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Showdown

Lugia

Active Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
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So, this is a story I wrote combining my two favorite things - Pendulum and Top Gear!

When Rob Swire is chosen to become a fourth presenter of Top Gear, a popular British car program, he is thrilled! However, he soon learns that the job is a lot tougher than it looks, especially when your fellow presenters are probably plotting against you because you're the "new guy". Rob finds that he might not even be able to make it through his first challenge!

Well, without further ado... here's the prologue for Showdown:


Rob Swire sighed as he slowly walked down the street. It was late in the afternoon, and he was already beginning to feel tired and hungry. It had been a long day and he looked forward to an evening of rest. He was about to fall asleep right in the middle of the road when he heard his cell phone go off. He pulled the device out of his pocket and he was startled when he saw the number. His heart pounding, he answered the call.

"H-hello? This is Rob..." He swallowed hard, and began to sweat when a somewhat familiar voice answered him.

"Mr. Swire?" The man calling him was none other than Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear. His two friends and their producers had decided that in order to make the show even more interesting, they should hire a fourth presenter. Rob went to the audition just for fun, but he hadn't expected to ever hear from one of the presenters again. "Well... I've got a bit of news for you, Rob."

"Um. Go on..."

"Well, the producers talked about all of the auditions from the other day... and we decided that you are going to be the next Top Gear presenter!"

"Are you serious?" Rob was shocked - he really hadn't been expecting this!

There was a long pause. "...Of course I'm serious, I wouldn't have wasted my time calling you if I weren't serious."

"Wow! Um... when do we start?" Rob was nervous and excited at the same time. The idea of being on camera and in a studio in front of thousands - no, millions - of people intimidated him a little, but he was going to be on Top Gear, the world's most popular car show!

"In order to... celebrate..." Rob was slightly uncomfortable with Jeremy's tone. He didn't know the presenter personally, but he did know that he was almost always into mischief. "...we're going to have an extra special challenge!"

"Well um... what exactly is this challenge about?"

"We don't know until the last minute - but... we'll see..." Jeremy chuckled darkly. His two friends were no doubt listening in the background, struggling not to start giggling. Rob felt a little irritated with Jeremy, but that was probably the point. "...we're going to meet at the test track tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp. Be there." There was a click as Jeremy hung up.

Great.

Jeremy, James, and Richard were probably planning something horrible to greet him onto the show. They were probably going to tie him up and throw him into a snake infested trunk, and then send the car spinning and drifting and flying around with Jeremy driving, cackling madly as always. Rob was on the verge of panic when he remembered that this wasn't any old car show - this was Top Gear. Revenge was allowed.

Rob spent the next half an hour trying to create a plan of action. He had to be ready for anything - fire, explosions, crashing - he would not let Jeremy humiliate him in front of millions of people. After a while, he sighed, finally realizing how unpredictable Top Gear was. Just planning for something Jeremy, Richard, or James could possibly do to him just guaranteed it wasn't going to happen. But even if he couldn't escape one of their plots, he could still figure out a way to get them back - and he would do it on camera, too! He was beginning to feel too tired and hungry to even think anymore, so he put these thoughts aside. He could plan later.

Revenge, after all, was a dish best served cold.
 
Werbung:
Chapter one:

The weather on the Top Gear Test Track was fairly nice; it was cool and cloudy, with the occasional gentle breeze. When he spotted the other presenters, he rolled up his window and parked his car next to the camera crew's big, black Range Rover. He opened the door and stepped onto the grass. The Test Track was built on an airstrip; it was very wide, but there were many tricky twists and turns, and the track even crossed over itself. Rob eyeballed the huge Boeing 757 that was parked on the other side of the track. Did they even use it?

He quickly joined Jeremy, James, and Richard as the camera crew got ready to begin filming. He was greeted by a nod from Jeremy and a smile from James.

"Are we ready to begin filing?" The camera man got ready as the sound man held the microphone up in the air near the presenters.

"Um... yes." Jeremy looked at the other three presenters and nodded at the camera man.

"3... 2... 1... GO!" The camera man gave a thumbs up.

Jeremy: We weren't on the track for five minutes when we recieved... a challenge!

Rob watched as a man in a lab coat delivered a golden colored envelope to Jeremy. The man silently walked away, his coat flowing behind him in the breeze. What a strange person. The other three didn't seem to react so Rob simply watched as Jeremy pulled a black card out of the envelope. The card was black and had the Top Gear logo on the back. Jeremy flipped it over and began to read aloud.

"You have enough money to buy any car your heart desires," Jeremy began.

"Well... that's not half bad!" Rob knew Richard enough to know that the small man obviously had a shining, sleek, powerful Porsche 911 in mind. He was likely fantasizing about humiliating Jeremy by defeating him with the car's sheer power.

"...provided it was built in the 1970s." Jeremy lowered the card and looked around at the others. "well... I guess we can still pull this off. I mean... how hard could it b-"

"provided it was built in the 1970's," Jeremy lowered the card and looked at the others. "well... we've all done this before. Except for Rob, that is. Still, how hard could it-"

"Don't say that, you idiot!" Richard wailed.

The camera man gave another thumbs up before shutting off the camera. He nodded at them before walking away with the sound man.

"So, now we're going to go back to the office, do a bit of research and all that... and we're going to buy ourselves some cars!" Jeremy clearly thought that he would be able to defeat them all in whatever challenge that the producers had planned for them. But Rob would make sure that Jeremy didn't get the victory that he had in mind.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Rob busily searched the internet for a good, used car from the 70's, as he had been doing for the past few hours. There were many good and bad cars to choose from, and he was finding it difficult to make a decision. The Plymouth Superbird looked impressive, but it was a little bit on the expensive side. Even though he wasn't spending his own money, he still wanted to be a bit more practical. He searched for a while longer until he found a car that wasn't too expensive, but it still managed to catch his eye. Its paint was a fun, vibrant orange and it seemed to have quite a bit of character. It was a 1972 Datsun 240Z. Rob was really liking this car, but he continued his search just to be sure.

In the meantime, Jeremy was hovering over Richard, attacking and picking on the small man like a vulture. He was laughing at Richard's screen like a drunken hyena. "R-Richard... p-lease... you can't be serious!" Jeremy kept cracking up as Richard began to boil with anger.

"Shut up, Jeremy!" Richard rolled his eyes, "I've used a Challenger before, and it worked! Don't you remember our US road trip?"

"But that was a completely different car! This thing is just..." Jeremy was now laughing too hard to continue taunting Richard. He gave in and made his way toward Rob. Jeremy seemed to loom over Rob like a tall building, making him feel more nervous by the second. "Now, please tell me that unlike Hamster over there--"

"I am not--" Richard stabbed, but Jeremy didn't react. Richard growled under his breath and turned back to his computer screen.

"--and buy something that isn't going to break?"

"Well... I... I'm still looking..." Rob noticed Jeremy looking at the tabs he had open in Firefox.

"Well, what exactly... is this?" Jeremy grabbed Rob's mouse and moved it toward the other tab that had the 240Z in it. Rob grabbed Jeremy's arm and tried to stop him from clicking the tab. He knew that no matter what vehicle he was choosing Jeremy would still be just as aggressive as always. "Woah... wait a second... oh my god, you're getting a DATSUN?! Please tell me you're joking!" Jeremy started cracking up again as he strutted back to his own desk, plopping back into his own chair and putting his feet up on the table. Rob tried not to act angry, but he could tell just by the look on Jeremy's face that he wasn't doing very well.

"Well, Jeremy, since you're so interested in our vehicles," James spoke calmly, unlike the other two, "what exactly are you going to buy?" James leaned back in his seat, and pretended to care about Jeremy's choice of vehicle.

"I'm buying... this!" Jeremy turned his screen around, revealing a photograph of a 1979 Mercedes-Benz SL 450. "Ahhhwww yeah..."

"That?" Richard, lost for words, just shook his head. "Oh, Jeremy..."

Jeremy threw his hands into the air. "What? It's a Merc, you can't go wrong with that. I mean, it could be worse. You're getting a garbage dump on wheels, the new guy over there's getting god knows what, and James... okay, James, don't tell me what you're going to buy, because frankly, I really don't want to know."

Rob quietly drummed his fingers on the desk as he carefully examined the image of the Datsun on his computer screen. Maybe Jeremy was right - but then again, this was Jeremy. He hadn't stated what was so bad about the vehicle, so the idiot was just probably trying to throw him off. Even if he wasn't, at least Rob had a way to bug Jeremy. There was something about this car that threatened to push Jeremy over the brink of insanity.

He was going to buy it.
 
Rob Swire in Top Gear? I 've never thought about that! :D
This is amazing! Keep it up!
I 'm looking forward to read the next chapters and learn what is hidden behind this mysterious Datsun...:)
 
Heehee, thank you <3 Well, here is the next chapter! I am actually going to try to finish this one, because it's just too much fun to write.

Jeremy: I was the first to arrive with my vehicle. I'd chosen the 1979 Mercedes-Benz SL 450. I got out of my car and waited - the other three were late, as expected. Eventually, though, the first of the idiots arrived at the test track.

The weather on the test track was not nearly as pleasant as it had been the previous day; it was raining slightly with a chilly breeze that tore across the large, flat area, sending chills down Jeremy's spine. He leaned against the slightly wet door of his Mercedes and crossed his arms, fighting off some of the chills that he felt. He wished the wind and the rain and the clouds would go away and be replaced by a warm, sunny day for once in their lives - a perfect day for some good driving. This weather was just the sign that a long, tiring, gruesome challenge lay ahead of them. This was going to be a long day. Jeremy wished that he could run off and hide in the woods that surrounded the track. There was also the option of running into the hangar that served as Top Gear's studio and crawl under one of the sofas on the stage and never come out for the rest of his life. Anything but a brutal challenge in the rain.

But he couldn't let the cameras that were rolling just behind him see this; this was still Top Gear, meaning no matter what he had to be Jeremy Clarkson, not some depressed, lazy teenager.

Jeremy was freed from all of these dark, negative thoughts when he heard the sound of an engine. He squinted a little bit as he spotted the same bright red 1970 Dodge Challenger that he'd seen on Richard Hammond's computer screen the night before. The car rolled across the Top Gear Test Track toward Jeremy, both car and driver beaming, even in the slightly harsh weather. The car happily rolled closer to Jeremy and eventually came to a halt next to Jeremy's Mercedes.

"Hello, Jeremy..." Richard smiled brightly, his attitude and his unusually white teeth both providing further irritation for Jeremy.

"Now, what did I tell you about this car?" Jeremy scoffed, and began to circle Richard's big muscle car like a shark. When he finished checking out the old Challenger he glared at Richard, his eyes shooting imaginary bullets into the smaller man's face. Richard was used to Jeremy's attitude, or at least acted like it on camera, so he was unaffected by Jeremy's burning stare. "Now look at it Richard, take a good... hard... look..." Jeremy motioned toward one of the rear view mirrors, "the paint is completely rusted and chipped off of that thing. It's the most pathetic car any of us has ever laid eyes upon, and you're simply refusing to admit it!"

"Okay, so maybe the driver's side mirror is missing a little bit of paint. So what? It's not like it effects the car at all, except maybe making it look a little bit less pretty," Richard crossed his arms, his brown eyes firing back at Jeremy, "at least, however, unlike your car, my vehicle has two rear view mirrors rather than just one." Richard made a dramatic hand gesture toward Jeremy's car, making sure that the camera got a good shot of the stub on the passenger-side door that had once been a mirror.

"Uh, well... I... there's no need for two mirrors, anyway! You see, Richard, this is all part of a plan of mine. I was shedding weight off of the car so in the event that we need to drag race them or something, I'll be more-" Jeremy was interrupted by the sound of yet another engine. The two men turned around and were greeted by the sight of a powerful looking, black 1979 Ford Thunderbird. The engine roared as the car closed in on them.

The Thunderbird carelessly rocketed past Jeremy's Mercedes, severing the remaining rear-view mirror in the process. Jeremy wailed as the mirror flew off of the car and skidded across the tarmac, landing right by the feet of one of the camera crew.

Jeremy: Needless to say, James had arrived.

"Ooooh," James stepped out of the car and checked out the damage done to the old Merc, "bad luck."

"Shut up, James, you bloody idiot..." Jeremy was beginning to grow enraged, "look what you've done to my Mercedes!"

"Could be worse." Richard chuckled to himself.

James: And as the last vehicle rolled in, I was just relieved that just for once I wasn't the last to arrive.

Jeremy: It was Rob.

Rob casually cruised across the large test track in his newly purchased Datsun 240Z, the engine purring contently as he pressed his foot on the gas pedal. He sped up a bit as he approached the other presenters, and then slammed on the brakes, coming to a skidding halt next to Richard's Challenger. Richard dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit by the orange Datsun. Rob sat in the car and watched Richard as he got up from the cold, wet ground and stood up. Richard looked furious.

"For God's sake, man, be careful!" Richard shouted, the hair on the back of his neck prickling with rage. He wiped some of the water and a bit of dirt off of his leather jacket before examining the side of his Challenger for any damage. Luckily for Rob, his Datsun had narrowly avoided making any body contact with the Dodge.

Rob unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door of his car. He stepped out into the wet air and nodded at the other three Top Gear presenters. James looked amused, but Richard, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to take a swing at him. Rob ignored Richard and looked at Jeremy's face, savoring the absolute terror he saw in the older man's eyes, which were the size of the wheels of his Mercedes. Rob grinned.

"Rob... what... the hell..." Jeremy was shaking, "have you done?!"

"I've bought a car from the 70's, just as instructed," Rob closed his door and leaned against it, "and now I suppose you've finally realized you've made a poor decision?"

Jeremy, as Rob now realized, wasn't speechless from fear, after all. The older man burst out laughing as he looked at the brightly colored Datsun. Richard followed Jeremy's lead, but James just rolled his eyes. Rob felt his face begin to flush, and he was unable to react. Not wanting to look like an oversensitive idiot in front of the camera's, Rob bit back.

"W-well, Jeremy... if you don't mind me pointing out... you haven't exactly purchased a Bugatti Veyron yourself." Rob slowly walked over to Jeremy's Mercedes, melodramtically imitating the tall man's 'shark walk'. The car's sad, dark gray paint was rusting badly in several places, and the car itself just looked so miserable. Rob almost felt sorry for the poor little machine, "it was probably the happiest car in the world before you came along, Jeremy."

"No, it... it saw you coming toward it and then it started to panic." Jeremy shot, quickly walking over to Rob, towering over him. Rob tried not to let the man's height intimidate him.

"Hmm, let's check out the interior, I bet it's soooo much nicer than mine..." Rob reached for the door handle.

"Wait, wait--" Jeremy grabbed Rob's arm but it was too late. Rob yanked the door open, revealing a rather horrifying looking interior. The seats were shredded to bits and a strange, green 'goo' was smeared all over the dashboard. A rancid smell began to radiate from the back seat of the car; the smell was so strong the Rob almost passed out when he accidentally took in a breath of it.

"What in the name of..." Rob's face turned pale, "J-Jeremy... what the hell is wrong with you?! How did you not die while driving this thing?!"
 
Chapter 3 cont'd

Rob sighed and slammed the door of the car. As he started to walk away, he was startled as something violently knocked him off of his feet. He came crashing to the ground, slamming his head on the door of the Dodge Challenger next to him. A heavy object was on top of him, preventing him from getting up. Perhaps Rob had gotten Jeremy so angry that he was about to beat the living daylights out of him right on camera? Upon further examination, however, Rob realized that it was not Jeremy on top of him.

The door had fallen right off of Jeremy's car.

Rob grinned as he lifted the heavy door off of him and stood up. Once he was back on his feet, he dropped the door, letting it slam into the side of Jeremy's car.

'Oh...' was all Jeremy could manage to say. "That's not gone well..."

"Jeremy," Richard shook his head, "that is beyond pathetic, that is just SAD."

Jeremy: Before the others could taunt me any further, we received our next challenge... which delivered rather bitter news.

The man in the lab coat returned, strutting across the track with another golden envelope in his hand. Rob watched the man silently walk away. Who were these people, anyway? Rob would have to ask James or Richard at some point in the future. For now, though, he listened for Jeremy to read them their next task.

Jeremy opened the envelope, and took out the challenge note card and began quickly reading it to himself. After a moment, Jeremy's eyes widened a bit and the man grew slightly pale. This couldn't be anything good.

"Well... what is it?" James said, a little bit uneasy seeing Jeremy so worried.

"Using your cars... you must survive in the woods... for a week..." Jeremy swallowed and then continued, "and the winner is the one who doesn't die."
 
Chapter 4: Rob and Jeremy begin to form a fierce rivalry.

Rob followed closely behind Richard’s bright red Challenger as the four presenters made their way deeper and deeper into the darkening woods. The sun was already beginning to set, reminding the four of them that they were in a race against the clock. They had to reach the campsite by nightfall, otherwise the challenge would be failed. Rob wasn’t too worried about meeting the deadline, as they had made fairly good time so far. The mud had slowed them slightly, but only by a little. The campsite was now just minutes away after several long hours of driving.

Rob stared into the distance for a while as he drove along, watching the woods grow thicker and darker. The trees seemed to be growing bigger and more intimidating as the presenters got closer and closer to the campsite. These woods, according to Jeremy and James, were rumored to be haunted by some of the most ferocious ghosts imaginable; Jeremy had told him about men who’d had their eyeballs ripped out and their limbs tied in knots. This had obviously been some bullshit that the two had come up with to try to scare him and throw him off. He’d just have to come up with some way to block out Jeremy’s stupidity.

Even though these ghosts didn’t actually exist, the trees and shadows alone were enough to send anyone who dared come close to them scurrying off in fear. Unfortunately, however, in their current situation, fear was not an option. They had to keep going, even if their eyes did get ripped out and even if they did get turned into human pretzels. They had a challenge to win.

The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, and the sky was growing darker and darker. The shadows from the trees began to slowly take over, stretching onto the worn, dirt road, threatening to reach out and grab one of the old vehicles at any moment.

After just a few more minutes, though, the presenters finally reached the large meadow that would be their home for the next week. It wasn’t paved, obviously; this being TopGear, luxury wasn’t an option, either. The place consisted of tall grass and a few colorful wildflowers. A stream gurgled in the distance; Rob didn’t know where it was, so it must have been somewhere in the big wall of trees that surrounded the meadow. The grass in the middle of the meadow was cut short to make room for the small campfire that had been left for them. In the sky, the sun was slowly beginning to dip below the horizon. They had arrived just in time.

The presenters parked their cars in a line on one side of the meadow. The four men got out of their vehicles and gathered around the warm campfire. As the bright flames flickered in the darkness, Rob started to feel a bit less uncomfortable with the place. It wasn’t the most happy place in the world, no, but camping out in the meadow was better than trying to sleep in the middle of the woods.

“Well,” Jeremy broke the silence, and then looked up at the deep, violet sky. Everyone was beginning to finally take in the situation. They were in a strange meadow that was deep in the woods, and they had to survive for an entire week with only four cars for shelter, and gold only knew how and what they were going to eat. The other three had been forced to eat roadkill in the past, so Rob didn’t see how this challenge would be any different. The camera crew definitely wouldn’t be sharing their food with them, either. And the greatest issue of all – each other. None of them were going to get along – there was no way any of them would make it. This was just great – absolutely perfect. “I guess we should head back to our cars and go to sleep now?”

“Yeah,” Richard yawned and stretched a little before backing away toward his big Challenger, “I’m pretty tired myself… well, see you idiots in the morning.” Richard opened the door of the big, red muscle car and got in. He squeezed into the back, curling up and dozing off on the seat. The back was fairly cramped, but Richard, being the youngest and smallest of the group, fairly easily fit. James turned around and silently walked back to his Thunderbird.
Jeremy started to head back toward gloomy Mercedes, but paused. He turned around for a moment glared at Rob. The flames from the campfire flickered and burned in Jeremy’s eyes as a troublesome grin appeared on his face. Jeremy then turned around again, heading toward his tomb on wheels. The tall man slowly but confidently climbed into the disgusting machine.

The look in Jeremy’s eyes alone was enough to completely destroy Rob’s sleep for the next week. Shaken, he slowly walked over to his Datsun. He cautiously opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. Rob sat there in silence, unable to think of anything but the demented look on Jeremy’s face. Rob sighed. He turned around and started to climb into the back seat, only to realize that he had none.

Wonderful.

Rob slouched back in his seat, laying his head against the cold glass of the window. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, but his efforts were futile. He opened his eyes again and stared at the ceiling. Thanks to Jeremy, whenever he closed his eyes the only thing he could see or think about was the nasty look he’d given Rob. Even with his eyes open, Jeremy’s voice and laughter still taunted him. This man was really, really starting to get to him. That evil glare… how did Jeremy even manage to pull something like that off? Just by looking into Jeremy’s eyes, Rob could see the pain and defeat that he had in store for the others.

Rob had to stop him.

But how? Jeremy, after all, had much more experience on Top Gear than any of them had. But maybe Rob would get just little pinch of beginner’s luck and be able to, by some chance, defeat Jeremy? Nobody knew that the mysterious producers had in store, so perhaps Rob could take advantage of that. Rob would still be just as unprepared as the others, but at least the score would maybe be a little more even.

As Rob continued to contemplate his plan of action, he slowly began to realize what the true problem was. It wasn’t his driving skills, or whether or not he was afraid of ghosts. The problem was that in his mind, he was still the lead singer of Pendulum. Right now, though, he needed to be a TopGear presenter.

He needed to become one of them.
 
Chapter 5

[[warning: vague references to alcohol]]

As the sun rose above the horizon, Rob slowly woke up from a long, restless night sleep. His back was aching from the awkward sleeping position he'd had to be in all night. He stretched a little to try to crack his back before he stepped out of his car and into the cool morning air. At first he was worried that he was the only one who was awake, but when he looked into the window of the Challenger in front of him, he saw Richard stirring a little. Feeling a bit more comfortable, he opened the door of his Datsun again and sat down on the seat with his feet hanging out of the door.

After a few more minutes, Richard woke up all the way and climbed into the front seat of his car. He opened the door and climbed out. He wiped some of the moisture off of the side of his car and leaned against it. Richard yawned and stretched out a bit before crossing his arms and staring blankly into the distance, silently watching the tips of the dew-covered blades of grass as they swayed in the gentle breeze. Richard finally noticed Rob from the corner of his eye and nodded. "Morning, Rob..." Richard ran a hand through his now messy hair, flattening it slightly. He took out a pair of sunglasses from a case and put them on top of his head.

"Morning, Richard." Rob, on the other hand, stared off into the woods, watching the shadows of dawn slowly fade away. He began to feel less intimidated now that it was lighter out, but even during the day, there was still something about this place that really unnerved him. Not wanting to think about scary things anymore, he stared up into the clear, blue sky. The weather was fairly warm; much nicer than it had been the previous day. At least they had that going for them.

James and Jeremy woke up a few minutes later. James casually stepped out of his Thunderbird, watching the oafish Jeremy fall onto his back as he carelessly slid out of the driver's seat of his ugly Mercedes. The hell? Rob sighed as he watched Jeremy slowly get up. Jeremy must have brought a few beverages along with him.

Rob followed the other three presenters as they lazily made their way back to the small pit where the fire had once been. They all sat down on a long log that had been laid down for them and nervously awaited the news on breakfast - after all, everyone knew that a hungry, crabby Jeremy would be bad news for all of them.

After just a couple of minutes, though, the camera crew gathered around with all of their equipment and got ready to start the filming for the day. Jeremy gave a thumbs up, and the cameras began rolling once again. Another one of the 'lab coat guys' walked up to Jeremy, handing him yet another golden envelope. Jeremy quickly opened it, and began reading the challenge card.

"'This is the one and only time that you will be provided food,'" Jeremy sighed, "from now on, you must find food on your own. If you didn't bring your own food, then you are an idiot. We wish you the best of luck.' Alright, anybody bring any extra food?" Jeremy looked around at the others. There was a long, awkward pause as everyone just looked at each other. "I take that as a 'no'. Well, perfect. Good going, guys."

"We'll just eat roadkill, then," Richard grumbled, "Jeremy, go find a cow or something... that will last us a week, right?"

"Alright then, Richard," Jeremy turned to Richard, "tell me, exactly how many cows do you see in forests?"

"Um... not... too many..."

"Exactly. So, here's the plan. We'll all plant a garden," Jeremy's eyes lit up, "and then we'll grow our own meat!"

There was another pause as Richard covered his face with his hands. "You don't grow meat in a garden, you idiot!"

"Plants... meat, same thing," Jeremy rolled his eyes before grumbling under his breath, "nerd..."

"Will you please quit arguing and actually think of a way to eat?" James crossed his arms, "because, frankly, I'd rather not starve just because my colleagues can't figure out the difference between plants and animals."

Thankfully, though, the one and only thing that could stop an argument on TopGear finally arrived - food. It wasn't exactly a feast, just some trail mix and energy drinks, but it'd give them a nice boost before they faced the challenge for the day. Jeremy pretty much inhaled the trail mix and then swallowed half of the red energy drink in one big gulp. James, as expected, was taking his good old time, and Richard was dropping raisins into Jeremy's drink while he wasn't looking.

As soon as the four hungry presenters finished eating, the official challenge card finally arrived. Jeremy opened the envelope and revealed their challenge. "There is a large, rocky hill off in the distance to the east with a large, warehouse on top. It is locked. You will not be able to drive through the forest to get to it. Go find the hill and climb it.' Um, which way is east?"

"Jeremy, there's a compass and map on your leg, you idiot, they fell out of the envelope." James picked up the compass, but Jeremy snatched it from him.

"Now, why exactly are the producers making us do this, anyway? It's got nothing to do with driving," Jeremy, as usual, was frustrated and annoyed by the challenge that the producers had given them, "wait, wait, there's more... 'We will provide you with tent materials, but without instructions. You must figure out how to set them up on your own. There is only one tent, so please try to keep it in one piece, boys. You will also be provided with four backpacks with important things in them.'"

"Jeremy sleeps outside," Richard moved as far from Jeremy as possible. "James, you too."

"Awkward..." Rob teased, elbowing Richard.

"Oh, shut up," Richard glared at Rob and then rolled his eyes.

"Fine then, I have an ingenious plan," Jeremy stood up, "how about we just set up the tent so we can pass the challenge, and then we all sleep outside?"

"Sounds good to me," James stood up as well, "we should get started. Knowing the producers, they probably picked the furthest location they could manage."

"Of course it is, James, you think they'd give us an easy task? We can't even drive there." Richard said as he and Rob stood up.

Four more 'lab coat guys' delivered their supplies, including the four backpacks and the tent. Jeremy actually made himself useful by offering to carry the large tent, and then he slung his pack over his shoulder and lead the presenters into the shadowy, mysterious woods.

Little did they know, however, that this would be a much longer trip than expected, as Jeremy had remembered to bring his ego but had completely forgotten the map.
 
I like the warning sign about alcohol ;)

Keep it up! :):):)

Here's Chapter 6.

Rob was ready to collapse onto the ground by the time the other three presenters decided it was time to take a rest. The cool morning air had quickly turned into scorching, sticky heat. To make matters worse, they had been hiking for hours and were still showing no signs of progress.

Rob sat down on a large rock next to James. A cool breeze blew through the part of the forest they were in. It was brief and not very strong, but it at least cooled them down a bit.

"Alright, so exactly where the hell are we?" Richard crossed his arms and glared at Jeremy. All of them were hot, tired, and confused, and were beginning to grow irritated with Jeremy.

"I think we're uh... well we've been hiking for nearly four hours, so we've gotta be getting close, right?" Jeremy scratched his head and looked around uncomfortably at the three sets of eyes that were tearing into his flesh.

"How about we, oh, I don't know, look at the map? Because I think we have been here before." James held out a hand as Jeremy searched his bag for the map of the woods. Jeremy was taking a while, and concern arose as Jeremy's rummaging became faster and more frantic. "Jeremy?"

"...James..." Jeremy looked up with a panicked facial expression. It wasn't often that Jeremy was like this so Rob savored the moment. "...okay, I... I've screwed this up..."

"What else is new..." Richard snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Richard, shut up! At least I didn't choose a--" Jeremy's insult was interrupted by James.

"Jeremy, what have you done this time?" James was beginning to grow impatient with the constant bickering, and it showed.

"I... seem to have um... I've misplaced the map."

The troublesome smile on Rob's face was wiped right off. "No way--" Rob shouted and stood up. He was quickly joined by Richard and James.

"This is all because you were so busy acting all high and mighty that you didn't even think about what you were actually supposed to be doing!" Richard shot, "now we've been out hiking for four hours and now god only knows where we are!"

"We're going to be out here for weeks!" James, too, was on the verge of losing his temper.

Jeremy's facial expression alone admitted that the oafish man had, indeed, really screwed up. The man was completely lost for words as his ego entered a world of hurt. Rob almost felt sorry for Jeremy.... almost.

Rob was about to join in on what was about to become a fierce brawl when he noticed something in the dirt a few feet in the distance. He stepped away from the arguing presenters and examined the markings in the dirt, Tire tracks. The markings looked very familiar, and the tires must have been very large. They looked like they could almost definitely belong to a Range Rover.

"Guys, wait..." Rob said, but he couldn't be heard over the shouting presenters. "...everyone! Shut up!!" Even he was surprised by how loud he'd been. He felt a bit proud of himself when he saw the startled expressions on their faces. "I found tire tracks, they might belong to the camera crew."

Jeremy, James, and Richard walked over to Rob and examined the tracks. "Hmm..." Jeremy crouched down and took a closer look at the tracks. "yep, it's a Range Rover, alright!" He stood up proudly, a stupid grin on his face, "we can follow these tire tracks and see where they go! I am a genius!" Jeremy strutted off in the direction that the camera crew must have traveled in.

Rob was about to argue with Jeremy about how he was the one who'd found those tire tracks, but he decided against it when James gave him a look that just said don't bother.

He sighed as he followed close behind Richard and James who were making little attempt to try to keep pace with Jeremy. After all, they had these tire tracks. Now that they had their own pathway straight to the warehouse, what could possibly go wrong?
 
Now that they had their own pathway straight to the warehouse, what could possibly go wrong?
^I have a hunch that there will be a fight...between...uh....I don't know - it's your story :cool:
I have to admit that I've already become a huge fan of "Showdown". Thanks for keep going with it :)
 
^I have a hunch that there will be a fight...between...uh....I don't know - it's your story :cool:
I have to admit that I've already become a huge fan of "Showdown". Thanks for keep going with it :)
No problem! Stuff (like summer reading, ewww) has kinda gotten in the way but I'm going to try to balance things out a little better.
 
Chapter 7!

[[warning: language and a bit of blood ahead]]

The sound of crunching dirt and pebbles seemed to echo throughout the woods as the four TopGear presenters made their way through the forest. The trees around them were as dark and miserable looking as always, and the sky was becoming overcast. A breeze worked its way through the woods, delivering cool air and a moment of sweet relief to the four tired men. Finally, it's starting to cool down! There were many large boulders sitting in various places in the forest, many of which looked like a promising place to rest, but Rob knew well that if any of them were to sit, they would never get moving again.

This part of the woods was more pleasant than any of the places that they had been through so far, but Rob could tell by the eerie shadows ahead that the peace of mind would not be able to stay for long. Somehow, though, Rob felt more comfortable with the place now that he was traveling with the others, even if it was on foot rather than in a car.

There was obviously a certain chemistry between the three, and now Rob couldn't help but feel he'd intruded on something. It was almost as if that evil glare in Jeremy's eyes the night before had been some sort of chemical reaction. It became clear that, to Jeremy, Rob's presence was a disturbance. A threat. Jeremy wasn't angry at Rob - he was worried.

Rob would be sure to stir up some chaos just for Jeremy's sake once they reached the warehouse. He remembered how paranoid he had been before coming onto TopGear for the first time, but it was beginning to look like Jeremy would be the one locked up in the boot with the snakes. Rob chuckled at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Jeremy turned around and glared at him. Rob ignored the evil spark in his eye and just stared right back at him. Jeremy narrowed his eyes and Rob did the same. You are going to be in a world of hurt once I'm done with you, Jeremy. Rob could tell by the troublesome grin on Jeremy's face that the older man had read his thoughts. Jeremy then turned around and kept walking.

Richard and James exchanged confused looks, shrugged, and then caught up with Jeremy. Rob sped up as well, and as he did so, he locked eyes with Richard. He's getting to you, Rob...

Just shut up... Rob turned away from Richard and looked dead ahead. You're beginning to forget again, Rob... this is TopGear...

The team eventually reached a large, swiftly flowing creek. Before them was a group of large rocks. There were enough rocks to let them cross the creek without getting too wet, but they were very jagged and slippery, so they would have to proceed with caution.

The last thing any of them wanted was a broken leg or ankle.

Jeremy climbed onto the first rock. He was being somewhat reckless, which worried Rob. He sighed, following behind James and Richard as they more carefully climbed over the rocks. How on Earth would a Range Rover even cross something like this?! The camera crew had obviously made it across, as the tire tracks continued on the other side of the creek.

Even though he was going fairly slowly, Rob was still slipping and there were several occasions where he found himself just barely avoiding falling right into the rushing water. How was Jeremy, who was going pretty much as fast as he could, not falling over and killing himself?

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!" Rob was so started by the scream that he lost is balance and nearly fell. Richard saw Rob slip and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back to his feet.

"Thanks..." Rob was glad Richard had caught him. If he had fallen, he would have almost certainly hit his head on a rock and been knocked unconscious, or worse...

Then Rob realized that the four of them had a much more serious problem on their hands.

Jeremy was lying on his side on one of the rocks, holding his ankle and swearing between gritted teeth. James immediately began to throw a fit.

"You bloody idiot!!" James looked ready to throw Jeremy into the creek. "This isn't a god damned race, and now look what you've done!"

"It wasn't my fucking fault! There was a gap in the rock, and then I slipped and then fell and..." Jeremy hissed as another wave of pain violently pulsed from his ankle.

Richard let out a long sigh. "Let me see it, Jeremy..." Jeremy was hesitant at first to let Richard see his broken ankle, "Jeremy, I'm not going to touch it, I just want to look." Jeremy, beginning to realize that they were now in deep trouble, surrendered and finally let go of his ankle.

His foot hung uselessly, and blood dripped from a cut where it had slipped along the jagged edge of a rock. Richard grimaced at the sight, and Rob began to feel sick to his stomach.

There was a long pause of awkward silence as the four tried to figure out what to do. Rob finally broke the silence. "Looks like the shit's really hit the fan this time."

This was only the beginning.
 
Werbung:
Chapter 8!

Rob looked up into the sky, watching the swifty darkening clouds close in on them, as if preparing for an ambush. A cool breeze blew on them again, but rather than cooling them off it just sent chills down each of their spines. This was bad.

James, swearing under his breath, grabbed Jeremy's right arm and pulled the wounded presenter onto his one good foot. James put Jeremy's arm around his neck and slowly helped Jeremy across the remaining few rocks. Jeremy was leaning very heavily on James' shoulder. Rob, worried that the two might lose their balance, went over to Jeremy's left side, helping to ease some of the weight James was holding. A barely audible "thanks" was uttered by Jeremy.

"We need to hurry up and try to catch up with the camera crew... but we might not make it on time." Richard was walking ahead of everyone else, and Rob grew worried that they might be left behind. Richard picked up the pace a little bit.

"Richard, slow down... one of us hurt, remember?" James sighed as Richard turned around.

"Oh, sorry about that..." Richard paused for a moment, letting the other three catch up with him. When they finally did, Richard walked next to them in order to avoid getting carried away and going too fast again.

"It's getting late..." Rob looked up at the swiftly darkening sky. Time had flown by much too fast. To make matters worse, raindrops were beginning to fall, and in just a few minutes it would begin pouring.

"We need to find somewhere to camp out for the night." James followed RIchard off of the path and found a fairly flat area. There were some rocks on the ground, as well as some saplings, but this spot would have to do for just one night. They were all exhausted and with Jeremy's ankle they couldn't afford to try to travel any further.

Everyone needed to rest.

Rob and James set Jeremy down on a boulder while the three presenters who could still walk set about pitching the tent. It was getting progressively windy out, making the task even more laborious than usual, but all three of them working together still managed to get the tent up.

Now that Jeremy was injured, Richard seemed to have forgiven all of them and let everyone stay inside of the tent instead of sleeping on the dirt and they all had previously planned. They all slept as far away from each other as they possibly could, which wasn't very far, as the producers had been careful to choose a tent that would just barely hold the four men.

Richard rolled over onto his stomach and slowly began to doze off. James stayed on his back and closed his eyes. Jeremy struggled to roll onto his side without hurting his ankle, but he did eventually manage to roll over.

Rob stared upward, watching the top of the tent rustle in the breeze, and listening to the pitter patter of the steady rain. His ears seemed to be picking up every little noise around him. A squirrel was scurrying up a nearby tree. He could still hear the creek in the distance. A few daring birds continued to chirp, even in the light rain.

He listened to the breathing of his new friends until it became slow and even. He shut his eyes and rolled over, letting sleep mercifully take him away from a world filled with nothing but disaster.

Not update related, but for deviantART I designed a logo for the story. (It appears whenever it updates now :D)

showdown__chapter_7_by_dj_p_zonda_r-d479ucz.png

 
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