Grip - Prologue. Prologue

8 Weeks Prior

In the dead of night on some abandoned country road built on the Welsh countryside somewhere in the middle of England the quiet of the night was broken by the sounds of engines and sirens.

The winding road was unforgiving and it allowed the skills of the four drivers who were on that road to truly shine. The leader of the pack was blur of colour even in the corners and the three behind struggled to catch up to it.

It looked like a race but it wasn’t. It was a chase and not that there was anyone around to watch it anyway. The three tailing cars all wore the yellow and blue Battenberg markings distinctive of British Police cars. The Volvo Police Cruisers with their supped-up engines and blue light bar flashing had their sirens blaring from speakers on the roofs as they roared in pursuit of their quarry.

Even with those modifications the three black cars could not even get close to the subject of their chase: a silver Jaguar Arden XKR AJ20. Inside, the car had enough modifications to the power and handling to compete with even the most exotic supercar.

On the straightaways, the car was great, but on the corners the car was better. The car had amazing grip but if needed the driver of the XKR could demonstrate why he loved this car for drifting.

The driver checked his rear view mirrors. The three cars that were chasing were still there, albeit a little further away than the last time he checked. But he knew that if he didn’t lose them soon, he’d regret it later. They couldn’t keep up forever but they could do it just long enough to call for back up, set up a road-block ahead, call in a helicopter. None were good outcomes.

He had to get rid of them soon.

The driver of the XKR suddenly let off the gas just a touch to allow the Police Cruisers to get a little closer. He anticipated a turn up ahead; the ones behind him didn’t. The leading Police Cruiser was now right up his rear bumper. Just then the turn came.

The driver of the XKR quickly did a Scandinavian flick which put the car into a drift around the corner. The Police Cruiser behind couldn’t see past the XKR so when the tuner car went into a perpendicular direction and disappeared the driver of the Police Cruiser couldn’t stop in time and went off the road, sliding down a gravel slope and lightly crashing into some rocks below.

The police officers in the crashed Volvo were shaken badly. Their car’s suspension was damaged heavily having saved their lives, but there was no doubt the valiant warrior was out of the chase.

One down two to go, the XKR driver mused inwardly.

The XKR thundered on. The driver was sure that the other two would get nervous now. He needed to move faster. He looked far ahead and spotted a saving grace. There was a tunnel going into the mountain after a long easy turn which he knew he could easily take at high speed. In that moment of distraction however he felt the second Police Cruiser bump him from behind.

He turned his full attention to the second Police Cruiser and watched his driving patterns closely. The Police Cruiser came barrelling at him again. The driver quickly switched lanes and the Police Cruiser overtook him. The Police Cruiser’s driver’s eyes followed the XKR as it dropped back and drove alongside him.

The two drivers were met face to face although a lack of internal lighting from either car hid one man’s face from the other. The driver of the XKR suddenly raised a hand and pointed to the road ahead. The Police Cruiser’s driver looked quizzically at him then remembered that all important rule of driving: keep your eyes on the road.

The Police Cruiser’s driver looked ahead all too late. The turn had already come up without him noticing and he couldn’t turn the car in time. The second Police Cruiser drove straight up the side of the hill, did a barrel roll in mid air, and somehow landed on its passenger side door.

The driver of the Police Cruiser was alive but out of commission. All that left just one chaser in this game of high octane cat and mouse.

The Victorian era tunnel appeared ever closer ahead of them, and the driver of the XKR hatched his plan. As soon as both cars entered the darkness of the tunnel, The XKR did another Scandinavian flick that turned the whole car 180 degrees. Simultaneously the driver shifted into reverse gear and switched off all the lights of the car.

The driver of the third and last Police Cruiser thought this was strange but did not let up on the throttle and took advantage of the XKR’s drop in speed. That was his mistake and one the driver of the XKR was anticipating. As soon was the Police Cruiser was less than ten feet away from his bumper, the XKR driver suddenly turned on his hi-powered xenon headlights in full blast.

The resulting glare from the bright lights blinded the driver of the Police Cruiser and consequently the driver swerved several times before fishtailing and finally rolling once on its side. The Police Cruiser ended up upright again but the engine was dead and one of the wheels had fallen off the axel.

The driver suffered no more than a bump on his head that may need some ice later. He looked up with hazy eyes at the XKR that had stopped in the idle of the road inside the tunnel. The driver in the XKR had his feature’s hidden in shadow.

The XKR went in reverse then did a J-turn and shot forwards and out of the tunnel into the dead night, leaving behind its would-be captors. The chase was over, there would be nobody following him for the night.

In a few more minutes the XKR would reach the Motorway heading for Dover and soon it would be out of country. The driver had some idea of where to go after that but beyond that was a gaping mystery. Fine by him, he was used to playing by ear. It was always take the next step and think about it later on. Right now, he needed to get away from England.

Oh, and finish the car’s paint as well.