Author's Note: I promise they eventually get into F1 cars. Really. Give it a few chapters.

Chapter 3

Twenty-Two Years Ago

Summer was running a prototype sports car program for Maiden Motorcars. The first race of the year was the 24 Hours of Orange Beach, a fairly new addition to the world of endurance racing. The track was barely more than five years old but it already had a fearsome reputation. A driver had been killed attempting to set a speed record in a Champ Car even before the track had held its first race. The track was terrifyingly fast and the following years saw a series of fatal or career ending crashes. Still, Summer was not worried. Death was something that happened to other drivers.

Summer's P40 was a shockingly fast car. In testing it had had some unfortunate aerodynamics that caused it to generate some lift at high-speed, though the team assured her the issue had been resolved with the addition of a spoiler to the rear decklid. It felt stable enough in practice. The real trouble was controlling the immense power produced by its 7.0-liter V8. It's relatively narrow tires struggled to transmit that power to the road. Summer solved the issue by exiting some of the corners in a higher gear than would be normal. It slowed down her lap times, but in the race it would save tires and reduce engine wear.

Summer qualified the car second, between a pair of identical cars run by the same team she drove for. P40's entered by other teams took the next two spots as well. Maiden Motorcars had five good bullets, and only one needed to hit the target. Summer was determined to see that hers was the one. Her teammate was competent and would not cost her time, but if she wanted to win she would need to run a perfect race. If previous performance was any indication, Summer would run a perfect race. That was her thing. She was not spectacularly fast most of the time, but she was robotically consistent. She was also gentle on the equipment, rarely breaking her cars.

The race got underway and Summer fell into a comfortable second place. The leader drove away, setting a blistering pace. Summer knew it would not last. Sure enough, just three hours into the 24 hour race, the leader's engine went up in smoke, handing the lead to Summer. She held onto that lead until the first driver change. When she got back into the car eight hours into the race, she was still leading. A gearbox failure had also taken out one of the other P40's. It was now nighttime, and the cars sped up as the danger built. There were several crashes. Summer was not concerned. She kept running her race.

Eleven hours in, Summer accelerated out of the infield section and onto the oval. The track was bumpy and the car's hard suspension made the ride jarring. It was a little too jarring. The car was handling differently. It felt like something in the suspension had broken, no surprise given the track's punishing surface. She would have to pit for repairs. It would cost the team time, but Summer was confident she could still win. As the car rattled through the banking of the stock car oval's turn 2, the situation got worse. The ride was even harsher than it had been seconds earlier. If it was a suspension issue, it was still in the process of breaking.

As the banking started to fall away on corner exit, the right-rear tire on Summer's P40 shredded as a result of a slow puncture. The car went into a counterclockwise slide and Summer tried to correct it. It was useless and the car kept skidding toward the infield. It shot across the grass and lost almost no speed before it struck the dirt bank that lined the inside of the backstretch. The bank was not well-kept and acted as a ramp rather than a barrier, popping the car up into the air. It did a complete flip in the air and landed on its side before rolling into lake located just behind the bank.

Some drivers feared the lake - originally created when the dirt there was excavated to build up the banking - and a few had gotten soaked over the years. One driver had even kept underwater breathing gear in his car, just in case. Still, they had all walked away with a funny story to tell. Over the years it had almost become a joke, albeit a rather macabre one.

Summer's situation was rather more serious. Not only was it night time and incredibly dark, but her car landed upside down, submerged up to the axles. Summer undid her seatbelt - a single lap belt - and fell awkwardly onto the roof of the car as water began pouring in. She had been disoriented by the hard impact, but the icy water immediately snapped her to attention. She tried to push the door open but her twisted position in the cramped cockpit prevented her from getting any force behind the effort. The pressure of the water and mud on the lakebed held the door firmly shut as the car continued to fill with water. Summer repositioned and again tried to force the door open. All her muscle was not enough. She tried to kick out the window, but it refused to break. All the while the car continued to fill with water. Summer kept trying but the door would not budge. Only inches of air remained. Summer took one last deep breath, fearing it would be her last.

Then, suddenly, the window shattered. Hands reached inside and grabbed Summer's ankle. She smacked them away, flipped herself around, and pushed herself through the shattered window and into the arms of her rescuers. To her surprise they were not track workers. A pair of fans had witnessed her crash, and one used a rock to break her window after they had been unable to pry the door open. Summer thanked them and gave them the 50 lien she carried just in case a track worker needed bribing. Then, still soaking wet, she walked back to the garage. She was happy to be alive, but disappointed that her chance at the victory was gone.

Present Day

Qualifying went well for the Nevermore Motors team. Pyrrha put her team's car on pole while the sister cars driven by full-time sports car drivers placed second and third. Following them were five privately entered GTP-C's. Nevermore's biggest competition in endurance racing was usually from Schnee Automotive, but they did not run prototypes in Vacuo. The races there were sanctioned by a different governing body, and Schnee focused on the 24 Hours of Vytal and its associated international series. With slightly different technical regulations between the two series, Schnee declined to build a car for racing in Vacuo. As it was, for the 24 Hours of Orange Beach at least, it was not worth showing up in a prototype that was not a GTP-C.

An entry from Bronze Car Company took pole in the Prototype Lights class, with privately entered Schnee cars taking pole in both GT classes. Mixed class racing was another new experience for Ruby and Yang. Pyrrha had run a few but the sisters had never run a race with cars of such varying speeds on track at the same time. The closing rate between a Prototype class car and a lower class GT machine could be quite alarming. It had not caused much trouble in practice and qualifying, just a few eye-opening moments, but in the race slower traffic was sure to be a factor.

The team had its plan for the race. Pyrrha would start, run for about two hours, then hand off to Yang. After another two hours it would be Ruby's turn. Ruby was still the slowest of the trio, never really having overcome her inexperience, and she would get the least time in the car. It was planned that Pyrrha would take the final run in her place if it was still close at the end. Pyrrha and Yang had the pace to beat anyone else on track, but Ruby was still just above average. She was unlikely to cost the team time, but similarly unlikely to gain it. But that was alright. If she kept out of trouble, the race was theirs anyway.

Ruby and Yang were relieved to not have to take part in the race's initial start. They were used to standing starts where the cars lined up on the grid and took off from a full stop. Sports car races used rolling starts. It was both easier and harder. It was easier because there was less chance of stalling or botching the initial getaway, but harder because when the cars arrived at the first corner, they were still clustered together and moving quite a bit faster than they would have been from a standing start.

Pyrrha led the field through the tri-oval, approaching the start/finish line. The starter waved his green flag and Pyrrha accelerated clear of second place by the time the cars thundered into the first turn. It was a tightening left-hand hairpin that led off the stock car oval and into the infield section. Pyrrha hit the apex and hit the throttle gingerly on exit, careful to avoid spinning the cold tires. From there it was a flat-out run through a quick right-left, then hard on the brakes for a right-hand hairpin. She accelerated more forcefully this time, powering onto a straight that led to a flat-out left-hand kink. After sweeping through the kink it was time to brake for another right-hand hairpin. Then after a short straight it was a left-hand hairpin that led back onto the oval, joining it just as the banking built for the oval's first and second corners began to increase. Pyrrha rocketed around the banking, the car's speed topping 200 mph as the banking dropped away for the backstretch. Seconds later it was hard on the brakes again. A tight left-right-right-left chicane brought her off the oval and quickly back onto it after a substantial reduction in speed. But then it was back onto the oval and into the banking of its turns three and four. At the exit of four, the banking dropped away more suddenly than at the exit of two, and Pyrrha had to be careful to keep the car stable and away from the outside wall. Again topping 200 mph, she flew through the tri-oval to complete the first lap before braking hard once again for the first hairpin.

Pyrrha initially jumped out to a sizable lead, but after building a cushion for a few laps she slowed, matching the pace of the cars behind her in order to save her equipment. Soon the leaders were mired in slower GT traffic. Pyrrha picked her way through the slower machines with speed and precision, building her lead without putting more stress on the car. By the first round of pit stops she had pulled out to a lead of about half a lap. By the time she handed the car over to Yang, the lead was over a full lap.

"How was it?" Ruby asked Pyrrha after she had had the opportunity to debrief with the mechanics.

"The car's excellent." Pyrrha replied. "Responsive and stable. The traffic is a little rough though, particularly in the infield. The track's narrower than it seems."

"I was listening to the radio coverage." Ruby said. "It sounds pretty hairy. It was almost like the commentators were afraid of the moves you were making."

"Maybe I pushed the issue a few times." Pyrrha shrugged. "They were probably just playing it up for the audience though."

"It's got me nervous." Ruby admitted. "I've dealt with lap traffic before, just nothing like this."

"It's really not that bad." Pyrrha encouraged. "It's probably harder for the cars getting passed because they have to watch their mirrors all the time. Just flash your headlights and they usually get out of the way. You don't have to be as aggressive as me either. I built up that lead to give you and your sister a chance to get used to this type of racing."

"You're being way too considerate." Ruby said.

"I can't help it." Pyrrha laughed. "It's just who I am. I want my friends to succeed."

"I'm your friend?!" Ruby gasped. Pyrrha nodded. "Wow...I don't have a lot of friends so...cool!" She paused for a moment and frowned. "I feel like I'm holding you and Yang back though. You guys are both way faster than me."

"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha said. "Besides, you've been improving very quickly. By the end of the race I'm sure you'll be just as quick."

"I sure hope so." Ruby sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was cost the others the victory.

"You're doing fine." Pyrrha assured her. "Now, I'm going to get some rest before my next stint." After a few parting words with the mechanics she headed to the trailer the team had set up and went to sleep.

Yang's stint was slowed by two full-course cautions. One was brought out when another GTP-C spectacularly blew its engine and spilled oil all over the track, and the second was for a collision between a pair of GT cars in the first corner. Under green flag conditions Yang was the fastest driver on track. She was not quite as quick as Pyrrha, but she continued to extend the team's lead. By the time she was to hand off to Ruby, she had added another full lap to the gap ahead of second place.

Yang pulled into the pits and quickly climbed out of the car. Ruby put her booster seat in before climbing aboard. Yang then helped her get belted and connected to the radio. "Take it easy on cold tires." Yang advised. "It'll be slick for a few laps but once they're up to temp the car's really quick. And the brakes are fading a bit, so take it easy on corner entry until you get a feel for it."

"Will do." Ruby said. The crew was just completing the pit stop as Yang closed the door, latching Ruby inside. Ruby lowered her visor and waited. The car dropped down from the jacks and Ruby took off. After a few careful laps she got up to speed. Over the radio she was told that she was running laps faster than second place. Lap traffic was not as much of a problem as she had feared either. Like Pyrrha said, most of the slower cars got well out of the way. When they did not, Ruby was patient and only passed when it was clearly safe, taking no risks. That cost her time and the lead over second began to fractionally shrink.

Ruby was feeling very comfortable in her car as the sun began to set. It was briefly blinding on entry to the first corner, then again on entry to the kink. Ruby made a habit of being very careful about knowing where the traffic was in advance of these sections, just in case. She was just coming up to put another lap on the fourth place GTP-C. Crunch! A fireball erupted and the fourth place car, driven by Roy Stallion came to a very sudden near-stop just in front of her as they approached the kink. Ruby had a hard time seeing what had happened, but the back end of Roy's car kicked out to the right. Ruby took evasive action but it was not enough and she ran into the back of his car with her left-front. Ruby's car spun off into the grass and came to a stop some distance from the track, the left-front wheel torn off.

Ruby was simultaneously angry and sad. Her big tryout had ended in the worst possible way and it was not even her fault. She got out of her car and looked back. He anger and sadness were instantly replaced by concern. Roy's car was destroyed, the front end crushed in up to the base of the windshield. Beside it, a GT Schnee car was almost broken in half. Fuel from the GT car's shattered fuel tank had ignited and both cars were burning. The driver of the GT car staggered out and collapsed in the grass a few feet away from his machine, but Roy remained inside his burning car. White smoke from the cockpit indicated he had managed to activate the fire suppression system, but that would only protect him for so long.

Ruby rushed to Roy's car. The track workers were delayed by its position in the middle of the track, unable to safely approach until the cars still circulating had slowed. Ruby tried to open the door but it was stuck, the bent chassis locking it in place. Ruby moved to the windshield. The top left corner had ripped away from the frame. Ruby pried it further open, squeezed into the gap and used her leg to open it even more.

"I think my legs are broken." Roy groaned. "And my back hurts."

From the impact with the GT car, Ruby would have been surprised if his legs were not broken, and she suspected his back was broken as well. Still, with the fire encroaching there was no time to be gentle. Roy had already undone his belts but was unable to extract himself. Ruby grabbed him under the shoulders and attempted to pull him out, but his cries of pain stopped her. Beyond his injuries, the steering column and parts of the dashboard had been forced back and pinned him in place. The fire was getting closer and it looked increasingly unlikely that Ruby would be able to free Roy on her own.

Just when it seemed hopeless, the car was engulfed in a white cloud of extinguishant as the safety crews were finally able to get to the scene. Ruby backed off and allowed them to go to work. A few of them dealt with the fire while the rest set about cutting Roy free of the wreckage. The race was red-flagged, allowing crews from other parts of the track to come and assist. After a few minutes, Roy was carefully transferred from the car to a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. His legs were badly and visibly shattered, but at least he was alive. It would take over a dozen surgeries and months of physical therapy, but he would race again.

On the way to the track medical center, Ruby got the story of what had happened from the driver of the GT car. His transmission had failed on exit of the hairpin, and he had coasted slowly down the track trying to find a gear that worked. Just before the kink he had finally come to a halt. Blinded by the sun and unsighted by another lapped car, Roy had not seen the stationary car until it was too late, plowing into the back of it without even having the chance to brake. Ruby had been an unlucky victim as Roy's car spun after the impact.

After some brief medical checks, Ruby was given a clean bill of health and released from the medical center. Some reporters were waiting. She said something about being sorry for costing her team the race, and hoping that Roy would be alright, but it was all still a blur. Once that was dealt with she walked the short distance to the team's garage. With the car beyond repair the team had already retreated from pit road and was starting to pack up.

Yang and Pyrrha were there too. "Sorry guys." Ruby sighed. "Looks like I cost us the race."

Yang rushed over and wrapped her in a crushing embrace. "I don't care." She said as Ruby squirmed in an attempt to get free. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"It wasn't your fault anyway." Pyrrha said. Word had spread fast about what had transpired and the team probably knew more about the accident than Ruby. "Racing's unpredictable. This sort of thing just happens sometimes. The important thing is that you're not hurt. If you haven't heard, Roy is expected to survive too."

"That's a relief." Ruby said. "He wasn't in good shape when I got to his car." She paused for a moment and stared out of the garage. The sun had set and now the head and tail lights of the still circulating race cars made for a dazzling display. "I guess my tryout didn't go too well." She started to help the mechanics pack up, feeling awful for having wrecked the car they had spent so much time and effort to prepare.

A few minutes later Ozpin arrived at the garage. He had been spectating from Nevermore's luxury suite on the outside of the track and it had taken quite some time for him to make his way to the infield. "Is Ruby still here?" He asked.

"Over here!" Ruby called from behind some equipment she was helping to break down for transport. She finished her immediate task and approached Ozpin.

"Are you alright?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm fine." Ruby replied. "Just really disappointed. I feel like I cost the team the win and screwed up my big chance."

"I'm glad you're okay." Ozpin said with a gentle smile. "And both of your worries are unfounded. Luck can be fickle, and today it was against you. There's nothing to be done about that. As for your big chance, my lawyers are just drawing up a contract for you now."

"A contract?" Ruby asked.

"To race for me in Formula 1." Ozpin answered.

"But why?!" Ruby exclaimed. "I mean, I'm honored and all, and of course I accept, but why? I crashed the car. I wasn't even that fast. Yang and Pyrrha were both way faster."

"I'm more concerned with how you acted after the crash." Ozpin explained. "You put yourself at great risk to assist your fellow driver. That reminds me a lot of your father. You're the kind of person I want on my team. I would rather hire a good person who is a mediocre driver than a bad person who is a great driver. That said, I still think you're a great driver. So you weren't as fast as your much more experienced teammates. You were still quite a bit quicker than most and constantly improving. With time I think you can be just as fast as Yang and Pyrrha."

"I don't know about that." Ruby sighed.

"I normally don't get this kind of resistance when I try to hire someone." Ozpin laughed. "I'll have the contract delivered to you as soon as it's ready. I'm sure you'll find the terms quite generous. I look forward to seeing you in one of my cars."

"Way to go sis!" Yang exclaimed. "This is awesome! Now my baby sister and I get to race together in F1."

"I'm quite pleased as well." Pyrrha said with a smile. "I think you'll make for a wonderful teammate. I welcome the challenge."

"Yeah it's...I...I don't know what to say." Ruby stammered. She had been sure she was headed back to F3, and now all that remained to make her an F1 driver was the formality of signing a paper. It was an incredible turn and one for which she was not at all prepared. "It's a dream come true."

After the team was finished packing their equipment away, the drivers decided to leave. There was no reason to stick around for the rest of the race, and they could always return later if needed for some reason. Sharing a car, Yang and Ruby headed for the parking lot together. Before even getting out of the garage area, they were intercepted by an older man in a collared shirt and slacks. "You're Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose, correct?" He asked.

"Yep." Yang confirmed.

"Do you mind if I speak to Ruby?" The man asked. "I have a business proposition."

Yang seemed to recognize the man. "Sure thing." She said. "I'll be waiting at the car." With that she walked off.

"I'm sure you don't remember me, but I'm Robin Persimmon." The man introduced himself.

"That sounds familiar." Ruby said.

"I hope so." Robin laughed. "I own the car you ran into."

"Oh, I'm really sorry about that." Ruby sighed.

"Don't be." Robin said. "It wasn't your fault. It was that damn fool in the Schnee car. He should have pulled off the track. Anyway, the last time I saw you was when you were a baby. I used to run a team in Formula 1. I knew your parents pretty well, and your mother ran a few races for my sports car team. I see a lot of her in you."

"Thanks." Ruby said, not sure what else to say.

"I want to thank you for trying to help Roy." Robin continued. "He's pretty beat up, but he's a tough guy and I'm sure he'll be alright."

"Don't mention it." Ruby said. "I couldn't not help."

"I'm very impressed with you, as a driver and a person." Robin said. "Anyway, getting down to business, I have an car entered in the Orange Beach 500 that needs a driver. How would you like to have the job?"

"I've never driven a stock car before." Ruby admitted. "I've never even driven on an oval."

"With talent like yours I'm sure that won't be a problem." Robin assured her. "Testing starts later this week, so you'll have plenty of practice and it shouldn't interfere with you F1 commitments."

"F1 commitments, how do you know about that?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't, but I had a feeling." Robin replied. "As fast as you were this week I couldn't imagine Ozpin wouldn't hire you. Besides, I can't imagine anyone else he would rather have drive for him. So, what do you say?"

"I guess I could give it a shot." Ruby said. "I hope it goes better than this race."

"I'm sure you'll do great." Robin said. He offered his hand and Ruby shook it.

When Ruby arrived at the car Yang was leaning against it, watching the cars run through the banking of the oval's turns three and four. "So, what was that about?" She asked.

"He asked me to drive his car in the Orange Beach 500." Ruby replied.

"Did you say yes?" Yang asked.

"How could I say no?" Ruby answered. "I'll never pass up a chance to race. Especially a big race like that."

"I guess I should extend out hotel reservations." Yang said. "That sounds like fun. I'm actually a little jealous."

"I just hope it goes better than this race." Ruby shrugged. As excited as she was to be running the Orange Beach 500, she was still down over what had happened earlier.

"It couldn't be worse right?" Yang laughed. "It'll be great. Just think, you'll be doing something I never even got to do. Heck, mom and dad never ran that race."

"It would be cool to win something even they didn't." Ruby mused. "I wonder what mom would think about it."

Inspirations:

- The Maiden Motorcars P40 is based on the Ford GT40.

- Orange Beach is still Daytona.

- Traditional endurance racing rules dictate that while on course drivers cannot be assisted. There are however times when a car is perfectly healthy but potentially stuck. To avoid being eliminated from the race in such a situation, many owners equipped their drivers with bribes to give the appropriate track workers should they need assistance. Recently this tactic has fallen out of use, but in the '60s and '70s it was common.

- The present day has now moved firmly into 1987.

- Roy's crash is based on Memo Gidley's 2014 crash in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Memo struck the back of a nearly stopped GT car, significantly shortening up the front of his own car and suffering massive but not life threatening injuries. It was part of a series of accidents in endurance racing in which incredibly stupid moves by GT Ferrari drivers nearly killed prototype drivers trying to lap them (see 2 Audi prototype crashes and a Toyota prototype crash at Le Mans in the early 2010's). In this case the Ferrari was having trouble with the drivetrain, and instead of pulling off at an access road that led directly to the garage, the driver continued on the track until the car came almost to a stop and was hit by Memo. Inaccuracies in the description are covered below.

- Robin Persimmon is vaguely based on Roger Penske.

- The Orange Beach 500 is meant to be the Daytona 500.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms:

- Some drivers have ended up in Lake Lloyd over the years, but none has ever been in serious danger of drowning.

- While mostly as described, Memo Gidley's accident differed somewhat. Most importantly, it happened in 2014, not 1987. There was no serious fire, and the race was immediately red flagged, allowing safety crews to reach him very quickly. There was also no third car in the crash, just Memo's and the car he hit.

- Roger Penske did not run endurance prototypes or stock cars in 1987, just Champ Cars.

- F1 drivers (hell, even Champ Car drivers) didn't run the Daytona 500 or any other NASCAR races in 1987. In the past though, the Daytona 500 had been won by both F1 World Champion Mario Andretti and Champ Car legend A.J. Foyt.