One Step Forward, Two Steps Back << Racer Seven >> The Speedway Five-Billion |
(In Scott's garage, Scott shows the ninja some vehicles.)
Scott: Yeah, she doesn't look like much. But trust me, she's fast.
Cole: Who's car is this, yours?
Scott: No. I don't race.
Kai: Why not?
Scott: Look, you want it or not? This, plus the other three, plus my car, that's five vehicles. That gets you in the race.
Jay: Nah, I don't know. This needs a lot of work. You think we can fix it up in time?
Nya: (sighs) New engine, transmission, brakes, shocks, wheels, timing belt, windshield...
Scott: Yeah, it's in bad shape, but it's the best I got. She did pretty well, until the last race.
Lloyd: What happened in the last race?
Scott: Driver got cubed, made a reckless move. Wanna know why I don't drive? That's why. I've only got one life left, and I value it. I'm not risking it for anything or anyone.
Jay: Some things are worth fighting for, Scott.
Scott: Yeah, yeah. You guys can be heroes if you want, not me.
Jay: He's been stuck in this game a long time. Too long.
Nya: If any of us want to get out of here, we need that Key-Tana. We need to win the race.
Cole: Then we'd better get started. Come on, what're we waiting for?
Lloyd: I'm gonna check out the Speedway, see what I can learn. The more we know about it, the better our chances.
Nya: Okay, but be careful. The racetrack will be crawling with Red Visors.
(Lloyd nods and leaves, and the ninja work on their vehicles. At the racetrack, Lloyd almost immediately runs into Red Visors, so he uses his Avatar, then heads to the stadium.)
Game Narration: Oh ho, big hit! Good thing he's wearing a seatbelt.
Lloyd: Whoa.
Man: Ooh, here they come! I can see them!
Game Narration: Two teams out of the race, three remaining. Coming up on the fourth mile marker, and here come the Whack Rats!
Man: (cheers) Awesome!
Female Racer: (She dodges a Rat's bomb.) Whoa!
Lloyd: Who's that driver?
Man: Racer Seven! She's been trying to get the Key-Tana for years. Never makes it to the finish line, though. Looks like the day won't be her lucky day, neither.
(Racer Seven crashes after being hit by Whack Rats. She gets out of her vehicle and throws her helmet in frustration, which hits a man and causes him to respawn. Lloyd then catches the helmet.)
Red Visor: Hey, you! Freeze! (Lloyd runs away.) Hey, stop right there!
Racer Seven: My helmet!
(Lloyd fights off the Red Visors with the helmet, then escapes. At Scott's garage, the ninja continue working on the vehicles.)
Cole: What do you think that does? (He points to a lever.)
Kai: Maybe some kind of turbo boost?
Cole: Or a weapon?
Kai: Huh, there's a lot of weird wiring in this thing. Let's just worry about the engine. (Just then, Nya's vehicle explodes.)
Jay: Nya! Are you okay?
Nya: Ugh! Stupid, stubborn piece of - ugh! (She kicks her vehicle.)
Kai: Can we fix it?
Nya: The whole engine blew. No!
Scott: Yeah, it's toast.
Cole: Well, we gotta do something. We need five vehicles to enter the Speedway, and we've only got four now.
Jay: The race starts tomorrow at dawn. Where are we gonna get another car in twelve hours?
Lloyd: (He enters the garage.) I might have an idea.
Jay: Whoa-ho! What's up with the fresh new duds?
Lloyd: It's a disguise. I was at the Speedway racetrack. I saw a driver there. She was good, really good.
Scott: Oh, Racer Seven? Don't bother. She's an NPC, she's part of the game.
Nya: So?
Scott: So she's programmed to lose. Every race she wipes out at the fourth mile marker. She's just there to provide a challenge to the other racers. She can't win.
Jay: You mean Unagami programmed her to lose?
Scott: As long as I've been here, she's been racing. Every single race, every one, she wipes out. It's part of her programming.
Nya: That's terrible.
Jay: Yeah. Nobody should be programmed to lose.
Lloyd: Okino broke his programming.
Nya: You think she can too?
Lloyd: It's worth a shot. Do you know where I can find her?
Scott: She eats at a noodle stand in the marketplace after every race. I'm telling you, you're wasting your time.
Lloyd: We've got nothing to lose. (He exits the garage.)
(At the marketplace, Racer Seven walks to the noodle stand.)
Man: Good try, Seven!
Man: Better luck next time.
Man: Yeah, those turns are mighty tricky.
Racer Seven: (sighs) Give me four.
Sushi Chef: Who?
Racer Seven: No. Four. Two plus two, four.
Sushi Chef: Mm. Two.
Lloyd: Have you ever noticed you always wipe out in the exact same spot?
Racer Seven: Hey. You're the guy from the racetrack. Where's my helmet?
Lloyd: You always wipe out at the fourth mile marker. Why is that, do you think?
Racer Seven: What? Who are you?
Lloyd: A friend. And I don't have long. So if you want a chance of winning, a real chance, you have to listen to me.
Racer Seven: Okay.
Lloyd: You're not gonna like it, but this is the truth. Everything around you, all of this, everything you think is real, it's not. Prime Empire, the Speedway Five-Billion, Terra Technica, all of it. It's part of an incredibly complex video game, and you're part of that game, too.
Racer Seven: Pfft. Right.
Lloyd: No, listen! Every race you've ever run, you always crash in the same place. It's because you were programmed to. You were programmed by the game to lose, but you don't have to. You can break the cycle. I've seen it done.
Racer Seven: Okay. Listen, pal. In about two seconds, I'm gonna call the Red Visors, so back off.
Lloyd: Just think about it. When you're ready to listen, I'll be at the empty lot in the market district. Nobody should be programmed to lose, Seven. You deserve a chance to cross that finish line. (He leaves.)
(Racer Seven has several flashbacks of her previous races, all resulting in her crashing at the exact same spot. She gasps.)
Racer Seven: He's right. It - it's real, everything he said. (She drives off.)
(At Scott's garage, the ninja sigh as they finish up.)
Jay: I can't believe we rebuilt four vehicles in twenty-four hours. (He yawns.)
Cole: Not that it matters. We're still one short.
Lloyd: Maybe not.
Nya: The race starts in ten minutes, Lloyd. If she isn't here by now, she isn't coming. (A car honks outside.)
Racer Seven: Hello? Hello? It's me, Racer Seven! I'm here. I believe you! Please! (She bumps into the invisible garage.) What the? (The door opens, revealing the ninja and Scott.)
Lloyd: You came.
Racer Seven: What is this?
Lloyd: There's no time. These are my friends: Jay, Cole, Kai, Nya, and Scott. We need to enter the Speedway, and we're one car short. We need a car, and we need a driver. We need you.
Racer Seven: You said I was programmed to lose.
Lloyd: Not if you want it badly enough. I believe you can win that race, if we work together. What do you say?
Racer Seven: This can't be real. This - this is crazy.
Lloyd: Are you in, or not? (He gives her her helmet.)
(She takes the helmet and smiles.)
(End of the episode. For more information, click here.)
