Chapter 11

Two Weeks Ago - The Night Following the Patch Grand Prix

"You know, I was excited by the idea that you might start coming to more races." Yang said to her father. "But every time you show up I end up in some horrible wreck. Maybe stay home from now on." As he had at Grand Patch five years before, Qrow had somehow procured a barbeque grill, food to cook on it, and a mountain of booze for a post-race party. Beacon GP and Team Juniper both stuck around for the celebrations, along with a few others.

"I don't think you have to worry about me jinxing you anymore." Taiyang said. "My heart can't take another race like this."

"I'm with you on that." Yang agreed.

"Yang, do you have a moment?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Yang replied.

"I need to talk to you." Pyrrha said. "In private." She gestured toward Team Juniper's garage which now sat dark and empty with everyone at the Beacon party.

"Of course." Yang said. "I'll be right back." She said to the others. Yang followed Pyrrha to Team Juniper's garage. Pyrrha flipped on the lights and closed the door behind Yang. "I never got a chance to ask, but how's your arm?"

Pyrrha was wearing short sleeves now and the bloody bandage wrapped around the jagged wound was clearly visible. As her car was flipping a broken suspension component had sliced into her just below the shoulder. "It did a lot of bleeding but it's not that bad." Pyrrha replied. "It didn't damage anything important. I'm already cleared to race."

"Well that's good." Yang said. Then there was an awkward silence. "So what's this about?" Yang finally asked. Pyrrha did not immediately respond. "Come on, out with it."

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out how to say this." Pyrrha said. "The only phrasing I can come up with is pretty immature."

"I don't care." Yang assured her. "Just say it."

"Fine." Pyrrha sighed. "Do you...have a crush on me?"

"Wow, that does sound pretty immature." Yang said.

"Answer the question." Pyrrha pressed.

"Yes, you caught me." Yang admitted. "I like you...a lot."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Pyrrha asked.

"I didn't want to make things weird." Yang replied. "We've been good friends and I didn't want to risk that. I had no idea how you'd react if I just out and said it."

"How long have you felt that way?" Pyrrha asked.

"Years I guess." Yang answered.

"Years?!" Pyrrha shouted. "How did you go years without saying anything? How long would you have waited?"

"If I hadn't gotten plastered in Vacuo and we hadn't had the crash today, I probably never would have said a word." Yang admitted. "Our friendship is more important to me than any stupid feeling I might have."

"Your feelings aren't stupid." Pyrrha said. "And it's not healthy to just bottle things up. Besides, you know I wouldn't let something like that ruin our friendship."

"Well, I have other reasons." Yang sighed.

"Go on." Pyrrha encouraged.

"You've met my father." Yang said. "The woman he loved was a racing driver too. Her death destroyed him. It's a dangerous sport and it's not wise to become attached to anyone. That's why I don't associate with most of the other drivers. Just being friends with you, Weiss and Winter is risky enough. And now Ruby's in the mix. I just...don't want to end up like that."

"Would it really be any better if I died and you never said anything?" Pyrrha asked. "Would that really have softened the blow?"

"Probably not." Yang said. "But I can at least convince myself that you'd never see me the same way I see you, so…"

"I've never seen you as someone who would avoid risks." Pyrrha cut her off.

"It's hard to deal with emotions you're feeling for the first time." Yang said. "Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you know about all the boyfriends and girlfriends I've had over the years. It's been all over the tabloids. A lot of us drivers are like that. My father was like that. And I did care about them. I've just never felt this way about anyone other than you. My father threw caution to the wind and went for it with Summer, but I know how that story ends. I don't want a repeat."

"There doesn't have to be a repeat." Pyrrha said. "It's still dangerous, but racing's different now."

"I've seen too many drivers die over the years to really believe that." Yang said. "You've come very close to death twice this year already."

"But here I am." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, there you are." Yang said. "So now that everything's out in the open…"

"Give me some time to think." Pyrrha said. "I can't say I saw this coming."

"Well, that's a better response than I would have expected." Yang laughed. "I thought I was in for a 'let's just be friends.'" Yang paused. "Maybe that would be better."

"If you're worried about becoming too attached to me, I think that ship has sailed." Pyrrha said. "Besides, I'm not going to die."

"That's what every driver says." Yang said. "Death is something that happens to someone else. It could never happen to me or anyone I care about. It's the lie that keeps us sane, but it's just that, a lie. In our line of work it can all end in an instant. It doesn't even have to be your fault. One slip, one little mechanical fault, one bit of bad luck and it's all over."

"You know it and I know it." Pyrrha said. "So what does it matter? It's no reason to stop living our lives. You said you don't want to end up like your father. Isn't that what happened to him?"

"You make a good point." Yang said. "It would be a bad idea to concern myself with what might happen."

"That's right." Pyrrha said. "Now let's get back to that party. I'm sure everyone else is wondering where we went."

Present Day

It was time to race at the Emerald Forest, maybe. First the directors of the GPDA would have to make their inspection and approve the track. On the Thursday before the race they rounded the track in a road car. The surface was much improved though there were still places where cars would likely get airborne. After their initial assessment, they went back around to check the newly installed barriers. The armco had been significantly extended, but dirt banks still lined much of the circuit. At least the more risky areas had been reinforced. Ultimately, the track was not safe enough for their liking, but the race would go forward. The people in charge of the track had held up their end of the bargain and the drivers would have to hold up theirs. After all, short of building a whole new circuit, there was no way the track could really be made safe enough.

The North Circuit was still much the same as it had been five years earlier. The repaving job made it smoother and a few bits had been remodeled. Four years before, a chicane had been added between The Zoo and the start/finish straight to slow the cars to a more sane speed as they passed the pits. A barrier had even been put up separating the pits from the track. Still the circuit remained a fearsome beast. It was still incredibly long, too fast and complex in the extreme. The drivers would just have to deal with it like they always did.

"You two picked a hell of a time to get together." Weiss groaned. Yang and Pyrrha just looked at her. "Let's start dating right before we go to the three most dangerous tracks on the circuit. That sounds like a great idea! What could go wrong? It's not like we're just daring the gods to kill us or anything. Do you idiots watch movies?"

"This isn't a movie." Yang said. "This is the real world." She paused. "Though it crossed my mind once or twice."

"Well, if you two are happy I guess I'm happy for you." Weiss said, almost grudgingly. "Hopefully you'll be distracted by each other and I'll run away with this championship."

"My mother and father won four straight titles between them." Yang said. "If it wasn't for your fluke three years ago we'd have done the same thing already. I don't think distraction will be an issue."

"Don't call it a fluke." Pyrrha admonished. "Weiss earned that championship."

"I also happen to be the current points leader." Weiss added. "You're what, fourth?"

"I'll give you that." Yang said. "And you certainly deserve a trophy for you skill at running Pyrrha off the track."

"I already apologized for that." Weiss protested. "Repeatedly."

"Come on you two." Pyrrha said. "Stop arguing."

"They did this all the time when they were teammates." Ruby said as she entered the garage. "Do you really think you can stop them from arguing now? Come on Yang, practice is about to start."

"Is it that time already?" Yang asked. "Well, I guess I'll be going." Yang winked at Pyrrha. "I'll see you later."

Weiss rolled her eyes as Yang and Ruby headed for the Beacon GP garage. "What do you see in her?" Weiss asked. Pyrrha was about to speak. "Don't answer that."

The practice sessions showed just how important engine power was going to be. Winter and May topped the sessions, followed by Yang. It seemed the Beacon GP chassis was better suited to the track than the Team Juniper car. Pyrrha, had adopted the upgrades Weiss had had fitted to her car in Patch and was back to being faster but only just. Then there was Ruby, noticeably slower than the other front-runners but still faster than the rest of the pack. She really struggled to learn the track but everyone suspected she would only get faster with time. As time trials drew near their end, the order was the same.

Yang went out for one last lap in the closing moments of the session. She entered the final chicane - High Rain - slower than usual and took a line that made for a better launch toward the start line. Yang flashed across the line to start her lap and then was almost immediately on the brakes for the first turn. She swung the car left then right through the South Curve, tore up the backstretch, then carefully made her way through the North Curve. Yang drove her car down through Hunt Creek and the Tall Oaks, slinging her car through the series of corners. Then it was back uphill and up to speed through Airfield and Cross. After the slow right-hander that followed she dove down into Fox Hole before climbing back up to The Forest. Her car was handling perfectly. She flew through the relatively open area that followed before the track wound back into the trees. After a long tangle of tight corners and drastic elevation changes, Yang was back to top speed for Little Valley and Courage Corner. From there, all the way to Jump Hill, the track was tight and twisting. Yang wrestled her car around the corners. Then the ground fell away and she became airborne as the circuit opened up again. Through Swallow's Tail, Small Carousel and Gallows she pushed the car to the very edge. Then it was out onto The Peak. On the incredibly long straight the engine screamed, pushed to its very limits. Yang was on the brakes hard as she came out of The Zoo, slowing for High Rain. She negotiated the chicane, controlled her wheelspin on exit and got a good run out and across the line.

It was only enough for Yang to hold onto third. To no one's surprise Winter had taken the pole with May second. Fourth place was a surprise though. On her final lap Ruby had put up a time a full two seconds faster than any lap she had run before. That leapfrogged her over Pyrrha and Weiss who had set almost identical times. Sun, Neptune, Coco and Mercury rounded out the top 10, but they were five seconds or more adrift of Weiss. The gap between the top runners and last place Roy Stallion was over thirty seconds.

It rained all night and into the morning before the race. Then the skies cleared and the sun came out. By race time the track was dry. After their parade lap the cars lined up on the grid for the start. The starter raised his flag and held it there for what seemed like an eternity to the waiting drivers. Then the flag dropped and the race was underway. Immediately there was trouble. Mercury's transmission disintegrated as soon as he dropped the clutch. Somehow the rest of the field managed to avoid his stationary car as they thundered into the first turn.

Winter made it through the first turn ahead of May. On the second row Ruby got a perfect start and got ahead of Yang. Pyrrha and Weiss battled through the South Curve but Pyrrha emerged in front. Neptune forced Sun wide. Sun pushed to stay beside Neptune, knowing he could have the line in the next corner, but he pushed too hard. His car began to oversteer. Sun corrected and his car swung out wide to the left. He corrected back to the right but not in time and he slapped the armco on the outside of the track, ending his race in the first corner. Before the end of the first lap, two more cars fell out with mechanical issues. Adam's motor quit on the hill up to Airfield and Russel's suspension failed as it took full load in the Carousel.

The frontrunners crossed the line to complete lap 1 in the same order they had been in when they rounded the North Curve over seven minutes earlier. The difference was that Winter had a huge lead on May and May was far ahead of Ruby. Yang was right on Ruby's tail but could not find an opening. The sisters had opened a small gap over Pyrrha and Weiss who running nose-to-tail. After that it was a long way to Neptune who was fighting off a challenge from Coco. Neptune had the better overall car but Coco had better engine power so the gap between the pair opened and closed as the track shifted between endless straights and complex twists.

There was a bit of a scare on lap 3. Coco headed for High Rain just behind Neptune. The pair were both near the top speed their cars could manage. When Coco hit the brakes there was a huge puff of smoke from the left-front as the disk shattered. Her car hooked right, slid sideways just missing Neptune, and shot off the corner and slammed into the tire-lined armco side-on. Astonishingly she jumped out of the car in seconds, apparently unhurt. Her race was over but she was happy to be alive.

Winter had only extended her sizable lead by lap 6. She rounded the South Curve, hit the gas, and bang! With the rattle of metal and a tremendous cloud of white smoke, her engine self-destructed. She limped her car to the North Curve and turned right instead of left, entering the garage from the back, her race over. Now May was the one with a huge lead. It did come with a worry though. If Winter's engine was somehow defective, the same problem could be lurking in May's. May was determined to win but knew that her current pace could easily wreck her motor. She slowed a bit. She could sacrifice her lead while saving her equipment.

Of course news of Winter's engine failure and May's decrease in pace was immediately passed to Ruby and Yang via their pit boards. There was blood in the water. The problem was, there was not much to be done. Both had been pushing as hard as possible since the very beginning. Ruby was getting faster every lap already, even if only by fractions of a second. Yang, for her part, was starting to have trouble keeping up with her sister. Only the draft kept their cars glued together. Yang had won at Emerald Forest before but only in the rain. In the dry she was not great there. Something about the track apparently agreed with Ruby though.

Behind Ruby and Yang, Pyrrha and Weiss were in the midst of an intense battle for fourth. They had almost identical speed. They would draft back and forth past one another on the long straights, remain nose-to-tail through the twisty bits, then go back to swapping position again. There seemed nothing to choose between them. Barring a major mistake by either, timing would probably decide who would end up with the position. Behind them Neptune was fighting off a challenge from Emerald who was surging toward the front. Arslan and Reese were not far behind that.

As Ruby and Yang crested the hill and got airborne through Airfield on the lap 12 of 12, they could see May ahead. They might just have time to catch her. They wound through the slower, more complex parts of the track and closed further. May did not even pull away through Little Valley. As they flew over Jump Hill the three were all together. May noticed. She picked up the pace through Swallow's Tail but Ruby stayed with her. Yang fell back a bit, unable to match the pace. Ruby followed May through Small Carousel and Gallows, and out onto The Peak. Ruby tucked in May's wake, gaining rapidly via the draft. She peeked out to the right and drove up alongside May but before she could complete the pass May began to slowly pull back ahead. Ruby fell back as May's superior horsepower kept her in the lead. She kept drafting through The Zoo and made one last attempt, diving right on entry to High Rain. May moved right and that was enough to get Ruby to abort the dangerous maneuver. May crossed the line to take her first win, followed by Ruby and Yang.

Weiss was ahead as she and Pyrrha exited Gallows. Pyrrha drafted up, closing in for the slingshot. Weiss expected Pyrrha to step out to pass but she suddenly slowed and held her position. They ran line astern through The Zoo. At the last moment Pyrrha ducked right under braking for High Rain. Weiss knew better than to block given their recent history and Pyrrha zipped up the inside. She overshot the corner slightly but not enough that Weiss could use a crossover move. Weiss was forced to follow Pyrrha across the line. Behind them Neptune took the final points paying position. Emerald, Arslan, Reese and Fox rounded out the top 10.

All the drivers were happy in a way. They had completed the Emerald Forest Grand Prix and no one was dead. Winter was disappointed with her engine failure as she would have otherwise won easily, but, again, she was still alive. May, of course, was the happiest of all. Her victory was the product of luck more than skill, but a win was a win and it was the first of her F1 career. She had finally proven that she belonged. On the second step of the podium, Ruby was now just as sure that she belonged. Her win at Signalstone was a bit of a fluke but her podium finish at the Emerald Forest was not. If she could figure out that track, the others would come to her as well.

Standings after seven races:

1st - Weiss Schnee - 30

2nd - Yang Xiao-Long - 27

2nd - Pyrrha Nikos - 27

2nd - May Zedong - 27

5th - Winter Schnee - 24

6th - Ruby Rose - 17

7th - Sun Wukong - 12

8th - Arslan Atlan - 4

9th - Coco Adel - 2

9th - Reese Chloris - 2

9th - Neptune Vasilias - 2

12th - Fox Alistair - 1

Inspirations

- Emerald Forest is based on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

- 30 seconds sounds like an unrealistically huge interval between the lap times for first and last on the grid, but it's period accurate. Over a lap that was longer than seven minutes, a big gap could and did open between the fast cars and the backmarkers.

- The fact that all the drivers were happy just that no one had died in a race at the Nurburgring is not an exaggeration. After a race in particularly harrowing conditions, Jackie Stewart's first words to his team owner were "Who died?" He was very surprised and relieved to find out that no one had.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- There was no wall between the track and the pits at the Nurburgring in 1971.

- The effects of the draft as seen at the Nurburgring are overstated.