F-Zero: The Rising Hero

Chapter 7: Ace and Lily

         Ace found John Tanaka in the garage as usual. He figured that the goofy man was creating some piece of junk. "JOHN!" Ace shouted. Tanaka appeared from behind the Wonder Wasp. He accidently bumped his head on his machine. "Ace not so loud!" He exclaimed as he scratched his head. "I've been working all night on recreating the perfect design of the Wonder Wasp!" It was currently 7:45pm, so he wasn't kidding. "I need you to do me a secret favor," Ace said. "I can't so this because of my rank, but I want you to look up an employee. Lily Flyer." "I don't know Ace," John Tanaka shook his head. "I could get in trouble for it." "I won't let that happen!" Ace said. "Please John." Tanaka shook his head. "Okay." He headed over to the virtual PC nearby his machine. Using it, he flipped through organization records for the name "LILY FLYER". He finally found her under the section of the G.S.F.S. "Here she is," John Tanaka said. "Lily Flyer. She works at the G.S.F.S, the Galactic Space Federation Support. They support us, the Galactic Space Federation. Their HQ is on the other side of Mute City-"

"OKAY BYE!" Ace turned and ran towards his machine. "HOLD IT ACE!" Tanaka said. Ace stopped in his tracks, just inches in front of his machine. "Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" He asked the rookie. "Ummm," Ace tried to think of a response. "Just curious about her I guess." John Tanaka just smiled. "You like her don't you?" Ace slowly turned around. "Don't worry," Tanaka reassured Ace Winters before the rookie could reply. "Your secret is safe with me. We're alike in that respect, we both are interested in a woman." "You?" Ace finally spoke up. "Yes," John Tanaka replied. "I named my robot after the love of my life, he's named the J-Love 1." It didn't take a detectives brain to figure out what the J in J-Love stood for. "I still have a chance you know," John Tanaka continued. "Jody isn't seeing anyone or having a crush on someone." Ace, at this time, was in hysterics. Trying his hardest not to laugh at John Tanaka, he managed to pilot his machine out of the garage and into the City. There, he finally let go of his giggles.

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The G.S.F.S was like an army base, but the facility was used for more than just ground combat. Space combat training and F-Zero racing were supported here. Ace parked his machine in the Visitors area. Outside he could see soldiers running laps and completing machine combat training missions. He headed inside the facility to look for Lily Flyer. Ace looked at the scheduled times on the wall and figured out that most of the officers would be in the mess hall, eating their dinner. He arrived at the mess hall, however, the moment he stepped into the room, he heard an annoying holler. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The voice said. A man who looked like to be an admiral approached him. Ace was relieved that the officers eating were making to much noise to hear King Kong squeal at him. "This is a restricted area!" The man shouted. "No visitors!" "Well, I'm not a visitor," Ace responded. "I was sent by Jody Summer. In fact, she's on the phone waiting for you now." "WHHATT!" The man hollered. It was a miracle no one heard him holler that time either. He darted out of the mess hall.

Great, Ace thought. With that dirt bag gone, I can find Lily. Lily Flyer was not hard to find at all. She wore bright colors that made her stand out from everyone else. She was sitting at a table by herself, calmly picking at her food. Ace walked over and sat next to her, "Hey," he said. Lily turned towards the voice and saw Ace. "Who are you?" she asked. "You probably don't remember me," Ace started to speak. "We ran into each other at the Federation HQ." "OH!" Lily's eyes widened in recognition. "What was your name again?" "Call me Ace," Ace smiled at her. "I'm a rookie at the G.S.F. What about you?" "Rookie," Lily replied. "Do you race?" Ace asked. "Occasionally," she responded. "I do it as part of my fighter training." "I love to race," Ace said. "But I also race for other reasons." He quickly noticed the disgusting gray slop on the girl's lunch tray. "That doesn't look very appetizing," He remarked. "Yeah," Lily poked at it. "I don't really have a choice. They don't serve much good stuff here as they do where you work. Though I'd love a fruit parfait." Ace did a quick look around at his surroundings. "Maybe I can buy you one," Ace offered. "We could go and get one."

Lily Flyer sighed: "That would be awesome, but I'm not allowed off grounds by orders. Unless it's an F-Zero race." "By who? Fred Flintstone?" Ace said pointing to the same goofy man who yelled at him earlier. The man was now back at his post, but he looked like he had to pee. "Yes, that's my boss, Admiral Graves," She said. "I'll handle him," Ace winked at her. The racer got up and walked towards the deranged hermit. "There was no Jody on the phone," Admiral Graves glared. "You lied to me!" "I'm sorry," Ace apologized. "But there's a Barbie doll outside, and she's running a kissing booth!" "WHHAATT!" Admiral Graves shouted again rushing out. The coast was clear, Ace Winters now motioned for Lily to come over. "For an admiral he sure is a meatloaf," Ace remarked. "How did you know that would work?" Lily asked him. "I didn't," He replied smiling. "Just a reminder, I have a curfew," the girl said. "I have one too," the racer responded. "But there's no rule against having fun first!"

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Ace and Lily both used their machines to drive in the city. Lily's machine was called the Bunny Flash. It was known for its sturdy body. They stopped at an ice cream parlor first. Ace was paying, so he ordered first. He ordered a triple fudge milkshake and Lily got her fruit parfait. They both chatted outside the parlor. "How long have you been in the G.S.F.S?" Ace asked Lily. "Ever since I could remember," Lily replied after a sip from her parfait. "I don't really remember my parents." "I don't either," Ace said. "I was dropped at an orphanage when I was really young. My parents left me with a note saying they'd be right back, but they didn't return. The only thing they left me was my machine, the Green Amazone." "So, how did you become part of the Space Federation?" the girl asked him. "Jody Summer," Ace said. "She must see something in me that I don't. She took me under her wing." "How old are you?" Lily asked him. "I'm 17," he responded. "I'm guessing you're three years younger than me."

"How did you know that?" Lily asked in awe. Ace shrugged. "Research," he said shyly. "I'm sorry about your parents," she apologized. Ace Winters stirred his milkshake with his straw. "It's not your fault," he said looking at the ground. Lily glanced at the digital clock in her machine. "Oh, we'd better get back," she exclaimed. "Where are you going?" Ace asked as her watched her open the cockpit to the Bunny Flash. "The night's not finished yet!" "I know, but curfew. Remember?" The girl said. Ace just smirked and pulled two tickets out of his pocket. They were tickets to see a bet race held at casino palace. Lily gasped: "I heard those tickets were sold out!" she exclaimed. "You don't want to miss this," the young man said. "I got us Box seats".........