The inside was massive. Wide floor space gave room for multiple karts, and other vehicles, to be stored on one side, and for maintenance or change outs to be done on the other. Offices and storage lined the right side of the building. Ceiling lamps showered sections of the building with low-hew light, but the spacious floor plan left some corners and sections in veiled darkness. The offices provided the most amount of light.
"Why are there hovercrafts and planes in here?" Gamer closed in on the vehicle bay. The non-kart vehicles were in good condition, and appeared to be made in the same style as the karts.
The air conditioning and lack of sun convinced Gamer to put his clothes on. Minnie did the same, "Probably for the resort. Jet skiing and skydiving are a few options they offer."
"Want to do one of those after we win? Like a little celebration?" Gamer asked.
Minnie's face reddened, "Oh, you mean...like a date?"
It didn't click in Gamer's head, but it made sense. He shrugged, "Sure."
"I'd love that..." Minnie twisted bashfully in her spot.
Even if Gamer didn't do romance, he couldn't help but feel lighter in the chest seeing her happy. He admitted to himself that they at least had chemistry.
Samira's text box appeared, "Bro, what did you guys do last night? You're about to be boo'd up!"
Gamer nearly jumped out of his skin, "Gah! Come on...what are you – good morning, by the way – what are you talking about? She and I performed the devil's tango, like we always do."
"Minnie's code took a huge shift ( ˶°ㅁ°)!! We're starting to see the full effects of your dicking around. No cap, you're like a goddamn virus, bro!" Samira was so excited.
"She's developing emotions and self-awareness," Gamer informed his sister about Minnie's shared feelings.
"Love? A'ight, it's official – Minnie's sentient," Samira dug back into the code. "With some more coochie clicking, her coding, behaviors, and string lines will look just like yours."
That gave Gamer an idea, "If it gets to that point, would she be able to become a real person?"
Samira sent, "That's...not negotiable (っ- ‸ - ς) AI isn't allowed to develop to that stage. Minnie would be terminated by virtue of Morrison's Computer Development Law."
"Fuck the law," Gamer stayed true to his beliefs. "Minnie is more than a computer progr...
"Gamer?" Minnie tilted her head. He'd forgotten that all she saw was him staring forward, "You alright?"
Gamer kept it simple, "We'll bang, okay?"
The response surprised Minnie and made her blush. She glanced about as if trying to play it off cool, but it was obviously swooned. Samira said one more thing, "Aside from Minnie's situation, I want to run an experiment. It'll be big lit! I've wondered if you can do the same stuff IRL, just with electronics ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ We gotta try at some point!"
"I'll bang a toaster," Gamer shrugged. As long as he had consent. He refocused on Minnie. She wasn't just a computer program anymore. The light in her eyes was the spark of life. Of love.
"Let's go!" Minnie jumped a little.
"Let's go," Gamer genuinely smiled, and then received (,,>ヮ<,,)!
The entrance door opened, and the lumbering figure of Asterion entered. He was pleasantly surprised to see his companions, "Why, hello there."
"Asterion!" Minnie hugged the guy, and he reciprocated.
"Perfect timing, Asterion. We just got here. Is your mechanic friend coming?" Gamer asked.
"He's right here," Asterion pushed into the building and made way for the character behind him. A slightly overweight man with nothing but burnt overalls and no shirt stepped inside. He packed that fat muscle with dommy daddy aura. He wore a sinister clown mask with a perpetual smile, and flames ignited his scalp. The eyes behind the mask were wide, wild, and a sizzling red. Asterion held a hand out to introduce, "This is Sweet Heart."
"Aw hell naw!! ໒(˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵)" Samira encapsulated Gamer's thoughts perfectly.
"Sweet Heart?" Gamer gawked. The clown mechanic had a tattoo on his left pectoral. It showed an anatomically correct heart being bitten into by cartoonish teeth. Gamer was disheartened, "He's a killer clown?"
Sweet Heart walked up to Gamer, face-to-face. Gamer leaned back, but the clown pressed in. He spoke with a muffled, psychotic growl, "Honk honk."
Sweet Heart shoulder-checked Gamer and started to inspect the kart bay. Gamer turned to Asterion and Minnie with beads of sweat on his forehead. He whispered harshly, due to fear, "I get clowns and cars honk, and that's funny and all, but did anybody else piss themselves?"
Asterion chuckled, "He can be intimidating, but give him a chance. I met him in a fighting game once. We hit it off pretty well after he ran me over with his ice cream truck."
"My fear: intensified. My butthole: clenched!" Gamer hissed. "You're all about honor and stuff. Why the hell is somebody like that a friend of yours?"
"He's a rehabilitated mass murderer. He works as a vehicle technician for those in the racing genre. Especially when it comes to weapon's-free races. He means well. Second chances are honorable, Gamer. You and I wouldn't be standing together if I didn't believe that."
"Touché, Asterion, touché!" Gamer relinquished his concerns. The trio glanced over to Sweet Heart. The mechanic examined and disassembled one of the karts. Without permission, he just took what he wanted.
Gamer walked over to Sweet Heart as he used an electric drill to unscrew a panel on one of the karts. It was time to break the ice, "So you like to work on cars, huh? That's cool, that's cool. Just so you know, most people who join my crew end up in bed with me. So...get that giggle ready."
Sweet Heart slowly turned his hellish eyes to Gamer. He spoke none and moved none as the glare drilled harder than the tool in his hand.
"Or not...or not," Gamer retracted the initiation offer. "I can always make an exception."
Sweet Heart stood up and imposed over Gamer. His psychotic growl flared, "I like what I've seen so far with you, Gamer. You make the council writhe, and the masses run rampant. Don't disappoint me in this upcoming race. Or I'll have your dental insurance really, really hate me."
Sweet Heart ran the hand drill for a second to emphasize his threat. Gamer intentionally misconstrued his words, "So, you want oral? Is that how I get cumfetti?"
Asterion and Minnie expected a murderous beatdown to come. However, Sweet Heart buckled in laughter, and went back to his dismantling. Gamer turned to Asterion, and sighed, "Okay, ice broken. Humor always works."
"Honestly, I figured you two would get along," Asterion flexed his foresight.
"What kind of weapons and defenses are we going to have on our kart?" Minnie asked, using her own foresight.
"It depends on the chassis and engine," Sweet Heart answered while working. "I can grab us special parts for the design, but the more firepower you want, the slower you'll be."
"Speed or weight. If only we could utilize both, we'd be one hell of a fighter," Asterion crossed his arms and thought.
"Sonia is fast as fuck, boi. She's the blueprint of Marathon. We have a need (⌐■_■) for speed," Samira suggested.
"If we're going to survive Vulcan and Chaffe, we need defense," Minnie made a point.
"I'd prefer a balanced vehicle," Gamer said. He started to walk through the bay and see what they could play with. The rest of the crew did the same, "It doesn't matter if you can bat a homerun if it means you can't hit the ball or read the pitcher."
The offerings of the kart building were varied. Plenty of different models, both for road, water, and air, but the group needed a dependable vehicle. There were some abstract ones, like a chariot, a pirate ship on wheels, and a real-life sports car more than likely added to the game as a sponsorship.
"I'm not sure we could find what you're looking for, Gamer. We may have to put all of our eggs into one basket," Asterion said.
The crew rounded the end of the bay and saw another section behind the offices. Gamer's eyes, and everybody's expressions, lit up at a specific find. The perfect vehicle with all that they needed to claim first place.
"It's beautiful..." Minnie sparkled.
"Classic," Asterion admired.
"Not my cup of whiskey, but I can definitely customize the shit out of it," Sweet Heart confirmed.
"Chill, I think we're going to win..." Samira could envision it now.
"Groovy," Gamer felt an immediate connection. "Now we just need ourselves some workshop montage music. Samira, let's rock it!"
And thus the crew rocked out to the 8-bit remix of Party Rock Anthem. The copyright strikes shuffled on in and censored the montage. You can bet your bottom dollar though that the group had a good time and shaked that for all of Chanterelle.