Forrest's chest heaved. He reached out and aggressively ruffled her hair, a huge relieved smile breakingacross his face. "Whatever you do, kid I'm inyour corner.”
"Good," Anissa said, her tone shifting back to absolute seriousness “Because we have a problem”
She gestured to Blaze, who was already dragging his heavy black tool chest toward the red and white stock car.
Anissa looked up at the massive digital clock hanging from the garage ceiling
004500
Forty-five minutes until the green flag dropped:
Blaze didn't wat for permission He threw a mechanic's cre eper board ‘onto the concrete, lay flat on his back, and slid directly underneath the heavy chassis of the race car.
Anissa crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her heart beginningto. pounda frantic rhythm against her ribs. The real war was just beginning 100.0% 1546 NI)
< Marrying My xs Powerful Bilonare Un... #2 4120 Points at most The Apex team's pit garage was a hive of frantic, highstress activity. The deafening rat-tat-tat of pneumatic impact wrenches echoed off the walls as the crew rushed throughtheir final tire pressure checks. Underneath the car, Blaze Jankowskiwas completely stil
He was lying flat on the cre eper board, holding a flexible, fiber-optic endoscope He carefully threaded the tiny camera lens up through the dense, greasy maze of the car's undercarriage, navigating toward the blind spot behindthe brake manifold.
Anissa stood right beside the car, holding the wireless tablet that was synced to Blazes camera. Her eyes were glued to the screen. Her breathing was shallow. Every second that ticked by felt like a physical weight pressingdown on her chest
Forrest stood next to her, his arms crossed. He was confused, but he trusted Anissa implicitly. When his crew chief had tried to drag Blaze out from underthe car, Forrest had physically blocked him orderinghisteam to stand down.
003000
Thirty minutesto the green flag.
The image on the tablet was a blurry, gray lands cape of metal pipesand hydraulic fluid lines. Everything looked perfectly normal
Forrest shifted his weight nervously. "Nissa, are you sure about this? The: league inspectors cleared this car an hour ago. If we don't get it to the grid soon
“Wait Anissa whispered fiercely, cutting himoff
On the screen, the camera lens twisted sharply to the left, illuminatinga dark, recessed corner of the brakingsystem.
“Gotcha, you son of a bitch” Blaze's muffled, raspy voice echoed from beneath the chassis.
Anissa pinchedthe screen, zooming in on the image.
Her stomach dropped nto her boots.
0.0% 1551 NI
me #2 +120 Points at most There, on the thick reinforced wall of the primary hydraulic brake fine, was a microscopicblack line. It was a laser cut. It was so incrediblythin and precise that it was practically invisibleto the naked eye.
The cut had sliced through ninety-nine percent of the metal, leaving a membrane of material less than a millimeter thick It was enoughto hold the fluid during a static pressure test in the garage. But the second Forrest slammed on the brakes ai top speed, the hydraulic pressure would blow that membrane to pieces.
it was a flawless, invisibledeath trap
Forrest leaned over Anissas shoulder, looking at the screen. All the blood instantly drained from his face. His freckles stood out starkly against his pale skin A cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
He was a professional driver. He knew exactly what he was lookingat “That's... Forrest chokedout, his voice trembling That's murder”
He grabbed Anissals shoulder, spinningher around to face him His eyes were wide with horror and desperate confusion. "How did you know? Nissa, how could you possibly know that was there?"
Anissa's heart skippeda beat. The secret of her rebirth was locked tight inher chest. She couldn't tell himthe truth.
She forced her eyes to widen. She let her lower ip tremble, channeling the genuineterror she had felt when she watched him die in her past life. “I had a nightmare Anissa lied, her voice cracking perfectly. "A horrible, vividnightmarelast night I saw you hit the wall at the hairpinturn. | saw the car catch fire. | woke up screaming, Forrest. | just...| couldnt let you getinthis car without checking"
Forrest stared at her tear-filled eyes. The sheer, irrational panic of a sister terrified for her brothers life was all the explanation he needed. He pulled her into a crushinghug buryinghis face in her hair
“You saved my life” Forrest whispered his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you."
“We're not saved yet!" the crew chief yelled, runningover with a clipboard. He looked at the tablet screen and cursed loudly. Track closes in twenty minutes! We have to drop the entire transmission to r eplace that brake assembly! Its a four-hour job! We have to forfeit!”
lí Forrest didritrace today, he would lose enoughpoints to be eliminated from the championship The assassins backup plan would succeed 222% 1552 |
nh án 7% +120 Points at most Blaze slid out from under the car. He spat nis unit cigarette onto the. concrete and wiped his greasy mouth with the back of his hand.
“Who said anythingabout r eplacing the assembly?” Blaze sneered,
He popped open his black tool chest. He pulled out a heavy, unmarked aerosol can and a rol of thick woven black tape.
"Aerospace-grade liquid metal sealant and thermal-cured carbon fiber wrap,” Blaze said, his eyes gleaming with mad genius "I spray this into the cut, wrap it tight, and hit it with a heat gun The patch will be three times stronger than the original steel pipe”
Forrest's eyes widened ‘Is that legal?"
“It's highlyillegal * Blaze grinned "But it will ke ep you alive.
Blaze dove back underthe car, His hands moved with terrifying practiced speed. The hiss of the aerosol spray was followed by the intense. localized humof a high powered heat gun
Eightminutes later, Blaze rolled out. "Hit the pressuretester!"
The crew chief hooked up a portable hydraulic pump to the brake reservoir. He pumped the handle violently, pushingthe system to three times its normal operating pressure.
The needle on the gauge shot up into the red zone and held perfectly still. Not a single drop of fluid leaked. The fix was flawless
The track loudspeakers crackled to life. Ten minutes to green flag. All cars to the starting grid.
The garage erupted intoa frenzy
Forrest grabbed his fir eproof balaclava and pulled it over his head. He strapped on his custom-painted helmet. His eyes, visible through the visor, were no longer filled with shock They were burningwith absolute, murderous fury. Someone had tried to kill him and he was goingto take it out on the asphalt
He gave Anissa a sharp thumbs up then vaulted through the window of the race car.
The V12 enginefired up with an apocalyptic roar, shaking the concrete floor beneath Anissa’s boots. The red and white car shot out of the garage, tires spinning merginginto the roaring river of cars heading for the track.
Anissa stood in the cloud of exhaust fumes. She let out a long, shuddering breath. The timeline had been broken Death had been 654% 1552 NI
JS Chapters; š +120 Points at most defeated
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