rest for a bit.

* * * * *

After a few hours of driving, Ebony came to an abandoned farmhouse, which seemed to be falling apart. Curious, she pulled closer to inspect this old relic from the past.

“Well, well, well,” the familiar, suave voice made her jump in surprise, “You kept up a good chase, little tramp, but I see you're slowing down now.”

Ebony spun around with a gasp, as much as the heaviness of the baby would allow her. Her emerald green eyes widened with terror as she saw who had snuck up on her.

It was Tony Blitz. The black Supra had a smirk on his face, which was lopsided due to the triple scarring on the right side of his cheek fender. Those were slowly healing, but were the work of Ebony's spikes.

“N-no...” Ebony spoke in a frightened, trembling voice, “N-not you...”

“Did you honestly think that you could lose me with all that weaving and dodging?” asked Tony as he came closer to the Viper, “You should've known that I'm tuned as well and could very easily track your scent.”

Ebony back up as much as she could, wanting to protect her baby. Despite her own fierce appearance, Ebony was very afraid of Tony Blitz. She cried out in fear and pain as Tony pinned her against the side of the old farmhouse. Ebony wanted to thrust her spikes into the Supra again, but she feared that she might accidentally bring harm to her baby. Coincidentally, her spikes were what were supporting her undercarriage and the weight of her baby, as well as protecting it. So she couldn't use them.

“You're in term,” Tony said, stroking Ebony's swelling side and making her shudder at the touch, “and it looks like you're already a couple of months along. Poor young, teenage mother. Don't worry. I'll remedy that soon enough. Can't have you using this little brat of yours against me, now can I?”

Ebony whimpered and closed her eyes, ready for the coming blow... which never came. Instead, she heard the rev of an engine and screech of metal hitting metal, as well as a scream of surprise from Tony.

“Don't be hitting young mothers and thinking you can get away with it,” said a stern voice, “or I'll make you wish your mother never had you!”

“I can do whatever I want!” snapped Tony as he quickly recovered and turned to face his attacker, “She's mine!”

“Oh, really?” answered the Supra's attacker, “She doesn't look like it to me. She is afraid of you!”

“Who are you to be telling me what to do?” growled Tony.

“You'd better leave before I make things much worse for you,” answered the other car.

Tony thought about teaching this car a lesson in interrupting him, but thought better of it as seeing how fierce this car was. The Supra shifted his eyes to the Viper, growling at her and making her cringe, then spun dirt in her face before taking off.

After he was gone, the other car cautiously approached Ebony. “It's okay now,” he said softly so as not to frighten her, “He's gone. You're safe now.”

Ebony cautiously opened her eyes to see a dark green Dodge Viper in front of her. He seemed just a few years older than she was and had modifications that looked almost like her own, but guessed that the spikey look was pretty common among tuners. He had hazel brown eyes that seemed soft and full of concern for her.

“W-who are you...?” she asked hesitantly.

“Call me Krill,” answered the other Viper, “You're lucky I came by and saw what was happening.”

“Uh, thanks... I think,” Ebony replied slowly, getting back up on her tires.

“Need a place to stay? Something to eat?” asked Krill, concerned, “My sister, Maven, and I will gladly offer you all that. That is, if you want it.”

Ebony thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I'm pretty tired and not feeling all that well right now,” she replied, “and I'm starving. Where do you and your sister live?”

“It's only a few miles from here,” said Krill as he turned around and shifted into gear, “I'll take you there, but go slow so you can keep up, alright?”

“Alright, Krill,” nodded Ebony as she shifted into gear to follow the dark green Viper, “I can keep up.”

Krill gave a nod and led the way to the home that he and his twin sister, Maven, shared in the next town over.

[ebonyviper]

Chapter 5: New Life

DISCLAIMER: Cars and everything related to it belong to Pixar Disney. Ebony, Maven, Krill, and Tony Blitz belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. This is just for fun.

WARNING: May contain mature content.

NOTE: This is the last chapter.

Her body was demanding rest, but even though she had accepted a can of unleaded from Maven, Ebony still felt like she had to keep moving. So, she said her goodbyes to the twin Vipers and continued on her way, although Krill insisted on escorting her a few miles out of town just to make sure that Tony Blitz wouldn't get her.

I don't want to bring trouble down on them, she thought as she drove, I don't want Tony to hurt them because of me.

At the thought of Tony Blitz, the Viper gave an involuntary shudder. She couldn't help. She was afraid of the black Supra.

H-he threatened me, she thought, He threatened my baby.

It was then that she felt a sudden sharp kicking inside of her, forcing her to pull over on the side of the road. She grimaced in pain as she felt the baby moving around inside.

Why does it do that? And why does it have to hurt so much? Ebony thought, gritting her teeth.

Finally it stopped and Ebony was able to move again, albeit a little slower than normal. She had just realized something because of this.

I need to find someplace where I'll be able to spend the rest of my term, she thought, knowing that in another month she won't be able to move at all as the baby will be too heavy for her body to carry, Need to get some things too.

* * * * *

About a month had passed and Ebony was nestled in the numerous, old nightcovers that she was able to find in her search for a shelter. Beside her were several cases of six-packs of fuel and a stack of discarded books that she had found in a back alley. A small candle burned on a ledge nearby, being the only light source.

She was sleeping at the moment, which was something that she had been doing more often than usual. The baby was taking up all of her energy now, which caused her to be more tired and sleep a lot. It was expected from someone who was in term, though it was taking a heavy toll on her now, mentally and physically.

But she was still afraid that someone would find the little cave she had taken shelter in from the elements, discover the condition that she was in, and make her go to a clinic. If that happened, he will find her and hurt her again. She didn't want that to happen to her, nor to her baby. It always seemed to cause her nightmares, most of which caused her to wake up screaming in fear.

This went on for awhile.

* * * * *

Ebony woke with another gasp of pain as the baby started kicking again. She dropped her antenna to her swollen sides, feeling the baby jump from within, wanting to get out.

Oh no... she thought wearily, You can't be ready to be born now...

But she was already at the end of her term and was going into labor. She felt hot and was having trouble breathing. It was no use holding it off any longer. The baby wanted to be born NOW.

She whimpered as the first contraction passed through her body, leaving her laying on her bed of nightcovers, exhausted and hurting. Panting for breath, Ebony soon realized that this was going to be a long, painful process, which was made even worse because she was alone in this desolate wilderness.

Ebony didn't get that much rest as another contraction gripped her body. Remembering what she needed to do now as a soon-to-be mother, she tried to even out her breathing to go along with the contractions. When it finally subsided, the Viper lay on her nightcovers, her swollen sides heaving from the exertion.

It was then that she heard a very distinct rumble and became alert. Something was happening and it didn't sound good to her at all.

A cave-in... she thought as she struggled onto nearly stiff, weak suspension, despite how heavy the baby made her body feel. She had to leave all the stuff that she had horded away for the last few months, only taking two of the nightcovers with her to find a much safer place to give birth.

She trudged extremely slowly through the snow, gritting her teeth as she felt another contraction coming on. It stopped her in her tracks for a few minutes, only leaving her laying exhausted in the snow.

She was already beginning to shiver uncontrollably from the cold wind whipping about her. She was also losing consciousness. But, she was determined to find some other shelter to have this baby, so struggled onward very slowly through the snow.

* * * * *

Collapsing on the spread-out nightcover, Ebony endured another contraction. This time, she started pushing. Even that was painful and she was crying from the effort.

Then she felt something pop and twisted her side-view mirror a bit to point toward her back-end to see what it was. She saw something small lying in a puddle of sticky goo. It was a baby car and Ebony struggled to turn around and check to see if it were alive. She licked the goo off its body as a mother cat with her newborn kittens and was rewarded when the infant opened its mouth and let out a loud squawk, thus taking its first breath.

“You're a small thing aren't you...?” she spoke wearily, “And to think I carried you inside of me for six long months...” The baby car looked blearily up at its mother and let out a curious chirp.

Thinking that she was finished with the childbirth, Ebony settled down on the nightcover with her newborn son to rest. But, she was taken by surprise and shock when she felt another contraction grip her already weary body with new force. She groaned and had to go through the whole process of childbirth again.

The second baby came out like the first. Ebony's maternal instincts were quite high this time and she automatically licked the goo off of this one as well, giving a satisfied smile when it took it's first breath and let out a loud squawk to let her know that it was alive as well.

After it was all over, as she so desperately hoped that it was, Ebony curled protectively about her twin sons feeling very exhausted and weak from the whole ordeal. I never want to go through that ever again... she thought wearily.

Outside the walls of the old, abandoned cabin that she had managed to find in her search for safer shelter, the wind was still blowing and the snow was still falling. But this did not concern Ebony at the moment. She needed to sleep and recharge her energy, as well as figure out what to do next. She wasn't ready to go out trudging in the deep snow now. That would have to wait for some other time.

But... she thought as sleep started to invade her mind, I wonder if I'll ever be able to return to Vegas ever again... I wonder if I'll still have my reputation... She paused in her thinking to give a big yawn, feeling very tired now, I wonder if... they'll ever accept me back even after what had happened to me... what I had let happen...

She fell asleep, leaving those ponderings for another time, curled up under the nightcovers with her newborn twins, dreaming of what the future might bring her and hoping that it would be a nice future.

The End

[Evangeline]

Awww.... poor Ebony. I can really feel for her there.

Been a while since I last read through these. I wonder what Rayburn's problem was?