Acceleration Glory: Chapter 4

Acceleration Glory
Chapter 4: Divinity, Fluff, and Wheels.

While the rest of Satellite had undergone a massive makeover with the construction of the Daedalus Bridge, the B.A.D. area had been left to rot. In time the local life vanished from it. Now, it was inhabited almost exclusively by squatters and outlaws, all of the people with the misfortune to be born in Satellite before the bridge was created had left it almost overnight for the city.

The silence of a main street was interrupted for mere moments as the trio of D-Wheels raced down the abandoned stretch of pavement, leaving a small cloud of dust and tire tracks as the only testament they had been there seconds before.

The person at the head of the trio was the tallest of the three. A full riding helmet covered his head, with tiny tufts of blonde hair poking out the back and sides. The front was a one-way plate of screening plaster, and an elaborate panoramic design had since been painted onto it in some form of golden ink. The figure wore a riding suit, a simple white overcoat that fastened around his chest with the help of two black straps, each with a shining gold buckle at the end.

His D-Wheel was a distinctive one of an unusual color scheme. It was a bulky one, with large metal armored plates around the sides and front, obviously covering a smaller frame beneath. The entire thing was slightly longer than the standard D-Wheel and had two fins coming off of the side  From a cursory glance it seemed to have not been painted at all, but a closer look revealed that the entire thing had been given a sleek metallic coat of paint.  Interestingly, a slight golden glow and the occasional reflection broke through the cracks of the outer-plating, suggesting there was something fantastic underneath the bulky armored plating. The D-Wheel was supported by four wheels, each on a corner of the D-Wheel itself. The display was stored away under an unfolding compartment located between the handlebars, and two smaller compartments lay on both sides of it.

The first figure shot s thumbs up to the second figure, who had been riding in the back left corner of the triangle. With a nod, the second figure took lead of the triangle, passing the first figure who took his spot. The second figure was shorter than the first. A simple black helmet with a single silver stripe decorated his head, and a slide-down visor concealed his eyes A sharp chin jutted out from the bottom of the helmet. His riding suit was black, but with a silver trim to it. It was shorter in length than the first person's, coming only to his waist where it was secured by a second belt.

His D-Wheel was also unique. It was a deal smaller than the first figure's, but a tad longer. The head and back covers were made out of a transparent reinforced plaster, so the activity of the complex machine could be seen working underneath. The whole thing was largely computer run, so endless compartments and reinforced cables covered the inside of the plaster covering. This one ran on only two wheels, each with numerous shocks and supports visibly supporting it. The D-Wheel was unique in an of the fact that it was not a hybrid model, instead having a permanent Duel Disk mounted to the top, the slots for cards forming a circle around the circular display unit. Two large and curved metallic fins came off the back of the D-Wheel.

The third of the three figures was remarkably different from the second two. Even while she was wearing a riding suit like the other two, her build was distinctive, revealing she was indeed female. Her riding quit was a tad tighter than the other two, although it wasn't a full body suit. A release system near her neck and a second one near her belt fastened the suit around her, leaving only baggy texture in her sleeves. The entire thing was  dark blue with a red trim. Atop her head sat a rounded helmet, similar to that of the first rider, but with no design on the front. a small crown of studs circled the top of the helmet. The entire thing had been painted a matching dark blue. Tufts of a dark red hair poked out from the bottom of the helmet, as the rider had not bothered to put her hair up before putting on her helmet.  

Her D-Wheel was larger than the other two, as it was the only one with a cockpit and reclined chair. It had a partially covered seating area, a layer of reinforced glass that could retract back into the seats covering about half of the exposed area. A speed display, as well as an overlaid scan of the surrounding area were projected onto the glass from a small area in the cockpit. The chair was snug, designed to fit one person. The speed and brake were located on handlebars that extended like armrests, each with a number of small buttons and a grip designed to rev the D-Wheel on it. The entire thing was a tad wide, but only rode on three wheels: one in the front and two larger ones in the back. A dark red color scheme covered the entire thing, numerous  beautiful but meaningless designs painted on the outside, which was a series of sharp looking overlapping plates that came a tad short of the wheels. Two supporting fins came off of the front of the D-Wheel. The Display was mounted inside the projected, which would project a Dueling Field onto the glass if Duel Mode was activated. Her Duel Disk would then proceed to unfold from the inside of the dashboard.

The trinity of riders broke through the abandoned city after a few hours of non-stop riding with the  second figure in the lead. It wasn't long after that the bright lights of Satellite illuminated the horizon. The three riders didn't stop for a second, and continued through the main city of Satellite, passing the entire thing uneventfully in just an hour or so.

The Daedalus bridge was next. The three avoided the main tollgate, instead entering through the special entrance for Security, which was a small steel gate tucked away from the main road onto the bridge. The Security monitors in front of the gate recognized the registry on the trio's D-Wheels and the gate opened preemptively. The three entered the secluded highway lane, enjoying no traffic at all in their long drive across the sea. The lights of Neo-Domino city loomed ahead.

The first figure checked the clock on his display. It was a little after midnight. Perfect. He would be right on schedule if they drove all night. He was nearing a second day without sleep, something he was used to, even if it would cripple just about any other man. He'd at least be asleep 24 hours from now. Provided he was at the Neo-Domino Duel Academy by noon. That was the important part. This deal with security had cost him quite a bit of time. He bit his lip under his helmet to take his mind off of the events of the past few days. He needed something to keep his mind occupied during the ride to prevent his mind from shifting to what they had found in the ruins of the B.A.D. area. But worse, what they didn't find.

Shaking his head, he turned on the music player on his display, setting it to local radio. A wave of generic rock began to blast from the speakers on the sides. He tuned out the outside world, allowing himself to become lost in the world of music and riding.

The other two figures shot a look at each other and shook their heads. The female stifled a laugh before both of them too turned on their speakers, three separate songs mixing and filling the air. With this jumbled tune as a soundtrack, the three rode on into the night.

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It was nearly an hour before a second warning broadcasted through the display of the draconic D-Wheel.

"Momentum Engine reserves expired. Please manually restart Momentum Engine", the speakers on the side of the processor bleeped. The figure shook his head and cursed, slowing the D-Wheel down so he could look for places to stop. The outskirts of Satellite were rather devoid of life, but there was bound to be a place where he could get the engine fixed in a hurry. Or just acquire a new one. He'd already broken a few minor laws earlier this morning, and already had a criminal mark, as he considered the importance of his trip to be worth the possible consequences that might occur if he was caught.

A small garage up ahead caught his attention. Well, garage might have been a generous term. Truth be told, the garage was little more than  a large box with a steel garage door, stopping just below a second floor. The only indication he had that it was a garage, not just a large contained storage unit, was a hand painted sign hanging over a glass door that seemed to have been added hastily long after the storage unit was made into a garage.

For all intents and purposes, this garage would work. There was bound to be at least one working D-Wheel in there, and the figure cared very little for the possible consequences of borrowing a D-Wheel from a small garage in the middle of nowhere. With quotes around the word borrowing.

The man dismounted the draconic D-Wheel, turning it off and leaving it erect a few feet from the entrance. He crept up to the glass window and peered inside. After a few seconds of looking into the darkness, he took his helmet off, not even bothering to wonder why he was still using the shaded lenses on the helmet after the sun set. He examined the door then the window. There was nobody moving inside the shop, so quietly, the man broke the glass around the lock and crept his way inside.

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The sound of a D-Wheel revving and firing up less than ten feet below him and the sound of his garage's door opening had failed to wake Jake. He rolled over on his mattress, a large mat that lacked a bed frame of any sort. He was still clothed, a dark brown overcoat protecting his body. Underneath was a fairly worn button up shirt that had long since lost the sleeves and a pair of rather rough workpants,  discolored after many years of abuse. His rough brown hair had a pair of small riding goggles poking out, which could double as working goggles thanks to their shading feature.  A large patch of two overlapping Xs was blazed onto his shirt and the back of his coat.

It was almost noon before Jake woke up. He snapped to near full attention quickly. The massive amount of work he had done the previous day had taken a great deal out of him. Wearily, he headed down to his kitchen, which in the interest of saving space was located in his garage.

Truth be told, it was a garage in functionality only. While Jake was fairly adept at repairing D-Wheels, his luck managed to keep him out of the business world for most of his life. He had bought what was once a small storage area in the outskirts of Satellite and converted it into a garage with the few tools that he had left after losing his short lived job in Neo-Domino city. He had enough business to keep afloat, but his location and the lack of D-Wheels around this area of Satellite weren't good for business at all.

Jake yawned once more before instinctively putting his tool-belt on as he left his room. It was something he always carried with him, as not only did it carry his fundamental tools, it also carried his deck. His duels were generally limited to the weekend when he would head out to the city to look for opponents and have a good time, but it was still something that had a great importance to him. He wouldn't dare let it out of his sight.

Jake was in for quite a shock when he finally got down the crude stairs into his garage though. His heart almost exploded in shock and his jaw dropped, his eyes not believing what he was seeing. The Scrapheap, the pride and joy of his garage that he had built almost overnight out of spare parts, was missing. His first thought was a question of who could have done it. His garage was way too tiny for any assuming thief to consider a good target. The Scrapheap wasn't done, only enough so to actually run, but at an inconsistent speed.

Shaking his head, Jake walked over to his phone, picking it up and dialing the local Security number in a hurry. He shook his head as the obnoxious elevator music assaulted his ears before the input menu finally played. He waited a few more minutes for the prerecorded message to finish playing and hit 678, the number sequence for reporting a stolen D-Wheel. He gave the registration number and a description of the Scrapheap to the answering machine before slamming the phone down on the receiver.

His attention moved to an object he could see outside of his garage door. It appeared to be a.... D-Wheel? Jake was confused as he approached the object.

It was indeed a D-Wheel, one of a larger build. The plating on it was an expert job, and the engines were almost perfectly aligned. The wheels weren't flat and the revving grips seemed to be in good shape. The large dragon head on the front showed that the D-Wheel was indeed expensive. He wondered why anyone in their right mind would take the Scrapheap while such a piece of machinery was sitting right outside the garage door.

His eyes darted to the display. Something about it caught his attention. The Duel Disk that was originally mounted on the display had been ripped off, and a new one had been tacked on, rather crudely. The welding job was done by an amateur. The new Disk was an old Academy model, looking to have come from a Ra Yellow student. Jake shook his head. This made no sense. His attention darted to a second object that looked unnatural on the Duel Disk. A tourist map of Neo Domino City was poking out from under the seat.

Jake peered down at it and carefully liberated it from underneath the seat. He examined it before his eyebrows folded. Two locations had been circled, the first being the main building of the Public Maintenance Security Bureau, and the second being the Neo-Domino City Duel academy. An arrow was drawn connecting the two. Jake shook his head again. He might as well check the two buildings out. It was the closest thing to a lead he had as to who stole the Scrapheap, and without it, his plans of entering the Prosperity Cup in a month were shot.

Reluctantly, he closed his garage door and locked it before climbing onto the expensive D-Wheel. He started it up with no problem, as the keys were still left in the dashboard. He revved it once to discover the engine wasn't working. With a sigh, he hopped off and took a look under the bike.

Jake had to resist the urge to laugh when he saw the problem. A tiny rock had been bent in one of the Momentum pipes leading into the engine. With a hiss, the Momentum returned to fueling the engine and the bike started without a problem. He sort of hoped whoever stole the Scrapheap didn't do it because of his tiny problem.

Then again, he had a lot in mind about who had stolen the Scrapheap. Jake pulled his riding goggles down over his eyes and revved the D-Wheel one more time before setting off.

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The man riding the Scrapheap took a few minutes to notice the Security sirens behind him. He nodded to the Security officer who pulled up next to him, a rather burly man clad in the usual gray button up jumpsuit and face covering riding helmet that Security wore.

The man didn't remember that he should probably be avoiding Security until after the Security officer had already pulled out a small PDA device and captured a picture of his bike and criminal mark.

"Well, looks like your day is outta' luck, eh, Mark?", the officer jabbed before turning his siren up more. Mark shook his head. Great. Now he was stuck in another bad situation. At least this one didn't have chains and explosions. He could get out of it not problem.

Mark fidgeted around the dashboard for a second before finally finding the button that would engage Duel Mode. He pressed it quickly. "Speed World 3, Set On", the display bleeped. "Entering Duel Mode".

The Security officer laughed upon seeing the purple circle that Speed World 3 generated around the user. "So, a Duel, eh? Fine, you can be my first kill of the morning", the officer laughed, turning on the same Speed World 3. Both of the Duelist's processors lit up.

A large map of the highway began to cover their display screen. Numerous lines of different colors began to snake their way along the various routes. "Searching for optimal Duel route", the computer bleeped before all the lines save for a single red colored on vanished. "Optimal route found. Submitting to central". Three dots began to blink on the screen as the display emitted a light hum.

"AUTHORIZATION"

With that,  the highway area around the two exploded with activity. "A DUEL IS BEGINNING. A DUEL IS BEGINNING. ALL PEDISTRIAN TRAFFIC, PLEASE MOVE INTO THE OTHER LANE", a series of large speakers began to emit. Several projected and semi-transparent yellow banners appeared over the rail on the side of the highway each proclaiming 'DUEL' many times in red lettering.

Soon, the divide between the pedestrian lane and the Duel Lane emitted a yellow force field of sorts,  the word 'DUEL' likewise covering it. Mark looked at his opponent. The Security officer laughed before the two exchanged a mutual nod.

"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The two yelled, the decks inside the two D-Wheels being shuffled. Each drew their opening hand. "Since I'm the one actually upholding the law here, I'll take the first move", the Security officer mocked. He drew his first card. Both player's display bleeped to let them know that they had gained their first speed counter.

"I'll summon Stygian Security in Defense Mode", he announced. A tiny impish creature with a long tail, two large round eyes and a red light on top of its head appeared, clutching a tiny flail and loudspeaker protectively around it's body. Mark's display blinked to let Mark know that its defense was 600.

"Next, I'll set three cards face down, and end my turn", the Security Officer announced. He laughed. There's no way the criminal scum would be attacking him past those traps.

"My turn", Mark announced. "First. I'll draw". He said, almost mockingly. "Then, it's my Standby Phase. I gain a Speed Counter!". He shot a thumbs-up to the Security officer, who looked at him quizzically. "You can have one too", Mark offered, as both their displays blinked to show that both of their speed counters were now at two.

"Now it's my Main Phase One!". His narrative was beginning to get on the nerves of the Security Officer, who cared to end this quickly. "I'll activate a Speed-Spell, Angel Baton". Mark announced, putting the card into the Scrapheap's Spell and Trap reader. "If my Speed Counters are two or higher, I can draw two cards and discard one". The Officer revved his bike in anticipation. His hand waited in anticipation on the Bottomless Trap Hole he had set. If this convict tried to summon anything with 1500 or more attack, it would be removed from play.

"Next, I summon Kuriboh in attack mode", Mark said, placing a card on the monster reader. A slight squeal was heard as a large puffy ball of brown hair with two eyes and a pair of tiny green hands and feet appeared on the field. In Attack Mode, it's 300 attack visibly not enough to get over Stygian Security. Or to trip Bottomless Trap Hole for that matter. The Security officer grunted as he attempted to figure out what this crazy man was doing.

"Next, I'll activate Multiply. FREAKING LOT OF KURIBOHS", Mark suddenly exploded, causing the Security man to shudder and Kuriboh exploded into five copies of itself, each identical looking. "Then, Detonate! KURIBOHS GO BOOM", Mark yelled a second time, once again catching the Security officer off guard. The Security officer had it in his mind that Mark was crazed.

The Security officer's gaze returned once more to the filed in panic. The Kuribohs floated over to his cards, before each made a squealing sounds an exploded, shattering all the cards on his field. His field was open. But Mark didn't control any cards to attack him with.

"Next, Flute of Summon Kuriboh. When my Speed Counters are two or more, I can special summon a Winged Kuriboh from my deck". Mark placed the card into his Spell and Trap zone. A low whistling sounds filled the air as a second ball of fluff came into view with a slight burst of light. It resembled the Kuribohs that had just exploded, save for the fact that this Kuriboh had a small pair of white wings. The Security officer looked at it quizzically. His display indicated that it only had 300 attack. He laughed, before his display beeped again. This time, the Winged Kuriboh's attack was displayed at 4100. He shook, not believing what he saw. He looked to the field for answers.

A large spell card was floating around Mark's side of the field. It read 'Berserker Crush'. The officer didn't have time to read the text on it before he felt the sensation of a very angry Solid-Vision Winged Kuriboh hitting him, sending his D-Wheel spinning. The word DEFEAT blinked across his display as his D-Wheel stalled for a second, steam coming out of the dashboard.

Mark looked at him for a second before revving his engine even faster, and bolting off into the horizon. "Because I'm the best... around! No one's ever gonna' bring me down! I'm the best...around...", Mark started singing to himself as he rode into the city limits of Neo-Domino City.

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The trinity of D-Wheels finally split mid-city when they entered Neo-Domino City. The first figure, the one with the steel D-Wheel went left, towards the academy while the other two took a turn for the East, heading towards the main office of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.

It was only about fifteen minutes before he reached the outskirts of the Academy. He hopped off his D-Wheel and shut it off once he had hit the visitor parking. Quickly, he took off his riding suit and stored it in one of the storage compartments at the back of the D-Wheeler. He fished around in his pocket for a second before producing a small and shiny silver nametag with a single name engraved onto it.

He confirmed that his name was spelled correctly, before fastening it onto his shirt, the small tag proclaiming to all that his name was Andrew. His now free flowing blonde hair waving slightly around his neck in the breeze. The tag itself was pinned to a rather simplistic blue shirt, devoid of buttons or any distinctive markings. He looked quite plain indeed.

Andrew took a second to take his Disk, a very old KaibaCorp Standard Issue, off of his D-Wheel and fasten it around his arm, making sure the lock was in place and the Disk wouldn't enter Duel Mode until he wanted it to. Sighing to himself, he check the watch on it. 11: 47, he was just on time. With a slight spring in his step, he vanished across the pavement and into the Neo Domino City Duel Academy Auditorium.