Author's Note: After Chapter 14 I'll be taking a week off from this story to post something new. Normal service will resume the following week.

Chapter 13

Nineteen Years Ago

Bartholomew Oobleck was easily one of the best drivers of his generation. He had two World Championships to his name and in both seasons he had scored the maximum possible points (only the drivers' best six finishes counted, and he won seven and six races in the respective seasons). In addition to his F1 success, he had won the Vacuo 500. Pretty much the only big races he attempted and failed to win were the 24 Hours of Vytal and the Vale Grand Prix. Something always seemed to go wrong for him in those races. Most of the time though, the only thing that kept him off of the podium was a sub-par car. For the past two years he had been dealing with just that.

Two years previously he and Team Juniper were the defending champions. Then a rule change shortly before the season left the team's previous engine obsolete. There was no time to find a good alternative so they were forced to use engines that were both overweight and underpowered. Still he managed to get himself a victory in Mountain Glenn. The next season the team had a state-of-the-art engine that no other team could match. Unfortunately it was very unreliable and that lack of reliability cost him a shot at the title. This year the engine's problems had been worked out and he was the championship favorite. He won the first race of the year in dominating fashion and there was no reason to think the rest would be any different.

At the time Team Juniper's business model relied on the sale of race cars and high-performance street cars to keep it afloat. Selling the street cars was easy. Selling the race cars, mostly models for F2 and F3, required on-track success. To that end the, team boss Coral Charcoal requested that his drivers run some races in those cars. Many of the top drivers ran in F2 on off weekends. It was a good opportunity to race without all the pressure of F1. Oobleck loved to race and was more than happy to run some F2 events. That would just net him more trophies and a little extra cash.

There was a gap of almost five months between the first race of the F1 season and the second. That left plenty of time to run other events. To fulfill his team commitments and a sponsor requirement, Oobleck entered an F2 race in Emerald Forest. It was not at the fearsome North Circuit, no driver would enter a race there unless it was absolutely necessary, but was instead being held at the Emeraldring. The track was a bit over four miles long, most of that length run flat-out through the forest along a gently curving track. There was a tight stadium section near the start line, but on the whole the track was not too demanding.

Many other F1 drivers were present to run in the race. Oobleck was quick, but the car was not particularly good and his qualifying performance was mediocre. It rained on race day, though the precipitation stopped before the race got underway. The track was still wet as the race began and it would remain damp throughout. When the race got going Oobleck remained about where he had qualified. The conditions were bad and the car was worse. The race did not really matter, so there was no reason to push too hard.

As Oobleck wound his car through the stadium section on the fourth lap it pitched into a slide. He was barely able to hold on but kept going. It was uncharacteristic for him to make even so slight an error, but with a misbehaving car and wet track it was forgivable. He crossed the line to start the fifth lap, wound through the first turn and headed back into the forest. As the car ran at top speed on the narrow ribbon of asphalt between the trees, the right rear tire suddenly deflated. The car became uncontrollable, suddenly veering off the track. With no barriers lining the circuit, the car careened into the forest and torn apart by the trees.

Oobleck was dead before he reached the hospital. The world of F1 was shocked. Oobleck had been one of the sport's most talented drivers. Racing was dangerous and drivers died all the time, but the survivors always told themselves it could never happen to them. Death was something that happened to other people. But Oobleck was so talented that they could no longer pretend. If it could happen to him, what chance did they have? It was lost on none of them that the simplest barrier between the track and the trees would likely have saved him. It sparked a safety revolution. Tracks now had to meet certain standards or the drivers simply refused to race. The cars got safer too, and the safety equipment used by the drivers improved. As it turned out Oobleck's greatest legacy was not his record-breaking performances or his sublime talent, it was a new commitment to preventing other drivers from sharing his fate. A generation of drivers dedicated themselves to making the sport safer. Death was no longer something that happened to other people. It was something that could happen to anyone, and any action taken to prevent it was worthwhile.

Present Day

It was time for the Emerald Forest GP to be held at the Emeraldring. Emeraldring and a new modern track adjacent to the old North Circuit had been alternating as hosts of the race for a few years. Much had changed at the Emeraldring since Oobleck's death nearly two decades earlier, but the basic layout remained the same. Two chicanes had been immediately added to the fast forest sections with a third added more recently after a fatal crash in an F1 test. Sturdy armco now separated the track from the trees and on the whole just about every safety-related aspect of the facility had improved.

The previous race in Patch showed Schnee Automotive that the team had a problem. In the rain their cars were hopeless. It was too late and not really worth the money to redesign the car to fix the issue, but there was another option. Mr. Schnee pressured his tire supplier into designing a new rain tire that would be provided only to his team. It was far and away the most advanced wet weather tire available, and in the rain Schnee Automotive would have the advantage...probably. The only issue was that the tire had been rushed into production and not extensively tested. It had certainly never seen the track in race conditions.

The first day of practice for the grand prix saw a deluge the likes of which the region had not seen in quite some time. It was closer to a tropical monsoon than any weather normally experienced in the Emerald Forest. Most drivers and teams considered it "stay home" weather. The contenders were not going to risk a crash by going out in such appalling conditions. Some of the backmarkers, desperate for any track time and data they could gather, would venture out, but the frontrunners would basically have the day off. The forecasts for Saturday's time trials and Sunday's race called for sunny weather, so there was really no point.

With their experimental rain tires, Schnee Automotive had a reason to run. The impossible conditions would be a perfect chance to test them out. Both cars were fitted with identical setups. Winter was given the experimental tires and Weiss was given the old design. Weiss was sent out several seconds ahead to see how long it would take her sister to catch up and how easy or not it would be for her to pass. With a nearly clear track they would get excellent data.

By the time Weiss reached the end of pit road she knew it was too wet to run. Even at low speeds her car felt as if it were on ice. There were deep puddles everywhere and her car and tires were not up to the task. Still, she had a job to do and she was going to drive as hard as she dared until the team called her in. Well behind Weiss, Winter headed out on the new tires. By the time she reached the end of pit road she knew it was too wet to run. The car squirmed around at the slightest throttle input and the brakes locked at the lightest touch. Still, she had a job to do and she was going to drive as hard as she dared until the team called her in. If anyone could handle it, three-time champion Winter Schnee could.

After a few corners both drivers got the hang of the conditions, at least to the point that it made them livable. The original gap had been twenty seconds but Winter caught her sister within two laps. Both had a similar level of talent in the rain but Winter's tires were just that good. Weiss exited the final chicane and headed for the stadium section. She could see that there was another car in front of her. The huge rooster tail of spray it kicked up was impossible to miss. It was one of the backmarkers, Cardin as it turned out. He was going much slower, at least 20 mph slower. Weiss was closing fast but Cardin could not see her in his mirrors on account of the spray. Weiss edged over to the right and off the preferred line to pass him.

Winter came off the final chicane and could see that she had caught someone, probably Weiss. It was hard to tell with all the spray kicked up by her car. Winter reported on the radio that the spray was impossible. The team told her to finish her lap to set a time then come back into the pits. Winter was quickly closing on Weiss thanks to her tires. As Winter approached Weiss edged over to the right, presumably to allow her sister to pass on the racing line to set the best time possible. They needed the full lap time to get a good idea of the speed the tires had. Winter could not see Cardin's slow car through the spray until it was too late. She let off the throttle and cut the wheel left. As nearly top speed the front wheels got little traction and the car barely turned before slamming into the back of Cardin's machine.

Weiss watched in horror as Winter's car launched off the back of Cardin's machine as if it were a ramp. Winter's car sailed through the air off the left side of the track, cleared the armco, and flew into the trees. It struck a tree belly-first, split in half and burst into flames. Weiss slammed on the brakes and pulled off the side of the track. Not taking into account the wet grass - and not caring - the car skidded into the armco, pancaking its right side. She did not even think to radio the team. Weiss hurriedly undid her belts as the car came to a halt, quickly looked to make sure no one was coming, then rushed across the track. She leapt over the armco and ran toward the mangled wreckage that had once been her sister's car.

Back at the pits all was quite. Very few cars were out on track and most of the teams were just hanging around in case the weather changed. The red flag was displayed. No one was sure why but most assumed the weather was the cause. Then the siren on a firetruck pierced the silence, followed by that of an ambulance. Clearly someone had crashed. Only three drivers were unaccounted for - Winter, Weiss and Cardin. The mechanics at Schnee Automotive suspected their drivers were involved but with no radio communication and no information from officials, they had no idea what had happened.

A few minutes later an ambulance drove past on its way to the track medical center. The teams could hear the medical helicopter fire up its engines. For it to fly in such dangerous conditions was confirmation that the crash had been severe. There was a flurry of activity in the Schnee Automotive garage. Slowly officials made their way down pit road, informing the teams that Winter had crashed heavily and was being taken to the hospital. They gave no statement on her condition. Weiss had surely gone to the hospital with her. A few minutes later Cardin arrived in the pits. He was physically unhurt but his thousand yard stare told the tale. It had been as bad as many had feared. The religious prayed. Even some of the irreligious did too.

Weiss had spent much of the helicopter ride to the hospital sobbing. The medics had worked furiously to keep her sister alive, just to give her a chance to make it to the hospital where maybe she could be saved. Now Weiss sat in the waiting room, tears still dripping down her face. No one would tell her anything. Winter had been rushed into surgery while Weiss was dragged away. Now Weiss just had to wait. Every passing minute seemed an eternity.

The horrible scenes replayed in Weiss' mind over and over. Winter's car in the air. The fireball as it struck a tree. The scattered debris, some of it on fire. The back half of the car, separated from the front and entirely engulfed. The cockpit, with one wheel still attached, laying on its side in the mud. The track workers rushing to what remained of the car. The medical team carefully removing Winter's helmet and extracting her from the car, then laying her on the ground. The relieved looks as the doctor announced she had a pulse and was still breathing. How those looks so quickly changed when the doctor pulled her eyelid up and announced that her pupils were fully dilated and did not respond when he shined his flashlight at them. The bumpy ambulance ride followed by an equally bumpy helicopter ride. Winter's heart stopping mid-flight only to be restarted. The mad scramble of doctors and nurses as Winter was wheeled away and Weiss was held back.

After a while a doctor arrived at the waiting room. He looked around for a moment before focusing his attention on Weiss. "Ms. Schnee?" He asked. Weiss was terrified of what he might tell her.

Back at the track the weather matched the mood. The skies were a dark grey and the rain continued to pour. Winter's accident had occurred early in the morning, right at the beginning of the first practice. The other teams knew they were not going to be doing any further running that day but they remained at the track anyway. There news of her condition would reach them most quickly. If the worst came to pass as many expected, they would have others there to understand and share their grief. If the news was good as a few dared to hope, they would be able to share their relief and celebrate.

The head of F1's governing body walked into the Schnee Automotive garage, leaving a few minutes later. With tears in his eyes one of the mechanics stepped to the front of the garage and pulled down one of the doors while another did the same to the other. The news soon reached the rest of the garage. Winter was still clinging to life, but even on life support she was not expected to survive the night. She had suffered severe injuries to her head and chest. To no one's surprise the team was withdrawing from the race. They could not be expected to go on, particularly given the familial connection between their drivers.

As with Oobleck's death all those years earlier, it was impossible to escape the fact that if it could happen to Winter, it could happen to anyone. While the team packed up, a few drivers, mechanics and team managers went to the Schnee Automotive garage to offer their condolences. Pyrrha was one of them. When she returned to the Beacon GP garage she found Ruby sitting atop a counter in the corner, weeping. Just two weeks before Ruby and Pyrrha had shared the Patch GP podium with Winter, and now she was gone. All Pyrrha could think to do was sit beside her and put an arm around her. They would grieve together.

Weiss sat at her sister's bedside. She could barely hear herself think over the sound of all the machines that kept Winter clinging to life. Weiss still refused to believe that her sister was going to die. She saw it as a competition like any race, Winter versus death, and Winter won everything. She would win this too. Not only that, she was going to recover. Before too long she would be back in her race car, fighting it out on the track with Weiss. Somewhere deep down, Weiss knew she was deluding herself. Even if Winter lived, and that was a big if, she would never be the same. The way her right leg was shattered meant she would never walk normally again, let alone drive, and the way her brain had been smashed into the inside of her skull meant she would be a different person too.

After a few hours Winter's husband arrived. Weiss had never seen a man so distraught. Their marriage had not started as a happy one. It was an arranged union set up by her father, and initially both parties resented each other. Eventually however, they grew to love one another deeply. They had a daughter who was not quite 8 years old. She was here too. Little Willow was probably too young to really understand what was happening with her mother, but she understood that her father was hysterical and terrified, so she was too. Weiss wanted to do something to comfort them, but she could not find the words.

The arrival of Winter's husband also brought with it anger. Weiss heard from him that her father would not be coming. In the days ahead he would put on an extravagant public display of grief and mourning, but it was all an act. He did not really care about his daughters. To him Winter was just another driver, a talented driver sure, but just a driver. Drivers were interchangeable parts as far as he was concerned, no different from an engine or transmission. Winter would be hard to replace if only for her exceptional skill. Before the day was out he was on the phone, securing a replacement to drive her car in the next race. He knew how he was supposed to act, so he put on a show for the cameras, but his heart was black.

Pyrrha and Ruby cried together for a long time. Even as the rest of the team went back to the hotel, or to the local bar to drown their sorrows, the pair remained. "I'm afraid." Ruby eventually said.

"Don't be, you'll be fine." Pyrrha said. "Everything will…"

"I don't care about me." Ruby cut her off. "I'm afraid for you and Yang. I already lost my mother. I guess I sort of lost my father too. I don't think I could go on if something happened to you or Yang."

"Yang wouldn't want you to worry about her." Pyrrha said.

"I know, she already talked to me." Ruby said. "But you…"

"I understand you worrying about your sister, but…" Pyrrha started.

"I love you so much." Ruby cried. "I don't...know…" She trailed off into incoherent babble as she choked on tears.

Ruby and Pyrrha had been trying to figure out the exact nature of their relationship ever since the race in Patch. They had not spent much time together and not really gotten a hold on things, but they supposed they were more than friends. What exactly, neither could say. Ruby's tearful words were the first 'I love you' and Pyrrha was not sure how to react. She was not really ready to say it, and suspected that Ruby only had because of her compromised emotional state. "I love you too." Pyrrha said as she tightly embraced Ruby. "I'm afraid of what might happen, just like you are. But we can't let that fear rule us."

"But how can we keep going like this?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha thought for a moment. She had no good answer. She grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. "Ruby, I'm not going to die." Pyrrha said. "You're not going to die. Yang's not going to die. None of our friends are going to die either. You have to believe that."

"I want to believe that." Ruby sighed. "But how can I?"

"Just believe it." Pyrrha said. "I'll always be here for you."

"Always?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, always." Pyrrha promised.

They kissed, another first for their relationship, not counting Ruby's quick smooch on the Patch GP podium. It was passionate, awkward and messy. Again, it was probably a product of their distressed emotional states, but they had found comfort in each other and that was enough. Anything to take their minds off the horrors that surrounded them. They rushed back to their hotel and made love, the first time for both. Why wait? They could be dead tomorrow. That it had been so rushed and shrouded in tragedy was something both would come to regret, but for now it did not matter. With the future so uncertain, with death lurking around every corner, now was all that mattered.

Inspirations

- Oobleck is based on Jim Clark. That goes for the crash as well.

- In the flashback Team Juniper is based on Team Lotus.

- Coral Charcoal is meant to be Colin Chapman.

- Emeraldring is based on Hockenheimring.

- Winter's crash is based on Didier Pironi's career ending crash.

- Weiss' father is based on Enzo Ferrari.

Inaccuracies and Anachronisms

- The exact cause of Jim Clark's fatal crash is unknown. A tire failure is the likeliest culprit.

- Newly designed rain tires can be faster, but not that much faster.

- Pironi's car remained within the confines of the circuit and he suffered only severe leg injuries.

- Even in a desperate attempt to save a driver's life, a rescue helicopter would not fly in such conditions. The driver would have to be transported by road.