CHAPTER 37: OBSIDIAN

Maximus followed the directions, the cityscape slowly giving way to more open roads. He felt the engine pouring beneath him, eager to stretch its legs.

The temptation to push this speedometer higher was there, but he held back at least until they got to the strip.

"Man, the new car smell hits different when you actually own the damn thing," Zack mused, taking in a deep breath and sighing contentedly. "I feel like I’m riding in success."

Maximus smirked. "You are riding in success Zack, it’s just my success..."

"Exactly! And I appreciate it." Zack patted the dashboard like he was touching a trophy. "She needs a name though."

Maximus glanced at him, "A name?"

Zack nodded, with no atom of unseriousness on his face. "You can’t own a car like this and not give it a name."

Maximus rolled his eyes but played along. "And what do you suggest?"

Zack thought for a moment, the snapped his fingers. "Take the physical properties of this car and merge it with the emotions it has stirred within you and then say the first thing that comes to your mind."

Maximus sat quiet, the sleek, deep gray body, the silent yet deadly presence...

"Obsidian..."

"Not bad..." Zack immediately admitted.

The road stretched ahead, and soon enough, the city faded into the background.

They reached the outskirts, where buildings became more sparse, replaced by long stretches of open, greenish vegetation.

In the distance, Maximus could see the airstrip Zack had mentioned. It wasn’t anything fancy. Just a long, empty stretch of tarmac surrounded by old hangars, but that was exactly what they needed to test the new car.

A few other cars were already there, parked off to the side, their owners having a chitchat nearby.

Maximus recognized a couple of high performance vehicles, even a few modified imports.

"Looks like we will be having company," Maximus muttered.

Zack smirked. "Don’t worry. You’re in a league of your own with this beast."

They pulled up near the edge of the strip, and as Maximus killed the engine, he could feel the eyes shifting toward them.

It wasn’t as blatant as back in the city, but there was definitely curiousity.

Zack hopped out the passenger seat, stretching. "Alright time to see what Obsidian can really do."

Maximus followed, rolling his shoulders as he took in the open stretch of road.

There was something exhilarating about having all this space ahead of him, no traffic, no restrictions. Just him, the car, and the road.

"You driven anything this powerful before?" Zack asked, standing beside him.

Maximus smiled at him, "Not exactly... But I’ll figure it out..."

Zack laughed. "Confident! I like it"

Maximus slid back I to the driver’s seat, adjusting his grip on the wheel. He took a deep breath, letting the anticipation settle in his chest.

Then, with a flick of the wrists, he started the ignition.

The deep growl of the turbo charged engine echoed through the air, turning heads.

Maximus applied slight pressure on the acceleration, feeling the immediate response, the raw power waiting to be unleashed.

Before Maximus could drive off, a voice cut through the air.

"Nice car," the man said, walking toward Zack with his hands in his pockets and a smirk plastered across his face like it was surgically attached.

He was lean, maybe mid-twenties, and wore a sleeveless hoodie that screamed try-hard rebel. A pair of aviators hung lazily on his nose, and his confidence walked three steps ahead of him.

"You the driver?" he asked, nodding toward Zack.

Zack laughed and jerked a thumb at Maximus. "Nah, he’s the wheelman."

The guy turned, eyes scanning Maximus like he was trying to see if the machine matched the man. Then he scoffed.

"Figures," he said. "Thought that car had an edge. Shame it’s wasted on someone who looks like he’d rather park it and take selfies."

Maximus didn’t react. He just leaned back in the seat, fingers drumming lazily on the wheel.

Zack, however, was ready to bark. "You trying to start something?"

The guy ignored him and stepped closer to the driver’s window. "Name’s Darren. I came here half an hour ago looking to race, not pose, but no one seems to take up my offer. And if that car’s got even half the bite it pretends to, I say we find out right now."

Maximus turned his head, gaze calm. "Not interested."

Darren laughed, smug and theatrical. "You look tough, didn’t peg you for a coward."

Maximus sighed, hands tightening on the wheel for a split second before relaxing again. "I didn’t say I was scared. I just don’t waste fuel on clowns."

That one hit. Even Zack couldn’t help but grin.

But Darren just smirked wider. "Then prove it."

Maximus exhaled, looked at the stretch of road ahead, then back at Darren. The car was new. The road was wide open. And maybe, just maybe... this was the perfect excuse to let Obsidian run wild.

He popped the door and stepped out.

"Alright. You want smoke?" he said, walking up to Darren. "You got it."

It didn’t take long. Word spread around the air strip like wildfire. A small crowd of gearheads and bystanders clustered near the strip’s edge, phones out, chatter rising with excitement. Everyone murmuring with anticipation.

Zack stood at the sidelines, arms folded, grin locked in place. "Cook him, Max."

The two cars lined up. Darren’s ride was a tuned-up, flashy piece of imported muscle—low, loud, and decked out with enough decals to make a NASCAR jealous. But beside Obsidian, it looked like it was trying too hard.

The engines revved—Obsidian’s turbocharged growl versus Darren’s sharp, aggressive snarl.

Maximus kept his eyes on the road. No distractions. Hands on the wheel, foot ready.

Three...

Two...

One—

GO.

The tires screamed. Smoke burst from the back wheels. Both cars shot forward, but Obsidian felt like it had been waiting for this moment. The G-force hit Maximus like a slap to the chest, but he didn’t flinch. The speedometer climbed fast—30, 60, 90—barely seconds in.

Darren was holding up, staying neck-and-neck at first, his car surging with controlled aggression. But Maximus wasn’t worried. He hadn’t even pushed it yet.

At the quarter mark, Maximus shifted. The gear change was crisp. Clean. The engine roared back with a deeper tone, like a beast finally stretching its jaws.

Obsidian surged forward.

He overtook Darren in a blink, tires gripping the asphalt like claws. The road blurred. Maximus leaned into it, eyes locked on the finish marker ahead. Every second, he was pulling farther and farther away. Darren’s headlights shrank in the rearview like they were being erased.

The crowd roared. Zack punched the air as he closed the final stretch.

Maximus pushed the pedal down one last time—just to see how far she’d go. The engine didn’t growl—it howled. The wind became a wall slamming into the windshield, and the finish line raced up like it was begging to be crossed. A few seconds later he flew past it, no contest, no close call.

Just pure and utter dominance.

Maximus eased off the gas and let Obsidian glide as he looped around and drove back toward the sidelines. Zack was bouncing on his heels like a kid who just watched his team score the game-winner.

When Maximus rolled up and popped the door open, Zack let out a loud, dramatic whistle.

"BRO! You smoked that dude so bad, I think his ancestors felt it!"

Maximus chuckled, stepping out and patting the roof of the car. "Woah! She is really something!."

Darren hadn’t even made it back yet.