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The night was pitch black, save for the headlights of the vehicles tearing through the winding roads. Tess and Kuma were in Wheels and Dan and Daisy were in Roadie, the siblings and their rides in hot pursuit of Zultan, his truck a dark silhouette against the starless sky as they raced down the desolate desert road at break-neck speeds.
"We need to stop him before he escapes," Dan said, his voice crackling through Wheels' speaker as Roadie's headlights lit up the road behind Wheels. "We have to figure out what is going on!"
Tess nodded, despite the fact that nobody but Kuma was able to see it. "He's not getting away, no matter what tricks he tries on us."
She pressed her foot down, Wheels' engine roaring as she pulled closer to Zultan.
Suddenly, Zultan's truck veered sharply, cutting across Tess's path. Wheels tried to avoid the collision, swerving sharply as Kuma screeched, but it was too late - Tess slammed on the brakes, a gasp escaping her lips, but the impact was sudden - and brutal.
Wheels flipped as the back of Zultan's truck clipped the front of Tess's ride, the Mustang rolling several times before crashing into a ditch. Tess felt herself being tossed around, the seatbelt straining against her as the world spun violently - she reached to her side blindly even as glass shattered and metal screeched, wrapping her arms around Kuma's flailing body and pulling the raccoon-monkey hybrid tightly to her chest as they crashed.
When the car finally came to a halt, Tess was upside down with her seatbelt digging into her, disoriented and in pain. Her helmet had protected her from a serious head injury, but she could feel the sharp sting of glass cuts on her face and arms. The smell of gasoline and the sound of creaking metal filled the air as Kuma yowled from where she had been protected by the grip of Tess's arms.
"Ugh..." she groaned, trying to get her bearings. Every breath she took sent a sharp pain through her side, and she could feel warm blood trickling down her face from the cuts.
"Tess! Tess, can you hear me?" Dan's voice crackled through the communicator, her younger brother's panic evident as Roadie's headlights flashed through the air and settled on the smoking and broken wreck. "Tess!"
Tess tried to move, but pain shot through her body. She gasped, trying to focus. "Dan, I'm stuck... Get me out of here!"
"We're coming to get you," Daisy's voice was urgent, and fear tainted her little sister's voice. "Just hold on!"
She released her tight grip on Kuma, and the hybrid slipped out of her arms and dropped to the ceiling of Wheels, nimbly avoiding the shattered glass littering Wheels' roof.
"Wheels..." Tess murmured, blinking away drops of blood that were dripping down her forehead and falling into her eyes. "Are you there, Wheels?"
The AI computer was silent, Wheels' screen shattered and dark.
Kuma made a pitiful sound, reaching up to paw at Tess's helmet, the visor growing more and more bloodied by the second as blood trickled from the cuts scattered across Tess's face, leaking from her aching nose and what she assumed was a split lip.
"Go on Kuma," Tess urged, motioning the hybrid towards the shattered windshield, "go to Daisy, get out of here."
After a moment of hesitation, Kuma obeyed, and Tess breathed a sigh of relief as Daisy's pet escaped the danger.
Now for Tess to do the same.
Tess took a deep breath, assessing her situation. Her legs were pinned under Wheels' steering wheel, which was bent out of shape and painfully pressing into her legs, and her side ached with every breath. She could hear Dan and Daisy outside, frantically trying to reach her, but the wreckage was too twisted for her bigger brother to fit - and Dan knew Tess would kill him if he sent Daisy in.
"Tess, stay with us!" Dan shouted, his voice closer now, "We'll get you!"
Tess clenched her teeth, trying to push through the pain. "I... I can't get out... Wheels is dark, and I'm pinned."
"You'll have to get yourself out, Tess," Dan urged from outside, crouching beside Wheels and looking in at his sister, "We can't reach you!"
With every ounce of strength she had left, Tess began to maneuver her way out. She braced herself against the car’s roof, now beneath her, and tried to push the seat back, trying to make room between the twisted steering wheel and her pinned legs. Pain flared in her side, but she ignored it, focusing only on getting free. As Tess struggled, she felt the car shift slightly, unsteady in the ditch it had crashed into. Panic surged through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Almost... there..." she muttered, inching her way out of the tight space.
The pain was excruciating, but she couldn't let it stop her.
"Just... a little... more..." she panted, gritting her teeth against the agony as she wrenched at the steering wheel.
Tess closed her eyes for a short moment as she faltered, trying to block out the pain that was coursing through her. The shattered glass had left small cuts all over her exposed skin, and she could feel the blood mixing with sweat, making her feel cold and clammy. She forced herself to stay awake, knowing that if she passed out, she might not wake up again
Finally, with a last, desperate push, Tess managed to free her legs. She unclipped her seatbelt, falling heavily onto Wheels' roof. She reached out and pulled Wheels' module from the housing on the dashboard before she crawled through the shattered window, shards of glass cutting into her hands and knees. Her breath was ragged, and every movement was agony, but she kept going.
Tess collapsed onto the ground outside the wreck, the cold night air a stark contrast to the stifling heat inside the car. Dan and Daisy crouched beside her, but her vision was starting to blur.
Dan was already working to pick out shattered pieces of glass from her skin, his fingers deft and sure despite the fear in his eyes. "We need to get her cleaned up," he said, his voice steady as he motioned to Kuma, who had fetched a first aid kit from Roadie. "Tess, you're going to be okay. Just hold on."
Tess tried to respond, but her voice wouldn't come. She felt herself slipping away, the darkness creeping in at the edges of her vision. The last thing she heard was Dan's voice, soothing and reassuring, telling her that everything would be alright.
And she trusted him.