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Alice was awake before everyone, well everyone but Nodrog. To her knowledge he still did not sleep, despite being awake for a couple years now. He greeted her warmly as always, and Alice still wondered what he thought about in all of those hours. She was grateful that he had stayed in her life, and would continue to be there.

As she stood in the pit garage next to the sleeping snake, Alice worried about her blood illness. It was in its first stage and was currently being treated, even if the treatment failed it would be more than a decade before she really need to worry. Not that the time mattered, because it was always in the back of her mind or anytime she got a cut or saw blood.

The morning was crisp, and the garage rather quiet. Shaking her doubt, Alice focused on the morning routine. Eventually the others would be here and they would busy themselves checking the car, arranging tires for pit stops and calculating fuel usage. The garage would be filled with people hustling about; the murmur of chatter, the racket of air compressors and air powered tools. And of course the orchestra of piston powered race engines.

Alice used the quiet time to focus and reflect a little. Mentally go over her own strategy and race course notes. Where competitors and rookies would be on the starting grid. What parts of the track the other drivers had problems with. For some reason Wes' Austin got loose on turn six and Carly was always slow getting into the power after turn eight. The annoying dip between turns eleven and twelve that the Viper would bottom out in if she was to far left.

The dip was from a drainage problem that the track owner claimed would be fixed during the off season. Though Alice had thought he had said that last year. Oh well, as far as she knew all the cars bottomed out if they were too far left. Her father arrived with the rest of the crew in tow, a sleepy looking pair of twins, little Joe who was the only other real morning person, of course Jim and a couple other hands. Randy was probably still sleeping in the truck.

While the others got around to their prerace duties, Alice suited up and talked to the media and any fans that showed up early. She also signed autographs and posed for pictures, the fun stuff that she liked besides driving insanely fast. It also helped her stay level headed and keep the Viper's poisonous nature at bay. If not for race fans, there really would not be any reason to be here. It was a point her father and his friends had drilled into her head from the start.

Today would be a little different, because as Wes had said, Carly was on fire. Carly held the lead until the first round of pit stops, it was only Alice's pit crew that got Alice out ahead of her friend. Alice laid on the power and kept the Viper neat and tidy around every turn, Carly was on her tail the entire time. The GT matched the Viper in power, but it did corner a little better, the Viper and its all wheel drive had the GT in acceleration.

Wes was working hard to keep up with the two ladies, they were near record lap time every lap. He needed to beat Carly, to secure second place in points. He had a tiny lead coming into this race, but if she placed second or led the most laps, he would be taking third this year. There was simply no way he could take the points lead from Alice, she had just dominated the entire season. Consistency was key, but you win the most races and lead the most laps, you are taking the championship.

Sixth gear brought him through turn seven and Wes was still close behind Carly and Alice. They weren't leaving him behind, actually the three of them had pulled out a little gap over fourth and fifth. Changing the tire compound, and spring rates fixed the loose issue he was fighting earlier. That gave him an idea and if it worked it would put him in the lead.

Alice and Carly both slowed a little so they could get to the right side of the track and avoid the dip, Wes drifted left and laid into the power. Joe was yelling at him in the radio as Wes grit his teeth. His Austin didn't slap its underside into the pavement and Alice had to check up a little because he was in the way. Wes had taken the lead, and now tried to figure out how in the hell he was going to keep it. Alice wasn't going to be happy about that pass in the slightest.

"Are you crazy?" Joe nearly yelled into the mic.

Wes chuckled. "I guess so."

After the shock, Alice giggled. "Oh it is on now boy."

Carly was also rather shocked that Wes would make such a risky gamble, but he was known to take a little more risk. Every time she forgets his background it always bites her in the ass. There was simply no way Carly could use the same trick, with the mid mounted engine there was a better than good chance of smashing the oil pan.

Wes has snatched victory from Alice several times, though not this season. He was prepared for the effort it would take to keep the lead he now held. Alice was good, and Carly just as good. With a firm grip on the wheel and shift knob Wes hoped to guide the Austin to a victory today. Its V12 much more subdued and refined compared to the giant engines in the ladies' cars. The GT and Viper were beautifully menacing cars, the Austin was more elegant and graceful.

While from the outside it looked easy, Wes was having to work to keep the lead. They only had one round of pit stops left, unless there was a caution. If ever there needed to be only green flag racing this was the time for it Wes thought as he up shifted quickly. The Viper and GT had power, and lots of it, they both greatly liked race fuel. While his car was not exactly an economy car, compared to the other two it positively sipped fuel.

Unfortunately for Wes someone back in the field felt the need to put their car and one other car into the gravel. "Joe, better give me the soft compounds. I know Alice will switch to them with so few laps left."

"Already on it. Man the crowd is going nuts." Joe said as the crew readied for the last stop.

Wes couldn't hear the crowd, thought he imagined upsetting Alice would cause an uproar. He has beaten Alice before, just gotta keep cool and focused. His car was running great and he felt good. Quick stop for tires and a splash of fuel, he was good to go. Wes knew Alice would take tires and need more fuel to make it to the end. Carly he figured would also switch compounds and need fuel.

With his stop finished Wes focused on staying ahead of the biggest rival of his entire life. Since their very first meeting they have always been trying to beat the other one, and even sex was a bit of a competition to them. Their on going rivalry was also no secret, everyone knew the two of them would always be wanting to one up the other one. Alice had the championship, but this race was Wes' to win. Or lose depending on how things went, the next two laps Wes thought Alice might just take the same gamble he did with the dip.

Carly never gave the move a thought, because it would take the car out of the race. While third place was nothing to scoff at given the talent of the two drivers in front of and behind her, Carly really wanted to beat Wes. However to do that she had to get past Alice and that was a damn hard thing to do this close to the end of the race.

Alice was eerily calm in the Viper, this was a position she had been in countless times after meeting Wes. They were quickly ticking off lap after lap and as she always did, Alice was just waiting for the right time. Carly and Wes were both on fire today, beating her at the last race would be pretty big. Wes was not hitting the full dip, but he was over far enough to keep a little more speed through those turns.

Turn twelve was the last turn and put them on the front straight where the start/finish line lay so tantalizingly close for Wes. This was it, the white flag was waving and he only needed to hang on for what would be the hardest lap of the entire season. Alice wouldn't let the slightest mistake slide and would thread the Viper through the smallest hole. If Wes gave her the chance to, he had to be utterly perfect this one lap.

Making the task all the harder was knowing that sitting in third was the lady who was the fastest person on the track. Wes got on the power as soon as he could out of turn five and grabbed another gear. The gauges were all reading green and the tires still had good bite. This was the part of the track he worried about, it was uphill through turns six, seven and eight. The Austin was quick, but the two cars behind him seemed to real him in every time.

Alice's sly smile spread as she chased after Wes, he had a few good races this year, but none as good as this one. She almost wasn't mad at him using the dip to an advantage, almost. Being between her two good friends was actually harder than leading, she had to keep Carly behind her and try to get past Wes. This was fun, this was why Alice loved racing cars, and as she followed Wes through turn twelve, this was the year she took a championship.

It actually took a moment before Wes realized he had beat Alice. He was damn near at turn one before it registered that he took the checkered flag. Wes let out a breath and laughed. "Haha, got you this time little mouse."

"Holy shit that was a hell of a finish. Though you might have made Alice mad by upsetting her win streak." Big Joe chuckled as Wes made his victory lap.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Wes said as he throttled around the track. "Thanks for sticking with me, it means a lot."

"You might not have gotten the big trophy, but second for the season ain't to shabby. Always next year." Joe said and turned his attention to Alice's pit when the Viper slid to a stop.

Wes down shifted and slowed to stop on the finish line. "You got that right."

Wes climbed out of the car and bowed to the crowd. His victory was a little unexpected, but that was why people watched. He might not have won the big prize, but Wes was still one of the best drivers out there. Though as the three of them headed over for the after race interviews, he could tell neither of them were too thrilled with the pass. Sometimes you just have to take chances, once and a while they work. Other times they don't work, but you never know until you try.

Wes won the race, however most of the focus was on Alice since she took home a championship the first time out. He had figured that she would Alice was a damn good driver, doubting her was the surest way to get Alice to prove you wrong. So to all the people that said Alice couldn't run a full season, Wes happily laughed at them. He knew Carly was a bit miffed about being third this year since she had won last year. If he was going to lose to anyone, Alice was the only person he could lose to and be happy about it.

That was racing and not every season is perfect. Wes figured his was pretty solid, though a couple more wins would have been nice. The only other race he took first over Alice was the one she did not actually finish due to mechanical problems. As he rode back to the hotel in a van with the others, Wes wondered what Alice would do next year. He did enjoy racing with her, but he would like more wins... Maybe she would go terrorize the street bike people for a season. She did look rather good in full riding gear.

Alice had been rather vague and dodged questions about what she would be doing next year. All anyone could say for certain was she would be at her favored events, as for running a full season Alice simply ignored the question. Celebrations would wait until both teams arrived at home. With most of them catching a flight home, Randy and Tim fired up the rigs and headed out on the road.

While it had been an exciting season hauling his cousin's race cars, Randy was hoping to get back to other jobs. With the CB radio turned down low mainly for noise, Randy pointed the truck's big hood east bound and rumbled out. He had been jealous of Nodrog, and a little upset that Stacy had slept with him. Randy supposed that was a little silly after certain things came to light and other things he had seen.

They pretty much had the highway to themselves, unlike in the past when the highways were mobbed with civilian and commercial traffic. Now nearly all highway traffic was commercial, few people traveled long distance by car anymore. He glanced off to the right as they past what had been a quaint little farming town, now it was a bunch of rundown buildings. What Randy had in common with Nodrog was the vast amount of time they were left alone with only their own thought for company.

Nodrog was a bit of an enigma to Randy, they had talked often though never about personal things. He had heard the dragon play piano on several occasions and wondered why Nodrog did not do it more. What had actually changed Randy's mind about Nodrog was the first time the dragon brought Stacy to see him. It was a surprise since Stacy had not told him she would just show up.

Randy was stuck at the track waiting for the others to show up at an earlier race. He was just heading back to the truck for the night and there they were. Nodrog and Stacy were just standing next to the truck waiting for him. Actually Nodrog was just making sure Stacy was safe until he showed up, he refused to stay for dinner and vanished into thin air. When Stacy had to head for home the dragon reappeared as quietly as he had left.

Once Nodrog had even brought Randy to Stacy's apartment for a short visit. Nodrog only smiled and insisted they did not need to do or give him anything to thank him. Randy knew that was how Alice managed to spend more time with Jenny, who despite her acting, everyone knew was having a hard time without Alice around. So he supposed that might be part of the reason the women he knew seemed to be enamored by the metal dragon.

It would be a three day trip back to the shop, at least the weather was nice. Stacy had called to tell him she had a surprise for when he got into town and except for a certification test, would be free to spend all of her time with him. That always picked up his mood, Stacy was just as cute on the phone as she was in person. A bit like Jenny, but with less nudity.

Thinking of Jenny always got Randy to chuckle. The cat girl was simply irresistible, and she was certainly pretty. Randy had learned about her lousy past and was glad that everyone welcomed the kitten into the family with open arms. He was also grateful that Alice and Jenny convinced him to date Stacy, before she was actually a she. Because truth be told, he was unsure about being with a boy that dressed like a girl. That was another thing that had changed his mind about Nodrog, the dragon had gone out of his way to help Stacy.

It was about the only real look inside of Nodrog, Randy had gotten when that subject had been brought up. Like Stacy and a few other people, Randy had a hard time believing Nodrog would do something like that and not expect anything in return. It was a more than a little bone chilling when Nodrog had told him why. 'I have not brought many people happiness. To make her dream come true is the least I can do, to make up for what I have done.'

Randy and Tim pulled into a truck stop for lunch and fuel. That was another perk about the race season, Randy had someone to talk too when they stopped for food. Randy's truck had a lot more range than the truck Tim was driving, because his truck had much larger fuel tanks. They both would be heading to Joe's shop, since the twins and little Joe had tools and equipment to unload that was their personal stuff.

After lunch they headed out again with traffic slowly getting heavier as the neared the big city. He could see one of the massive starships slowly taking to the sky. That he would admit brought out the little kid in him again. So far he had little interaction with any of the aliens that now came to earth frequently. Though he would agree with many that the Amazons and Velopians were stunningly beautiful.

"Home sweet home. Well at least for me." Tim said over the CB as they started down the long grade that lead to the city.

"I call it my second home." Randy replied.

"It was nice having a traveling companion, usually I am by myself." Tim chuckled.

"You might have one next year, since only Alice knows what she is doing next year." Randy said.

"You know she has been eyeing a bike for a while, maybe she is going to race on two wheels." Tim said.

Randy didn't give it much thought, Alice knew how to ride motorcycles. "I am rather certain as long as it has an engine and is red Alice would race it."

"I hear ya, isn't her sled red?" Tim asked.

Randy chuckled. "Of course it is."

They turned off the highway and dropped down onto city streets, somehow lucking out and missing the late day rush hour. Slowly working their way east they made it to the shop and were a little surprised to see a number of cars in the lot and another semi truck backed into the yard.

"What's going on?" Tim asked as they walked over to the garage.

"Not sure, but Alice must be here since that is Jenny's Hummer." Randy still thought it odd that Jenny had a giant four wheel drive.

"Joe didn't say nothing to me about anything." Tim said.

"That's because I didn't know about it until just now." Joe said as Randy and Tim walked over to the group now gathered at the back of the unknown truck.

Usually Jenny had the energetic tail when she was excited, tonight Alice's little mouse tail was swaying back and forth rather quickly. She was signing a few things on the driver's clipboard as the driver lowered the tailgate ramp. Little Joe manning the forklift once again, pulled out a few crates before they hooked a tow rope too whatever was inside.

Alice was excited to see them since getting the call from the driver to let her know he was in town. Little Joe backed up and pulled the first truck out of the trailer. The trophy truck was a bone white fiberglass body hiding a jungle gym of bare chromoly chassis sitting on thirty nine inch tall tires. The sight of her first truck sent a little shiver of excitement up Alice's spine and to her lower region as well. Her usually coy little smile grew a bit wicked as thoughts of off road domination played in her mind.

Even with bare fiberglass and naked chromoly tubing the pair of off road trucks looked menacing. Both trucks sat tall since they were minus engine and transmission, they also were just narrow enough to fit inside the trailer. Considerably wider than the Vipers, and substantially heavier. Though Alice noted the giant coil springs were already the correct shade of red. Besides the crates of engines and transmissions, they also sent along three different sets of springs and enough off road lights to imitate the sun.

While the others talked Alice had already climbed inside one of the dormant trucks to see how it felt. They had her size on file so the custom suspension seats were tailored to her perfectly. David had gone so far as to have the seats skinned in her preferred color pallet. Despite the bulges in the hood to accommodate the giant wheels and coil over shock mounts, visibility was better than she had expected. The trucks ran an automatic, with no clutch there was plenty of room for her feet. Given their larger size, there was plenty of room inside for someone as tiny as Alice.

Alice looked to her right and noted that Natasha should have plenty of room for her much taller frame to navigate. Of course Alice also noted that she had yet to ask Natasha if she would be willing to navigate for her. Somehow Alice doubted Natasha would tell her no, after all the tall woman had mentioned that she would navigate for her in a rally event.

The only other equipment that had been sent with the trucks, was the fresh air system for driver and navigator helmets. That was part of the reason for not painting the chassis, there was still a number of things that needed brackets welded to the tubing. As Alice glanced over at the twins, she could tell they were eager to get started.