Asphalt Knight: Ignition

session_1.11

Michael's rearview burned with the blinding light. A message appeared on his helmet's HUD.

Warning

Targeting Detected

"What the hell is that!" Michelle shouted.

Michael checked his HUD. 3 black arrows were following them in some sort of formation. They were some kind of car, but their headlights were so bright Michael couldn't see what exactly they were. The arrows seemed to glitch, flickering on and off of radar.

EMP ACQUIRING TARGET LOCK

EVASIVE MANEUVERS RECOMMENDED

Michael slammed on the brakes, and Michelle flew past him along with three matte black vehicles, all with blinding headlights. Michael hit the gas and took off on pursuit.

He could make out the vehicles more clearly now, they were some kind of sports car. They had been painted completely black, the taillights and windows completely covered as well. They were a single sleek mass on four wheels.

"What the hell are those things!" Michelle shouted.

"Those aren't normal cops..." Michael muttered in awe.

Up ahead, Michelle drifted around a tight corner, aiming to get out of the city.

Suddenly, one by one the mysterious vehicles broke formation and drifted, mimicking Michelle's line, steering angle and braking point perfectly taking the corner at an incredible speed.

"What the hell!" Michael shouted. He entered the corner fast and braked hard, taking the corner traditionally, which allowed him to gain some ground on corner exit.

Michelle was really pushing now, and Michael was finding it difficult to keep up. The mysterious vehicles mimicked her every move, swerving single file, matching her racing line.

She took another corner, arc drifting in a wide line on purpose, getting the rear bumper of the S13 as close to the curb as possible.

"Let's see you copy this!" She shouted as her car straightened out.

The matte vehicles copied her perfectly, drifting in perfect tandem, narrowly missing the curb by millimeters.

Michael followed, closing in on one of the matte vehicles.

"I don't understand! They've locked on to me! Why aren't they firing!"

Michael began to catch up to the rear bumper of one of the vehicles.

He could make out it's shape better, it appeared to be a four door sedan, with sleek, rounded body. They must have been electric, too because he couldn't hear any engine noise over the roar of the Foxbody's V8.

Michelle turned another corner, this time braking hard and turning traditionally.
Two of the vehicles mimicked her technique, but the 3rd one attempted to drift the way Michelle usually did.

Instead of copying her line, it attempted to counter steer, but it failed miserably, and it smashed into a light post, it's painted windows shattering...

Revealing that it's interior was empty. It was an unmanned vehicle.

"Michelle! These are AutoCabs!" Michael blurted out.

"What?! Self driving tech has never been able to keep up with a human!" She shouted back.

Michelle swerved back and forth on the straight, the vehicles swerving in tandem with her car's movements like a snake's tail. Michael hit the gas, catching up to the rearmost of the remaining vehicles, attempting to slam the Mustang's front bumper into it's rear corner and cause it to spin or crash, but the vehicle suddenly braked hard, swerving out of Michael's way and getting behind him.

Warning

Targeting Detected

"Shit!" Michael shouted.

Michelle led them around another corner, this time she purposely juked the S13 in a different direction before turning in a hope to perhaps trick one of the vehicles into crashing, but they copied her movements perfectly.

Michael turned in traditionally, trying to out pace the scary drone-like vehicles. The second vehicle copied him perfectly.

"It's like they're studying us!" Michael shouted.

He hit the brakes and swerved again and the vehicles passed him again.

"Brake early for the next corner!" Michael shouted.

Michelle slammed on the brakes right in the center of an intersection, and Michael hit the gas, aiming for the vehicle that just passed him, slamming the bumper of the Mustang into it's rear bumper under braking. The force of the impact shoved Michael forward, the blow echoing with a sickening metallic crunch.

The mysterious AutoCab lost control and spun off course, and smashed head on into an empty storefront, crumpling like tin foil and spraying debris all over the road.

Michael slammed on the brakes and steered the car into the next corner, getting back on the throttle, revving the Mustang to redline in each gear as the 180SX's taillights shrank into small pinpricks ahead.

"SHIT! ITS GETTING A LOCK!" Michelle screamed.

"NO —" her voice cut out from the helmet. He car's taillights went out and disappeared.

"Michelle? Michelle! MICHELLE!" Michael shouted in panic.

Michael guessed that it had fired its EMP as soon as it split them up. The problem was, he couldn't see where Michelle and the AutoCab went.

Michael was alone.

The blinding light turned towards Michael.

The vehicle had turned around.

It was aiming for him.

Michael hit the gas.

Full throttle to redline, second gear, third gear...

It was a game of chicken now.

Michael squinted through the light as it grew brighter and brighter, his heart pounding.

WARNING

EMP ACQUIRING TARGET LOCK

Just as he could make out its black shape, through the blinding light, he swerved left...

Michael felt a sudden shock, as the Mustang and his HUD instantly shut off. Michael hit the clutch and held the brakes, the G force shoving him forward as the Mustang ground to a halt inches from the silhouette of the mysterious AutoCab, which had stopped in the middle of the street.

Blue and red light filled the street as police AutoCabs streamed out of the alleyways and side streets boxing them in.

Michael tried in vain to start the Mustang, but all he got was a message on his helmet's HUD.

EMP FIELD DETECTED

VEHICLE ELECTRONICS DISABLED FOR SAFETY PURPOSES

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TO BE CONTINUED...