Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

The moment I heard 'American Muscle', I blacked out. I just felt my body moving on its own and I could faintly hear screams from a single person. A few moments later, I felt my body getting heavier and heavier by the second and each step I took was getting difficult.

I partially returned to my senses when I felt everyone pulling me away from the driver's seat of the helicopter. Their hands are grabbing every inch of my body just to hold me down in place. I only needed to close the door and I would be able to fly it back to base. What I didn't notice at first is my reflection from the glass.

"Bro! Wake up! Bro! You're not driving that fucking helicopter for the love of Sarenrae!"

"Sky!"

"Sir! I have children, please!"

"His smile.... It's scary..."

"Just hold him down!"

"For how long?!"

"As long as it takes~ Bro! Wake the fuck up!"

"Why are we holding him down?"

"Didn't you notice that he was about to fly off on his own?!"

"Nah, I bet he's just excited, right?"

"You don't know him like I do!"

"Kaley is here! He won't leave us here!"

"Well- just don't let him drive the helicopter! He'd drive it as fast as he could!"

"PULLLLLLL~!!!"

It's a huge commotion but we comically flew backward when I've regained full control of my senses.

*CRASH*

"Oh, what did I do?" I looked back at them.

Jared just breathed his biggest sigh of relief when they succeeded and he looked at me like I'm crazy.

"Bro, if you saw your face, you'd be fucking scared too. Why the fuck would the president say 'American Muscle' without sitting you down first?! Sheesh! Old people these days!" Jared is widening his eyes at me.

"Why are you saying it again though? That's bad, correct?" Tatiana is confused.

Nikolas is looking at us from the side confused as to what is happening.

"Nah, it's just his initial reaction of hearing it we need to worry about..." Jared was almost out of breath.

"What? I'm not too sure at what you're talking about man. I'm perfectly normal! I just don't want to waste a bit of time..." I replied, in denial.

"Yeah, yeah, nice talk for someone who almost left us, huh?" Jared is shaking his head.

"Really? *chuckle* The president just said 'American Muscle', right? I thought you'd be more interested in Japane-" Kaley interjected while half of my ears perked but Jared closed her mouth shut.

"KALEY! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?! DO YOU REALLY WANT HIM TO LEAVE US HERE?!" Jared started to lose it while Kaley was letting out muffled sounds. Jared was forced to let go when she kicked his shin.

"Hey! I can hear you, dude! I'm not as obsessed back then! I don't even have 'that' car back home, remember? I only have the Hayabusa!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, right. Could you just let Micah drive it again so I don't have another heart attack-like event?" Jared finally calmed down.

"Well, what happened back then?" Kaley asked.

"That is a fun mem-" I answered but Jared interrupted again with renewed ferocity.

"For you it was! Do you have any idea how I instinctively flinch every time I'm riding a vehicle with several hundred horsepowers when you're the one driving?! Anyone forgot that loopy thing in the helicopter?! That's just one of many! The horror..." Jared almost trembled in fear remembering the past.

The two of us began an even louder back and forth though that allowed the rest of our team to board the helicopter ahead of us. The loot we had was also loaded amidst that and we eventually flew back to our base. I didn't pull out stupid jokes anymore because I was excited about something back at the hospital. We landed at the roof of the hospital once more and everyone below was busy.

I instinctively located Rod's location and I saw him beside it.

It's a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

I immediately thought to myself, "This is fucking mine." before I stepped closer to inspect it.

"Wow, that looks nice." Kaley was also excited to see it.

"Bro, take a few deep breaths okay? Also, I'm not riding shotgun anymore, okay? Kaley's here." Jared immediately said after catching up.

"I wouldn't mind. This looks great!" Kaley chuckled.

"Hah! You say that now..." Jared warned.

"That really looks like the one in the movies~" Micah added.

"The only thing missing is the hood blower." I replied.

"Like it, kid? The body has that classic look but there's definitely a few things changed. The engine has a few modifications too but the most changes are done on the interior." Rod threw me the keys.

My smile is so wide and my sorrow for the totaled Mustang disappeared. It has this glossy black finish where two white lines are bisecting the car from the hood to the trunk. The wheels are definitely not based on the classic one and the brakes are also different from the original. I'm caressing the whole thing almost uncomfortably and I took a peek at the inside.

"It's been somewhat backdated, right?" I looked at the president.

"What?" he tilted his head.

"Well, it has new things inside that you wouldn't find in a classic 1970's Charger. Aside from the different digital gauges, steering wheel, new AC, Bluetooth radio, sound system, and even the matching leather interior from the outside, they've put on racing seats here, and this somewhat of a roll cage. The only thing I found kinda weird is if the one who had this is trying to make this a racing car, the seats at the back should be removed at least. Hmm, I see that the rear tires are much bigger so it's hiding something in the hood. Well, it looks fucking badass so I can't complain that much. The electronics done inside are also well done and everything works. Where did you find this? It feels like riding a newer model but the outside is the classic, hence, backdated." I said.

"It's on one of the car dealership stores here actually." Rod replied.

"What?! Impossible! Well, did someone already own it? It's not on display, right? Found it in the parking area inside?" I'm shocked at first.

"Yeah, kid. I think this was made more for looks. I wanted the classic look but the things added here are really something else." Rod said almost enviously.

"Have you taken it for a spin?" I asked, excited.

"Yep. They replaced and added a few things to it too to add more fucking kicks to it. I'm not sure on the exact measurements but it's fucking something else." he replied.

"You know a bit about cars too, huh?" I said, smiling.

"Well let's just say I could read more than just the brochure." he laughed, heartily.

I opened the hood and I found that it still has the same V8 engine though a new air-filter and a high-performance cold air intake is installed. The twin turbochargers can't be missed which is also paired with a water injection kit. Adding those things on the engine can really add some horsepower to it. There were a few more things I'd like to add to it but I'm really itching to burn a bit of rubber.

"Nitrous would be overkill." I thought to myself.

I turned around to look for Kaley but I found out that she already let herself in.

"What? A car is not as scary as a helicopter!" she's smirking.

"Let's see. Better wear that helmet again just in case." I replied with a devilish smile.

"We'll really see. Don't bore me, okay?" Kaley has a smug look on her face.

The small crowd immediately gave way when Kaley and I wore our seatbelts. I inserted the keys to the ignition and turned.

*BRRRRRMMMMMMMM*

I almost cried from the heavenly sound it made.

"You okay? Need a tissue? Hah! This thing sounded awesome!" Kaley exclaimed.

"Let's do the hardest tutorial first." I said.

"What?" Kaley is confused.

"Well… ever played Driver?" I told her about it.

If you've ever played that game when it was first released and you don't know shit about driving because you're still a kid when you played it, getting past that tutorial is impossible. They've released a disc before that could allow you to play the last level but the levels in between are still locked. I don't even know what a fucking 'Slalom' was until I grew older.

The list is already in my head.

Burnout

Handbrake

Slalom

180°

360°

Reverse 180°

Speed

Brake Test

Lap

Rod told me that the inside lot of the car dealership is secure and it's safe to drive around there to test the car. The number of dead bodies the soldiers left in their wake is staggering and they only needed to double-up on checking each corner if they've missed anything.

"Have fun, kid. Take your time." Rod laughed before sending us off.

"Oh. I will." I smiled while caressing the steering wheel and adjusting the rearview mirror

Kaley turned the sound system and it's perfect, the opening instrumental has started and I started to time my exit.

The car dealership is only two blocks away and there's not a dead body walking outside in that area as I'm told. I launched ourselves outside the gate and I attacked the corner with speed. Kaley is tightly holding on to anything she could grasp while I violently kicked the clutch. As the rear wheels started to slide, and the car began to rotate, I steered to start a drift.

[Deja vu! I've just been in this place before~] the speakers blasted.

It still hasd a lot of allowances since I'm still testing the limits of this Charger. When I reached the outside of the exit of the bend, I kept a close watch on the gas pedal to maintain the car's sliding motion and the engine's range in which it could operate with the most efficiency.

It's fucking smooth.

I cleared the corner and accelerated when my tires started to point forwards after ending the drift. The first thing I noticed is that this car is much heavier than the ones I usually drive before. I stepped on the gas pedal and our bodies slightly moved back from the amount of power the car is letting out. A huge smile is plastered on my face when the surrounding area started to blur and each input I made was translated through the car perfectly.

Kaley is not able to mutter a word but I heard her taking a deep breath when we reached the roundabout.

I only needed to turn normally but I want to see if Kaley could handle it.

This time, I used the handbrake to make the car lose traction to start another drift insead of the clutch. The smoke coming out from the tires getting burnt is a normal sight for me and I cleared the whole circle in one flowing motion. I made sure that the angle I entered it is perfect and we exited while almost obeying the traffic laws.

The roar of the engine is music to my ears since the remaining way is just straight.

"We're here. Want to take it for a spin?" I'm smiling when I looked at Kaley.