He gets it all setup and grabs a drill. He sticks a bit in it and puts the bit inside the back end of the truck, having the engine sitting in the bed. He pulls the trigger on the drill spinning up the engine. It fires up and the engine sounds like a dirt bike engine. He grabs the controller, giving it a little gas allowing it to spin the tires at low speeds. He holds it low speed for a few seconds before opening it wide, the engine screams out as it rolls up on the dyno. He reaches maximum rpm before getting off the gas and checking a screen attached to the machine to check the power.

Okay, Tyler hadn't been kidding. The engine definitely did scream, and Ele winced at the sound, pressing her hands tighter to her ears. When the sound died off, Ele looked at Tyler, still very confused,

"What was the purpose of that?"

She asked, going to stand next to him.

"I was testing the truck to see how much power it is putting down to the ground, but these rc's are made for racing. The winner of the races we run actually wins $250 for a qualifier win. At the end of the season which we have an 8 month season the top 32 racers from each class actually run in a championship with the potential to earn $2,500." He lifts the cover on the truck to reveal the engine with a supercharger on it. "This thing can be tuned just like the real thing." He grabs a tool kit and removes the belt and pulley from the supercharger. "This supercharger is required for the engine. With it the truck makes an actual 150hp, without it the thing makes 50. I am trying to get it to 175hp." He starts looking for a different belt and pulley. He finds one that he thinks will help reach it. He gets it bolted on and the belt in place. He tweaks a few other pieces and parts then sets out to make another pull.

Watching Tyler with a confused and sceptical expression, Ele backed up when Tyler went to start the car again. Covering her ears more tightly this time, Ele made a face. She wasn't particularly a fan of loud noises, but she kept her mouth closed to watch Tyler.

He runs the engine up again and the engine squeals louder but barely gets louder. He shuts down the truck after the run and checks everything on it. He smiles and nods his head, unstrapping the truck. "169hp, close enough." He smiles at her. "You could actually ride this thing. The truck weighs about 90 pounds."

Uncovering her ears when the noise was done, Ele couldn't help but look even more skeptical at the idea of riding the truck. It was big for a remote controlled vehicle, but Ele weighed more that 90 pounds.

"I'm okay, thanks."

She said, then put her hands on her hips and tipped her head to the side in confusion,

"I don't get it, aren't these just the bigger version of those toys you can get? Why are these such a big deal?"

"No they aren't. You see, some are gas powered, some are electric, some are what you call nitro which is more powerful than gas. But these things are as complicated as their car counterparts. The man that created this engine for years was selling the engine for 7 grand. I managed to get the blueprints and make a printed version to save thousands of dollars. But this truck here is actually capable of towing an SUV. I have actually done it before." He smiles and shows her the controller. "This controller is a mid range model. It is $275, you can program it, specifically for the vehicle. We have up to $800 controllers and they are just about infinitely programmable, allowing for you to program the engine down to the amount of fuel flowing into it and the rpm of it."

"That's crazy!"

Ele said, looking at the controller and the car. It didn't look like tat thing would be able to tow an SUV, or would be as expensive or powerful as Tyler was saying. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ele raised an eyebrow at Tyler, Ele smiled a challenge,

"I don't believe you. Prove it!"

"Alright, let me make a call." He pulls out his cell phone and makes a call. "Hey Jason, can you bring that Escalade down to my shop?" He smiles. "Thanks man." Hanging up the call he looks at her and says. "Just a minute, they are bringing the SUV right now from down the hall." He gets a chain from the shop as they wait. As he walks out with the chain the Escalade rolls up, parking between the aisles. The GM of the mall hops out and says. "Guess it is time for another tow job?" Tyler nods his head. "Yup, got more power out of it now and the lady here doesn't think it is possible for this 90 pound truck can tow this 3 ton SUV." Jason laughs and stands to the side. Tyler sets out to attach the chain to the tow hook on the Escalade. He pulls the chain tight, then engages the clutch on the truck. He gives it gas and starts releasing the clutch slowly until the tires start spinning. He releases the clutch fully, giving it full throttle and the SUV starts moving very slowly until the truck gets traction and drags the Escalade about 15 feet.

Okay, she had been very wrong. Her mouth dropped open in shock as the little truck towed the giant SUV. It was almost comical to watch, like a tugboat towing a freighter. It truly boggled Ele's mind and she held up her hands in defeat,

"Okay, okay... I give in... That is one impressive truck."

She said, shaking her head in disbelief. Scratching her head, Ele looked at Tyler,

"How did you get into this?"

"Well, first and foremost. I am a nerd." He laughs. "I always loved cars and toys so I ended up falling into building and selling rc vehicles and other nerdy things. Models, train sets, warhammer 40k figurines, yu gi oh, magic the gathering, any hobby type craft really." He turns and unchains the truck and Jason throws it in park and pockets the keys. He hops back out and walks back to the personnel area leaving the SUV in its new spot.

"I would not have labeled you the nerdy type,"

Ele admitted, looking Tyler up and down. He was an attractive guy, and he was so nice that Ele was still unable to quite comprehend it. But from looking at him, she would have expected him to be more into football, beer, and rodeo. Shrugging, Ele crossed her arms over her chest again, then looked at her phone when it began buzzing. It was her boss.

Looking at Tyler, her eyes wide and scared, Ele couldn't think of what to do,

"Should I answer?"

"Go ahead. If he gets mouthy I will jump back in for you." He smiles at her standing next to her.

Giving Tyler a thankful smile, Ele answered the call and put the phone on speaker.

"This is Ele."

She said, her voice calm and professional. This time, her boss was calmer, quieter, and told Ele that the doctor's fax had come through. He was going to allow her to take the 2 weeks minimum off with paid medical leave, but if she needed more time beyond that it would come from her sick days and vacation time.

Ele bit her lip to hide a smile as she thanked her boss, who hung up unceremoniously. Turning to Tyler, Ele let the smile light up her face,

"You really put the fear of God into him! Thank you!"

He chuckles. "Sometimes it takes a bold act of defiance or anger to put somebody in their place." He decides to drive the truck around, turning it around he engages the clutch on it. He turns the rpm's all the way up and pops the clutch on it, the truck hooks up and wheelies, flipping over onto its top. He laughs and runs over to it, tipping it back over. "Yeah, I would say that has some power."

"How long until you are off for the day?"

Ele asked, smiling as she watched Tyler. He seemed to really enjoy the truck, and Ele could see some appeal to it as well. It was like a super amped up version of the smaller cars, and it was a chance to have fun.

"Today is a 10 hour day. I am on hour 6." He smiles. "So about 4 hours left." As he is talking several people walk up with rc cars, one a 4 foot tall 7 foot long dragster. "Oh boy, we are about to get extremely loud." He says and walks inside the shop grabbing several head phones. "You will need this." He says and walks over to the dyno, preparing it.

Ele gratefully accepted the headphones and put them on. She went to a spot where she could still watch everything, but was out of the way, feeling like she needed to sit down. Her head was pounding again from the problems with her boss, and now the adrenaline was wearing off and Ele felt dizzy. She grabbed her orange juice again and began sipping on it, hoping the sugar would help.

He gets it strapped down and all connections fitted. He turns over the engine and the sound of the engine very different from his truck sounding like a crotch rocket instead of a dirt bike. He rolls into it slowly, keeping it at 2000 rpm for a few seconds before giving it full power and rolling up. The screaming engine getting louder and louder as it runs up to its max rpm of 10,000. He gets off the gas and goes over to check the power output. He nods at the person who had brought it in. "525 to the wheels. That good for you?" He asks and the guy nods his head. "Yeah that should be good." They unhook the car and the guy picks it up with a little grunt.

Ele watched and listened, but the words meant nothing to her. Looking around, Ele bit her lip. She was bored, as the kind of girl who was used to being busy and on the go, suddenly having to stop and drop everything was very strange to her and she felt uncomfortable. Going over to Tyler, she tapped him on the shoulder,

"Is there anything that I can help with? I need something to do."