The Minerva Dragons - Elana's BMW

The gunmetal bMW was approaching, slowly, right into the crowd. People parted as it burbled through, its exhaust rumbling quietly but with a very noticeable tone.

Keeren was listening, head to one side, and muttering to himself. “Lightened flywheel, enlarged ports, long-duration cams; must be running custom engine management, probably throttle bodies…”

“And it looks standard from the outside.” Steele interjected. He left Keeren to mumble to himself, and worked his way into the crowd, following the car. It stopped, the engine died. People became silent as the door opened.

An elegant but sturdy leather boot touched the concrete, followed by another. Steele’s eyes followed up skin-tight black leather that rode over slender legs like a plains highway. A black stretch-fit t-shirt covered a slim body, and a small black leather jacket finished the vision in black; pale-skinned hands, neck, delicate face and ashy-blonde hair stood out in the darkness.

The girl passed a disdainful glance around the crowd, who watched her in silence. She wore an expression of haughty superiority that didn’t fit her age; less than mid-twenties, maybe a year or two older than Steele.

“Good race.” The girl shouted aloud, breaking the silence with a voice that held command and demanded attention. Steele’s attention was grabbed further: her grasp of the language was good, but her accent wasn’t local – perhaps off-world. Her skin was far too pale for a Minervan, even one who lived predominantly at night. It was impossible to avoid the graylight completely, and it turned white skin to a deep shade of brown in a very short time (or a painful shade of bright red in even shorter, if one wasn’t careful). Her clothes weren’t local either: nobody with any sense would wear leather trousers in the scorching Minerva heat. “But a bit boring, going around in circles.” She put her hand into her jacket, and pulled out a sheaf of notes, which she ran her fingers through absently, looking as if she enjoyed the sight and sound of the paper zipping like a flick-book. Perhaps too pale for Bliss altogether, Steele thought; could she be Inner Circle? Could paper money be an unfamiliar thing to somebody brought up in a cashless society?

“I have another wager.” She said.

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Extract from my forthcoming novel, The Minerva Dragons

I've had this car on the back-burner for ages. I bought it ages ago but left it NIB for a rainy day. The shell got painted at my old place but the paint didn't take too well - however I decided that wasn't an issue, since it kind of makes the car look a bit used without looking totally decrepit, which it kind of the look the novel requires.

It's a bone-stock TT01 with full bearings and lightweight race wheels. It's got a budget servo and nothing else - my shelfers stay on the shelf!

I should probably sort out some number plates and an exhaust, but otherwise this car is pretty much done.