The truck pulled up to the warehouse gate. The guards there The guards began their usual inspection, questioning the driver and verifying protocols.
Their chatter was all the time Kyle, Dax, and Gunna needed.
They slipped from their hiding spot, moving swiftly toward the truck. As planned, they rolled beneath the vehicle, latching onto its undercarriage. Kyle adjusted his leg, pressing it against the suspension strut for balance.
"All good?" Dax whispered.
Gunna gave a thumbs-up. Kyle nodded through his mask, "All good."
Moments later, the truck started up again and rolled forward. The barrier lifted, and the truck entered the compound, heading straight to the main warehouse. After driving several meters, it stopped, backing toward the entrance.
The warehouse door slid open, revealing rows upon rows of sleek supercars… hundreds of racing beasts and luxury machines that each cost a fortune.
Kyle, Dax, and Gunna dropped and rolled out from the truck's underbelly, their eyes scanning the area for threats. But somehow… maybe thanks to Enid and Vi, no guards patrolled the warehouse.
They slipped inside quickly, weaving through the rows of cars, before hiding themselves between two rows of ultra-rare Aston Martins and a collection of vintage Ferraris. They remained there unnoticed and unseen, waiting for their moment.
The driver climbed out of the transport truck and walked to the cargo bay. He unlocked it, climbed inside, and powered up the black Bugatti. The engine purred like thunder. He backed it out carefully, reversing it directly into the warehouse.
He parked the car on a glowing platform, came out, and typed in a password on the window to lock the doors. Kyle's lens zoomed in from where he hid, recording every digit.
Then the driver exited the warehouse, sealing the door shut behind him. The place fell silent as he left.
Kyle, Dax, and Gunna immediately moved from their hiding spot to where the black car had been parked. The storage facility was well-lit, so they had no trouble navigating their way through the endless sea of exotic vehicles they had to move past.
Kyle recognized many of the cars…prototypes, historical racing legends, and hyper-limited editions. A flicker of professional excitement and awe passed through him, but they were quickly suppressed. He was there for just one car.
As they reached the black car, they all paused for a second. It was marvelous up close.
It looked like an advanced 21st century Bugatti… sleek, aerodynamic and muscular, with sharp edges and smooth curves.
The body was obsidian black with faint purple veins tracing its edges like circuitry. The tires were zero-friction maglev hybrids, and the back was fitted with twin ion thrusters.
Kyle couldn't hold himself back from excitement. He was already imagining driving in it, feeling the raw power thrumming beneath his fingertips, while also wondering what kind of engine was nestled within its dark shell. As expected of a racer and mechanic, his mind was already tearing the machine apart and rebuilding it with upgrades.
Even Dax was stunned by the beauty of the car. "So this is the X-9 Hypernova," he murmured, his voice laced with awe. "It looks even cooler than I thought."
Kyle nodded, walking forward to inspect the car more closely. His fingers traced the car's surface, marveling at the engineering. He moved to the rear, his eyes scanning the integrated thrusters. A low hum emanated from it.
"The sheer power of this…" he whispered, already speculating the thrusters capacity. "The car has to have extra turbo boosters, side jet thrusters, and probably some kind of grav-lift augmentation for cornering too…"
Dax and Gunna just watched in awe, having no clue what he was talking about.
And then, the warehouse door suddenly opened. The men flinched, moving quickly to hide. But before they could, two slim figures walked in clad in guard outfits from head to toe.
One of them chuckled lightly, her voice familiar and teasing. "Relax, boys. It's just us." The person said, removing their mask to reveal purple hair and a grin. It was Vi.
The second figure walked straight to the car, removing her own mask too. It was Enid.
"We don't have much time," she said, stoic as always. "I made the other guards think there's an intruder hiding in the bushes. But they won't be fooled for long."
"Do you have the password?" Vi asked them.
"Yeah, got it," Kyle replied, quickly moving towards the driver door. He tapped the window once and the glass transformed into a digital keypad.
He wasted no time and inputted the characters he'd seen the driver input earlier. As he pressed the enter button, the screen flicked green and the car made a click sound.
When the door slid open, a wave of that new car smell wafted into his nose with an extra scent of clean machinery. The interior was a marvel, with sleek holographic displays, a modified steering wheel embedded with sensors, and glowing control panels that pulsed gently.
"Alright, let me run diagnostics," Enid said, already taking out her tablet and moving to the driver seat. As she scanned the panel, Kyle watched patiently.
Then Dax turned to Vi, his brows raised. "Did you secure a car?" he asked.
"Yeah," Vi replied, pointing to a modified red Bugatti Chiron sitting in the corner. "Enid already hacked and seized access to its remote control system. She'll make the mimicry modifications once we move."
Dax nodded. "Good. Make sure she does," he said. "It's the only way the police will believe you're still inside the car after you've switched."
Vi nodded, then gave Dax a serious look. "Be careful, Damien. If you die, mum's gonna kill me," she said with a faint smile.
Dax chuckled, his eyes holding hers for a moment. "Don't worry about me, Violet. I'll be fine," he assured.
Just then, Enid finished running diagnostics. "This is the right car," she announced, her voice precise. "It's got a max speed of 700 Mph, a 3200 horsepower combustion engine supplemented by twin electric turbines, and acceleration is 0-120 in 2 seconds. Thruster output is rated at maximum efficiency and the shields are active… but limited."
Then she stepped out of the car, handing the tablet to Kyle. "The shields aren't strong enough to withstand heavy or multiple fire. And when used, it takes a significant toll on the thrusters, meaning the car will be slower with shields engaged," she explained. "I advise using them only in a desperate situation."
Kyle nodded, absorbing the information. "Understood," he said.
Enid opened her mouth to say more, perhaps about optimal cruising speed or fuel consumption, but Vi cut her off. "That's enough, Enid," she said impatiently. "He'll figure it out as he drives. We need to move."
Enid nodded and Kyle handed her back the tab. Then Gunna, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke, looking confused. "Wait a minute. The car is a two-seater," he pointed out. "Where the hell am I supposed to sit?"
Dax smiled knowingly. "Look inside."
Gunna cautiously peeked through the driver's seat opening, and his eyes widened. In the space where a standard engine mount or interior wall should have been, there was a visible back seat there, looking like a typical five-seat sedan.
He blinked and brought his head out to reconfirm the car's external length, but it still looked like a normal two-seater sports car on the outside. He was deeply confused.
Dax chuckled at his expression. "The car's got some sort of spatial compression technology," he explained. "It makes it look like a two-seater sport car on the outside, but it actually maintains the interior dimensions of a five-seater. Many of the latest luxury and race cars have it."
Gunna was stunned, yet amused. He chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face. "These constructors… they never cease to amaze me."
Dax clapped his hands once, his usual intensity returning. "Alright, team. Time to scram," he announced.
They all moved into position immediately. Kyle slid into the driver's seat, the smooth contact of the leather sending a shiver of adrenaline through him.
Dax opened the passenger door and shifted the seat forward with a smooth mechanical whir so Gunna could squeeze through to the back seats. Once Gunna was settled, Dax adjusted the seat back into position and sat down.
Outside, Vi and Enid were already halfway to their own getaway car parked in the far corner of the sprawling warehouse.
Everything was going according to plan. It was going to be a perfect, flawless heist. Until…
"Wait!" Kyle's voice cut through the hum of their anticipation. "We might have a problem."
Everyone paused, the collective tension in the air palpable. Vi and Enid stopped in their tracks, turning in unison. Dax stared, a knot forming in his stomach. "What's wrong?"
Kyle pointed to a spot beside the steering wheel where the ignition button should have been. But instead of a button, there was a stark, almost anachronistic keyhole there.
"We don't have a key," Kyle stated.
Dax's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even considered this possibility. In their thoroughly digitized world where even the most basic vehicles started with a biometric scan or the simple push of a button, a physical key for a hyper-advanced supercar was an absurdity, a cruel joke.
It shouldn't even be possible.
Gunna's face twisted in disgust from the back seat. "What?! Since when do supercars use keys for ignition?" He practically spat the words. Almost all cars in the world today, especially supercars, used buttons to start their engines, not archaic keys.
Enid and Vi reached the car, Enid's mind already calculating, her brow furrowed in concentration, searching for another means.
Dax gritted his teeth, a curse aimed squarely at Omnicorp already forming on his lips. Their plan, meticulously crafted and executed, was completely shattered without the key. There was no point in anything; everything they had risked had been for nothing.
"Fuck!" Gunna growled. "We can't start the car if we don't have the key. It's over."
"Not yet," Enid finally spoke, her voice calm despite the rising panic around them. She signaled for Kyle to step out. He did so, bewildered, and she slipped into the driver's seat with an air of quiet determination. "I might be able to start the car without the key."
Vi sighed. "This isn't something you can hack, Enid," she said.
Enid smirked. "Who said anything about hacking?" Then unexpectedly, she dropped her tab, reached under the dashboard, and began pulling wires.
Kyle was stunned. Even Vi, after a moment of watching Enid's movements, understood. A slow smile spread across her face. "Oh, Enid. You beautiful criminal."
Dax and Gunna didn't understand at first. They expected Enid to pull out some obscure device or begin furiously typing code. But then, she reemerged, holding a bundle of exposed wires, their plastic insulation stripped back to reveal the copper strands within. Their eyes widened. She wasn't using codes or viruses; she was doing this the old-fashioned way. She was hot-wiring the car.
Enid worked with a practiced ease that belied her youthful appearance. She knew that every car, regardless of its digital sophistication, still relied on a fundamental electrical system.
She located the ignition wiring, identifying the starter wires by their color coding and structure… red for power, yellow for ignition signal, and black for ground. Using a thin insulated probe, she carefully bridged the wires, simulating the key's electrical circuit.
Suddenly, a guard entered the warehouse, spotting the open door. "Hey! Who's there?" he shouted, reaching for his weapon and comm.
Dax cursed under his breath. "Shit!" They had been so focused on the car, that they had forgotten the basic security protocol of closing their entry point. He turned to Enid. "Are you done?!"
"Almost," Enid replied, her voice strained with concentration as her fingers danced over the wires, sparks flying as the ignition circuit engaged.
The guard, now fully inside and shouting into his comm, drew his weapon. "Backup needed! Intruders in Sector Gamma!" Then he pointed his gun directly at them. "Get out of the car, now!"
"Vi, get the other car ready!" Dax commanded, his voice sharp. Vi nodded, already moving with the speed of a gazelle, bolting towards the red Bugatti.
The guard continued to advance, threatening to shoot, but none of them answered. Kyle, still outside the driver's door, simply kept his gaze fixed on Enid, a silent prayer on his lips as he watched her work.
Then, the heavy thud of boots echoed, and three more guards walked into the warehouse, their plasma rifles humming menacingly.
Dax gritted his teeth, his knuckles white against the dashboard. "Fuck! Anytime now, Enid!"
She kept touching the wires, her face a mask of intense focus. "Almost…"
The guards fanned out, joining the first, their weapons now leveled at the supercar. "Get out now, or we fire!" they threatened, and their plasma rifles began to pulse with an ominous blue light, ready to shoot.
Dax saw the rising energy signature and felt his heart lurch. "Enid!!!"
And just before the guards could unleash their deadly volley…
"Done!" Enid's voice rang out, and almost immediately….
VROOOM!
The car engine sparked to life instantly, a roar echoing through the warehouse, purring wildly as its headlights flared, bathing the guards in blinding white.
Dax immediately took out his pistol and fired three rapid shots at the lightbulbs directly above the guards. The glass shattered, plunging their immediate area into semi-darkness. The guards instinctively took cover, their eyes momentarily disoriented, turning away from the dazzling car and the sudden lack of light.
That single, precious moment was all the team needed.
Enid scrambled out of the driver's seat, almost simultaneously as Kyle slipped in.
As Kyle's hands closed around the steering wheel, time seemed to slow. He inhaled sharply, holding the breath, his mind clearing, focusing. His hand found the gear selector on instinct, pulling it straight into drive. Simultaneously, his leg pressed down on the accelerator and brake.
Scrrrrrch!
The tires screamed in response, spinning fiercely to build momentum, a cloud of smoke blooming behind them.
By the time the guards recovered, Kyle let out the breath he'd been holding, and released the brakes.
BOOOOM!
The car launched forward like a rocket.
The guards tried to react, firing their plasma rifles, but the supercar was a blur, moving too fast. They scrambled, diving out of the way for their lives as the vehicle hurtled towards the exit. It cleared the warehouse opening with ease and bolted towards the main gate.
And just immediately… VROOM!
Another sound came from the red Bugatti in the corner. Before the guards could even process what was happening, Vi, now seated in the driver's seat with Enid beside her, pressed the accelerator. The Bugatti shot forward with a blur, a crimson missile following its counterpart out of the warehouse.
As it did, one of the guards, regaining his composure, immediately spoke into his comm unit, his voice urgent, notifying the other guards of the unfolding situation.
At the main gate, a barricade had already formed. Guards, alerted by the emergency call, were now positioned, plasma rifles raised, shooting at the approaching cars.
Dax wasn't even worried about the shooting; their armored supercar could take a few hits. What truly worried him was their way out. The heavy metal barrier was already closing down, a massive steel curtain descending to block their escape.
"Enid, little help here!" he yelled loudly into his comm, his voice urgent.
Enid, seated in the red Bugatti just behind them, replied, her voice calm and focused. "On it." Her fingers flew across her tablet screen. On the display, a blueprint image of the gate's security system appeared with astonishing detail. She tapped vigorously, her eyes scanning lines of code and schematics.
Then, the massive barrier that had been closing suddenly paused. For a moment, it hung motionless, halfway down. Then, to the shock of the guards manning the gate, it began to move back up, steadily retracting, opening wide.
The guards at the gate were stunned. They frantically pushed the manual override button, but it was pointless. The barrier had completely opened now, fully hacked by Enid.
The ones shooting at the vehicles became wary as Kyle drove the first Bugatti closer to them. Seeing that the driver had no intention of stopping, the guards immediately jumped out of the way, scattering for their lives.
Kyle accelerated and the supercar burst through the gate with ease, the red Bugatti following suit.
As they entered into the bustling street, leaving the confines of Omnicorp behind, Gunna let out a delighted laugh, exhilarated by their escape. Dax also heaved a sigh of relief, the tension draining from his shoulders.
But Kyle's expression stayed sharp, focused. "We're not done yet," he whispered and shifted the gear higher.
The race had only just began.