One For The Road - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

The next day, Sacrilege was poised to go up against Amazon and the Megha Ratti. I still didn't exactly know who she was, but I was going to find out real soon.
I never minded a challenge. My life had been nothing but a series of them, and I was doing a pretty okay job at it.
Well, that was debatable, but who was the best judge of myself? Me.
Despite everyone's low opinion of me, I wasn't hungover or miserable in any way. It was obvious that they already had their minds made up about who I was, and no amount of bitching on my part could change that. All I could do was prove them wrong.
Once again, I was used to that. But that also didn't mean that I wouldn't bitch. It was in my blood to fight bullshit, really.
Even though Drake and Josiah hadn't said much to me throughout the day, they had no choice but to encourage me right before the fight. I was their best chance at winning this tournament, because like Annie said, I didn't know what I was doing, so no one else knew what the hell I was doing.
"I know I don't have to tell you this, but stay away from the vertical spinner on Amazon. You'll be lucky if you can survive more than a couple hits from that," Drake said.
"And we're running low on money, so don't fuck this up, got it?" Josiah said.
I laughed. "Guys, guys. You don't have to remind me of the stakes. I'm really good under pressure."
"Didn't you lose a race, and that's why you're here?" Annie asked.
I glared at her, but when she smiled at me, I accidentally cracked a smile. "Well, yeah, but that wasn't my fault at all. I was gonna win."
Annie nodded. "Sure you were."
The amount of shit-talking that came out of her cute little mouth was astounding. At least it meant that she liked me. Probably.
With half of the teams eliminated the day before, the work station before the fights was much less crowded, and in our little corner, Sacrilege was perched upon her throne, and the four of us had our lucky t-shirts on.
"How are you feeling before this fight, Katie? Good?" Annie asked.
I shrugged. "I don't really know what to expect, but I'm undefeated, so I'm clearly a legend already."
Josiah rolled his eyes. "I know you don't understand much about this line of work, but you can't be smug here. It doesn't work, unlike your little racing gig."
"Right, because the height of stock car racing in America was my little racing gig, but this amateur shit is the big leagues." I shook my head. I knew pressure, and this wasn't it.
Drake forced out a laugh. "Alright, alright. No need to take it personally. Josiah's just nervous about this fight, that's all. And you," he looked at Josiah, "stop it. The rest of us want to win just as badly as you do."
We really didn't take too much damage during our last fight, so there wasn't much work to do leading up to the fight. That only meant that there was more time to stress about it, or, in my case, more time to regret the night before. British SpongeBob sure knew how to waste a woman's time.
Not far away, two other robots were loaded into the arena to fight, and it looked like one had a horizontal spinner like Sacrilege, and the other had a vertical one like Amazon. Maybe I'd be able to pick up a thing or two if I watched that fight.
Any information that I could use to beat Megha would be helpful, since I didn't even have a clue about what I was getting into, and I watched that vertical spinner tear the other bot to shreds for a minute and a half.
I frowned. Thanks for nothing, jackass. I was trying to learn a thing or two.
"Hey, Katie, can I please have a second of your attention?" Drake asked.
I turned to look at him. "I was just trying to pick up something from the other fight, but it doesn't look like it's going to be any help."
Drake nodded. "Good for you. I think that if you just stick to your chaotic nature, you have a chance against Megha Ratti. She's one of the most methodical drivers in the entire sport, and if you make one mistake, she'll make you pay."
"But all I do is make mistakes," I said.
"That's not true. You're not doing it wrong if no one knows what you're doing." Drake rested his hands on my shoulders and leaned down to my level. What was up with people always touching everyone else? Fucking weirdos. "You're our best chance to finally beat her. All we need from you is one hundred percent."
"Well, you're in luck. That's the only way I know how to do anything."
Drake smiled. "Good." He let go of me and handed over the controller. Once again, all the power fell in my hands. Just the way I liked it.
We loaded Sacrilege into the arena, and on the other side, the other team set up their robot, which was dolled up like Wonder Woman. I smiled. This Megha chick had style.
This time around, I had an idea of what it was like to drive a metallic killer, and hopefully, it wouldn't be as difficult to get a feel for the movement as last time. I was also up against a way better team, lead by a way better driver and captain, or so I had heard.
I set my feet about shoulder-width apart, and I was ready for another robot fight. Megha would have to take my undefeated record from my cold, dead hands.
The countdown began, and as soon as I heard the word go, I flipped the switch of death and stormed Sacrilege out of the starting box. Any early hits could have been the difference between a win and a loss, and I would have been a fool if I didn't try to take advantage.
Metal screeched, and Amazon's vertical momentum tossed Sacrilege backwards.
Apparently, that wasn't going to work against someone who knew what they were doing more than I did.
Although I took a lot of the force as I flew backward, there was still some damage to the side of Amazon, so that spot was my new target. If I damaged a single spot enough, I could tear the internal systems apart and break her robot down. It worked like that in racing, and robot mechanics weren't too different than car mechanics from my understanding.
As soon as the bot balanced out, I went after the same side that I damaged earlier, but she spun around to keep her spinner facing me. If I got any closer, I would do damage to myself.
But maybe I'd damage her robot more. Fuck it. I closed the distance between our weapons, and hopefully my momentum would make my move a little more favorable.
Crash! Both robots slid in opposite directions.
"Fuck yeah, Peanut," I muttered under my breath. I wasn't going to out-finesse someone as smart as her, so all I could do was pull some battering ram shit and hope it would all work out.
Stubbornness could beat anything, even super-genius Indian robot-fighting icons.
I went in for another shot at Amazon, and wham! All the kinetic energy from the spinning blade transferred into her robot, and it flew backward again.
I smiled. Not bad, me.
But my spinner wobbled in its rotation and down to a stop, and it was clear that I had taken damage from that hit too.
Shit.
Megha took advantage of that, and she drove me straight into the wall. Her vertical spinner tore into the side of Sacrilege, and there was no way out until she decided to show me mercy. Metal and sparks flew from the bot, and I grimaced in sympathy.
She finally pulled away from me, and although I was missing parts, the bot still moved (kind of). What more did I need to pull off the comeback upset?
She couldn't initiate any more contact, or I'd be fucked, and although my weapon didn't spin anymore, I couldn't quit.
"It's over, Katie. Just park it, and we'll head home," Josiah said.
Well, no wonder he was such a loser as a driver. He didn't even know that winning wasn't always pretty.
I hobbled Sacrilege back to the center of the arena, and with the metal covering the wheels severely damaged, it took most of the strength of the motor just to inch the bot forward.
Megha's spinner smacked us once again, and the top half of the robot flew off. All of the wires and mechanical work was exposed, and I tried to escape, but Amazon was still so strong. She tore into the remainder of the robot, and the force broke something. First came smoke, then fire.
Sacrilege burned motionless in the corner, no matter what buttons I pressed.
"Well, shit. I don't think I'm coming back from that," I said.
Drake took in a breath. "Nope."
I bit my lip and set the controller down. "That was pretty good for just my second fight, don't you think?"
This time, Josiah answered. "Nope."
"I'll get the fire extinguisher," Drake said.
"What's nine-one-one in Spain? You know, just in case we need the fire department," Annie said.
"Uh, nueve-uno-uno?" I replied.
Josiah sighed. "She meant the emergency phone number, dumbass."
I shook my head and walked away from him. He knew exactly how to get under my skin, and he was damn good at it. I made my way over to the other side of the arena, where Team Amazon was still cheering about their win.
"Congratulations, guys. I heard a lot about this team, and you guys are really, really good," I said.
"That was the toughest fight I've had against this robot ever. I think you have promise, and it's only up from here," Megha said. She still had the controller in her hands, but she held one out for me to shake.
I blinked a couple times and shook it. "Wow, that's really nice of you to say. Thank you."
Megha smiled. "Good luck. You certainly don't drive like a rookie, and I hope I get the chance to fight you again when you really start to develop your style of driving. It was fun."
At least one of us enjoyed it.
She was just as pretty as Annie but in the opposite direction. While Annie was cute in a pastel kind of way, Megha had a much darker, badass kind of vibe. She was intimidating, her mind was intimidating, and her robot was intimidating. It was all I wanted for myself while I was in NASCAR, but I ended up burning bright like a dumpster fire.
Fuck, now I had a tiny girl crush on her too. And to think I let my last opponent be my first time with a robot-fighting nerd. What a disappointment.
Josiah and Drake loaded the parts of Sacrilege that weren't involved in the fire into a wagon, and Josiah looked up at me as I came to help clean the mess I made.
"What the fuck were you thinking? Do you know how much this is going to cost?" Josiah asked.
"Well, what did you want me to do? Quit?" I asked.
"There are times when you just have to take the L and live to fight another day. And congratu-fucking-lations, you killed Peanut," Josiah said.
"I didn't kill your stupid robot. I gave that fight one hundred percent, and I lost. But you know what? I take pride in losing to a good opponent with integrity."
"Moral victories don't make money," Josiah said, and I could have sworn I had heard those words out of Roger Truscott's mouth at one point or another.
"You know, I hate to be a jerk, but we're really not happy with the way you left to," Drake hesitated, "have a good time yesterday."
"Yeah, no wonder you lost the fight in spectacular fashion," Josiah said.
I crossed my arms. "Right, it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Megha has been doing this for years, and I literally started last week."
"We're just saying that this is a team sport, and you have to put the team first," Drake said.
Annie nodded, but I shook my head.
"I spent two years being a team player for Roger Truscott, and that was only because he signed my paychecks. You're not paying me, and until you start doing that, I don't really give a fuck what you have to say about my life," I said.
"We're paying you, just not with money. And I can guarantee you already have enough of that," Josiah said.
I grimaced. I didn't have nearly as much money as people thought. Most of it was from endorsement deals, not racing.
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but it's important that you know that your actions have consequences that affect the rest of us, and we built a robot, so you could win the fight. It's a two-way street, and you need to work with us too," Drake said.
"I am, but I think I deserve to put myself first after winning my first fight. My free time is my free time. I'll spend it how I like." I waited for a second for one of them to respond, but no one did. I kept talking. "Is that a problem? Do you have a problem with me trying not to be miserable all the time?"
Drake rose his eyebrows. "You can't be serious right now. This team is all I have, and you're treating it like it's nothing."
"Because it is!" I let out an exasperated laugh. "I drove an average of five hundred miles every race in a death machine that's boiling hot inside. That's hard and requires way more skill, courage, patience, and effort than playing a real-life video game for three minutes. Putting myself on the line is the epitome of being a team player, so shut the fuck up."
They weren't doing me a favor by letting me drive their goddamn robot like they wanted me to believe. I had plenty of other ways to waste my time until I could get another contract back in NASCAR, including some where I didn't have to be so far away from Griffin.
"Would you just listen to me? I'm not attacking you, so stop taking it so personally. If you want to hook up with strangers, fine, but you can't do that when we're counting on you," Drake said.
"Yes, I can. You just have expectations that are way too high. I'm not a miracle worker for God's sake." I threw my hands up. "How can you blame me for not being able to beat her when you guys couldn't either?"
Josiah interjected. "We just expected you to give it your best shot, and apparently, that was too lofty of a goal."
This was the exact reason I never inked my name to their contract. I needed out already.
"All of you just need to stop. We'll regroup and try again next time," Annie said.
Drake pointed at me. "Don't do it again. And I mean it."
"Oh, what are you gonna do? Fire me?" I laughed. "Because that will never hurt me as badly as being forced to stay somewhere that I'm not wanted."
Drake sighed. "Dammit, I want you here. I really do, but you have to act like you want to be here. Why aren't you getting that?"
I stared back at him. "The only reason I'm not leaving right now and heading back to Baton Rouge is because Megha told me that I have promise and that she thinks I can win sooner rather than later. So don't you dare call me selfish."
"Sounds like you're staying for personal gain, which is, by definition, selfish," Josiah said.
I stomped my foot and threw my hands up to my face. "I just can't win with you."
"Guys, seriously. Katie didn't lose this for us. We all lost together," Annie said.
I paused for a moment and stole a glance at her. Her dark brown eyes were mostly aimed at her boyfriend. I could respect that Drake wanted the best for his team (even though he completely forgot about the fact that I was tougher than him and could totally kick his ass), but Josiah was just being a dick.
"Now, we're going back to London, and we're going to assess the damage, and we're going to come back stronger than ever. And if anyone makes one more personal attack, I'll cry," she continued.
Drake nodded. "You're right. We have to move on to the next tournament. Come on, team."
I watched the other three and Sacrilege's remains in a wagon head for the door, and Annie turned around. "Katie, aren't you coming with us?"
I shook my head. "I'll be out in a second, though. I just wanted to pee before we left."
Annie nodded and walked out the door that Josiah held open for her and the wagon, and as soon as the door closed behind them, I walked over to the arena. It was enclosed with plexiglass or something of the like, so no one could get hurt, but it didn't protect me from my own team turning on me.
Two other robots, still waiting to fight, were inside, and all I could think about was that I had traded my freedom for this.
No decision would ever be as horrible as signing with RTR, but unless I could somehow finagle my way back into NASCAR, I would just have to deal with the fact that I was now a robot-fighter with potential. But potential didn't mean shit with a broken robot.