The Solar Surfer
Serin put the last piece of her solar surfer together then activated the anti-gravity mechanism on it. The board floated off the table, hovering about 5 inches from the tabletop. She grinned, then carefully pushed the board to the ground and watched it float for a little bit. She stepped onto the board, glad when it held her weight without a problem.
She got off it, and then carefully moved it out of her room to the deck. She forced the sail open, having not gotten the opening and closing buttons to work yet. The sail glowed, the solid pieces of solar sail absorbing the light and changing it into power for the engines. She grinned when the door to her room opened and closed, and heavy boots moved toward her.
"So, nearly complete, ready for the race?" the visitor asked, leaning against the rail, looking Serin over through dark glasses.
"No where near ready. I can't get the sail to open up with the buttons, and I'm not sure the engine pedal will work, I think I might have messed up with the wiring." Serin said, opening up the cover on the engine, showing her guest the problem.
A gloved hand reached in and messed with the wiring a little, and then lightly pressed the pedal on the outside.
The dual engine turbines hummed then shot out blue sparks, and then finally flared to life, the hovering board moving a little.
Serin grabbed the board so it didn't go anywhere, and then grabbed some rope and tied it down. "Thanks Nerin, that helped a lot. Now, do you think you can do anything about the sails?"
Nerin carefully opened the main board up, and looked at the set up for opening the sails. The gloved hand moved a few wires around, changed the gear settings, and then closed the board again, taping the small button on the board.
The open sails closed, then opened again when the button was hit. "There you go Serin, ready for the race?"
She grinned enthusiastically at Nerin, nodding her head. "Yep, thanks to you." She checked the storage tank for the engines, and saw it was nearly full of light-fuel.
"Serin, this is your race, I can't be there, so you'll be on your own." Nerin said, rising to his feet, putting his hands in the pockets of his long coat. He turned to walk back to the door, then turned back to Serin. "I suggest you get some practicing done before the race, get used to the foot button for opening and closing the sail." With that, he turned and walked out the ornately carved door to the fancy hallway, and vanished like a specter.
Rich kid, spoiled rotten by her parents, Serin McCardy of the White Coast on the planet Montressor, had everything she could ever want. Private schooling at the White Coast School for Girls, and all the friends she could ever want, except she didn't have one particular thing: someone to be better than her, someone she would have to work to beat.
As she flew on her solar surfer through the Sythian Canyon, practicing opening and closing her sail with the use of her heel, she found herself unconsciously racing someone else. She looked over her shoulder and saw she was neck and neck with a young boy dressed in brown.
They both reached an open spot and came very close; so close, they almost collided. She swerved away, regaining control just in time to glide over a rock that appeared in front of her. She stopped herself from continuing on, watching the boy keep going towards the mining plant. She watched as he broke through the front gate, and sped through the equipment.
The Motor Cops appeared as the alarm reached her ears.
She laughed as Jim Hawkins was caught again for flying in a restricted zone. No doubt he would do it again, and violate his parole, again.
Standing joke at the school was that Jim Hawkins was a troublemaker, and he was only 12. His mother couldn't control him, the cops certainly weren't doing a good job either, and it seemed his was just a problem child, through and through. Everyone would laugh when his name was said, everyone knowing just what he did.
She turned her board around, and headed back home. She decided to make a few adjustments to the board before the race.
~~ ! ~~
she lined her board up with the others, having dressed just like them, so they didn't know that they were flying with a Richy from White Coast.
Richies never did anything with the Normals or the Poors, but only did what Richies did.
Serin didn't like that idea, so whenever she could, she did stuff with them.
She looked down the line up, and saw Jim down farther, on what looked to be a hastily made surfer. Poor boy got his surfer taken away again, and how the heck could he have made another one so quickly? It had taken her nearly ten hours to build hers, and Jim must have built it in less than two hours.
She quickly locked up that snotty part of her, and turned back to the race at hand. She had tied up her long black hair, her maid putting it into a tight bun on top of her head. She wore goggles, gloves, and baggy clothing; everything a good surfer needed. She looked and saw a few more boys dressed like her, then a few without gloves and goggles. Jim was one of them.
She had to admit, he was a thug, and he was cute.
She heard the starting gun go off, and was quickly pulled form her daydream as she stamped down on the engine pedal and blasted off, shooting ahead of a lot of the boys.
Even with his hastily made board, he was still faster than she, keeping just out of arms reach. They each took the turns one at a time, diving and waving with their boards and sails.
Each racer had a different colored scarf around their neck, Jim had a green one, and she had a purple one. Since nearly all the racers dressed in brown, people donated them so the racers could be told apart. The judges had though it a great idea, and had added a bonus to the race: if you crossed the finish line without your scarf, you lost.
Serin watched the course ahead of her, the violet cloth flying out behind her like a banner. She kept her eyes opened for the green that was Jim, and looked for the point in the race when you couldn't use your sails. She was worried that what Nerin had done wouldn't work, and she would be thrown from her board, sail mast broken off.
The rectangle shaped tunnel was just ahead, and as she and Jim came neck and neck, they both closed their sails and crouched low to their boards, barley making it in. Neither of them saw any light at the end, and Serin reached up to her goggles and turned on the infrared lenses, allowing her to see the course in the dark. Little glowing arrows showed her which way to turn so she didn't crash.
After many turns in the dark, she realized Jim wasn't next to her anymore. She took a chance and glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was right behind her, following closely.
She burst from the tunnel, and hit her sail open. The darkness had sapped a lot of power, and the open sail quickly replenished that. She sailed over the finish line, followed by Jim. She cut the engine and coasted to a stop.
"Good race, Serin, didn't expect a Richy to actually take part in this." He congratulated her.
She didn't respond, just blushed really red.
Jim sighed, and turned away. "Just like a Richy, to stuck up to respond."
She turned to him and smiled. "It's not that, its just that. well, Good race Jim Hawkins, even on a hastily made board too." She hoped that did something.
Jim quirked an eyebrow. "Ya know, for a Richy, you aint that bad, Serin McCardy. Glad to see you aren't so spoiled by your so-called parents to be snotty to everyone"
She moved her goggles up on her head, and removed her gloves. "I make a point to not let having everything I wanted get to my head. Say Jim, mind if we race again, when you have had a chance to fix up your solar surfer?"
Jim grinned. "Sure, since this piece of junk didn't beat you, wait till I get my real board back, then you will be eating my dust."
She grinned in return and in challenge. "Is that a challenge, Jim Hawkins?"
"Yes it is, Serin McCardy." He replied, holding out his hand to her, which she took and both squeezed and shook hands, sealing the deal.
~~ ! ~~
they both stood at the mouth to the Sythian Canyon, each with their boards, and Nerin to start them off. It had been nearly a year since they challenged each other, and Serin had upgraded her surfer to get the most out of it.
Jim grinned, having grown into his features a little more. They were both 13, and every day looking a little older. He stood with his real solar board, a sleek bronze color. The sail was made from patches of other sails, but it still looked part of the board.
Serins' board was the same one she had used a year ago at the race. The sleek silver board and gold colored sails glowed in the early morning light. She had been helping out at the Inn, where her and Jim had planned where they were going to have the race, and when. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Nerin, dressed in his normal long coat, boots, pants, shirt and gloves, stood between them, and glanced through his dark glasses at them. "Are both of you ready?"
The two teens nodded, and got onto their boards. They grabbed the handels to the board, and waited for Nerin to start them off.
A rough wing blew up when they began, propelling both of them forward. The sails snapped, grabing the wind and pushing them on ward. Both sails glowed, catching the light and either storing it or using it to power the engines.
They raced through the canyon, weaving in and out of rocks, and through arches, around pinnacles, and under overhanging boulders. They were both neck and neck, neither getting ahead of the other.
They came to the minning plant, and went over the gate, the alarm not going off. They wove through the equipment, and came to the Grinder, a two part wheel that dug into the cliff face, tearing up rock to be sifted through later machines.
They put the sails down, going as low as they could to the boards, then at just the right moment, sped through the small opening, moments away from being crushed.
Serin almost lost control of her board, but was able to regain it after they made it out of the Grinder. Maybe she should tune down the anti- gravity motors on the bottom, they almost got her killed. She and Jim continued to race to the predestined finish line, where Nerin was waiting for them on his Solar Glider; A boat like vehicle, with three sails, one on each side, then another one in the middle. He had his camera in hand, planning on taking a picture when they crossed.
The blinding light caught them, bringing them to a halt. Neither knew who was ahead of the other, not till Nerin had the film developed, or told them.
The man got off his Glider, and walked over to them, camera in hand. "Well, happy to say. you both tied. Hawkins, it seems that your surfer is almost just a little faster than the one you used a year ago, which is just fine, but the only way to make it better is to keep improving." He turned to Serin, and nodded. "Well, I think it is time to get back to the real world, and both of you need to get back to work." He returned to his glider, and flew off.
Serin sighed, and turned to jim. "Well, looks like we might have to keep improving our boards, and race again."
Jim snorted, and brushed his hair back with a hand. "Nah. I know you have been improving your board, and I just got mine back last week, and I never had a chance to upgrade anything on it. Had you just left your board how it was, you would have seen that mine was faster."
"well, James Hawkins, if you ask me, I think that if I gave you a chance to upgrade, you might have beaten me, but since we tied, that still doesn't mean I won. In one week, we'll race again. I'll see you at work." She got on her solar surfer, and sped off back to the Benbow Inn.
She stopped just behind the Inn, shut off her board, and went in, dropping her protective clothing she used when surfing inside the closet. She grabbed an apron and threw that on, then went to help Sarah with the customers.
~~~ Leave a review if you would like to see this finished. or continued. ~~~
Serin put the last piece of her solar surfer together then activated the anti-gravity mechanism on it. The board floated off the table, hovering about 5 inches from the tabletop. She grinned, then carefully pushed the board to the ground and watched it float for a little bit. She stepped onto the board, glad when it held her weight without a problem.
She got off it, and then carefully moved it out of her room to the deck. She forced the sail open, having not gotten the opening and closing buttons to work yet. The sail glowed, the solid pieces of solar sail absorbing the light and changing it into power for the engines. She grinned when the door to her room opened and closed, and heavy boots moved toward her.
"So, nearly complete, ready for the race?" the visitor asked, leaning against the rail, looking Serin over through dark glasses.
"No where near ready. I can't get the sail to open up with the buttons, and I'm not sure the engine pedal will work, I think I might have messed up with the wiring." Serin said, opening up the cover on the engine, showing her guest the problem.
A gloved hand reached in and messed with the wiring a little, and then lightly pressed the pedal on the outside.
The dual engine turbines hummed then shot out blue sparks, and then finally flared to life, the hovering board moving a little.
Serin grabbed the board so it didn't go anywhere, and then grabbed some rope and tied it down. "Thanks Nerin, that helped a lot. Now, do you think you can do anything about the sails?"
Nerin carefully opened the main board up, and looked at the set up for opening the sails. The gloved hand moved a few wires around, changed the gear settings, and then closed the board again, taping the small button on the board.
The open sails closed, then opened again when the button was hit. "There you go Serin, ready for the race?"
She grinned enthusiastically at Nerin, nodding her head. "Yep, thanks to you." She checked the storage tank for the engines, and saw it was nearly full of light-fuel.
"Serin, this is your race, I can't be there, so you'll be on your own." Nerin said, rising to his feet, putting his hands in the pockets of his long coat. He turned to walk back to the door, then turned back to Serin. "I suggest you get some practicing done before the race, get used to the foot button for opening and closing the sail." With that, he turned and walked out the ornately carved door to the fancy hallway, and vanished like a specter.
Rich kid, spoiled rotten by her parents, Serin McCardy of the White Coast on the planet Montressor, had everything she could ever want. Private schooling at the White Coast School for Girls, and all the friends she could ever want, except she didn't have one particular thing: someone to be better than her, someone she would have to work to beat.
As she flew on her solar surfer through the Sythian Canyon, practicing opening and closing her sail with the use of her heel, she found herself unconsciously racing someone else. She looked over her shoulder and saw she was neck and neck with a young boy dressed in brown.
They both reached an open spot and came very close; so close, they almost collided. She swerved away, regaining control just in time to glide over a rock that appeared in front of her. She stopped herself from continuing on, watching the boy keep going towards the mining plant. She watched as he broke through the front gate, and sped through the equipment.
The Motor Cops appeared as the alarm reached her ears.
She laughed as Jim Hawkins was caught again for flying in a restricted zone. No doubt he would do it again, and violate his parole, again.
Standing joke at the school was that Jim Hawkins was a troublemaker, and he was only 12. His mother couldn't control him, the cops certainly weren't doing a good job either, and it seemed his was just a problem child, through and through. Everyone would laugh when his name was said, everyone knowing just what he did.
She turned her board around, and headed back home. She decided to make a few adjustments to the board before the race.
~~ ! ~~
she lined her board up with the others, having dressed just like them, so they didn't know that they were flying with a Richy from White Coast.
Richies never did anything with the Normals or the Poors, but only did what Richies did.
Serin didn't like that idea, so whenever she could, she did stuff with them.
She looked down the line up, and saw Jim down farther, on what looked to be a hastily made surfer. Poor boy got his surfer taken away again, and how the heck could he have made another one so quickly? It had taken her nearly ten hours to build hers, and Jim must have built it in less than two hours.
She quickly locked up that snotty part of her, and turned back to the race at hand. She had tied up her long black hair, her maid putting it into a tight bun on top of her head. She wore goggles, gloves, and baggy clothing; everything a good surfer needed. She looked and saw a few more boys dressed like her, then a few without gloves and goggles. Jim was one of them.
She had to admit, he was a thug, and he was cute.
She heard the starting gun go off, and was quickly pulled form her daydream as she stamped down on the engine pedal and blasted off, shooting ahead of a lot of the boys.
Even with his hastily made board, he was still faster than she, keeping just out of arms reach. They each took the turns one at a time, diving and waving with their boards and sails.
Each racer had a different colored scarf around their neck, Jim had a green one, and she had a purple one. Since nearly all the racers dressed in brown, people donated them so the racers could be told apart. The judges had though it a great idea, and had added a bonus to the race: if you crossed the finish line without your scarf, you lost.
Serin watched the course ahead of her, the violet cloth flying out behind her like a banner. She kept her eyes opened for the green that was Jim, and looked for the point in the race when you couldn't use your sails. She was worried that what Nerin had done wouldn't work, and she would be thrown from her board, sail mast broken off.
The rectangle shaped tunnel was just ahead, and as she and Jim came neck and neck, they both closed their sails and crouched low to their boards, barley making it in. Neither of them saw any light at the end, and Serin reached up to her goggles and turned on the infrared lenses, allowing her to see the course in the dark. Little glowing arrows showed her which way to turn so she didn't crash.
After many turns in the dark, she realized Jim wasn't next to her anymore. She took a chance and glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was right behind her, following closely.
She burst from the tunnel, and hit her sail open. The darkness had sapped a lot of power, and the open sail quickly replenished that. She sailed over the finish line, followed by Jim. She cut the engine and coasted to a stop.
"Good race, Serin, didn't expect a Richy to actually take part in this." He congratulated her.
She didn't respond, just blushed really red.
Jim sighed, and turned away. "Just like a Richy, to stuck up to respond."
She turned to him and smiled. "It's not that, its just that. well, Good race Jim Hawkins, even on a hastily made board too." She hoped that did something.
Jim quirked an eyebrow. "Ya know, for a Richy, you aint that bad, Serin McCardy. Glad to see you aren't so spoiled by your so-called parents to be snotty to everyone"
She moved her goggles up on her head, and removed her gloves. "I make a point to not let having everything I wanted get to my head. Say Jim, mind if we race again, when you have had a chance to fix up your solar surfer?"
Jim grinned. "Sure, since this piece of junk didn't beat you, wait till I get my real board back, then you will be eating my dust."
She grinned in return and in challenge. "Is that a challenge, Jim Hawkins?"
"Yes it is, Serin McCardy." He replied, holding out his hand to her, which she took and both squeezed and shook hands, sealing the deal.
~~ ! ~~
they both stood at the mouth to the Sythian Canyon, each with their boards, and Nerin to start them off. It had been nearly a year since they challenged each other, and Serin had upgraded her surfer to get the most out of it.
Jim grinned, having grown into his features a little more. They were both 13, and every day looking a little older. He stood with his real solar board, a sleek bronze color. The sail was made from patches of other sails, but it still looked part of the board.
Serins' board was the same one she had used a year ago at the race. The sleek silver board and gold colored sails glowed in the early morning light. She had been helping out at the Inn, where her and Jim had planned where they were going to have the race, and when. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Nerin, dressed in his normal long coat, boots, pants, shirt and gloves, stood between them, and glanced through his dark glasses at them. "Are both of you ready?"
The two teens nodded, and got onto their boards. They grabbed the handels to the board, and waited for Nerin to start them off.
A rough wing blew up when they began, propelling both of them forward. The sails snapped, grabing the wind and pushing them on ward. Both sails glowed, catching the light and either storing it or using it to power the engines.
They raced through the canyon, weaving in and out of rocks, and through arches, around pinnacles, and under overhanging boulders. They were both neck and neck, neither getting ahead of the other.
They came to the minning plant, and went over the gate, the alarm not going off. They wove through the equipment, and came to the Grinder, a two part wheel that dug into the cliff face, tearing up rock to be sifted through later machines.
They put the sails down, going as low as they could to the boards, then at just the right moment, sped through the small opening, moments away from being crushed.
Serin almost lost control of her board, but was able to regain it after they made it out of the Grinder. Maybe she should tune down the anti- gravity motors on the bottom, they almost got her killed. She and Jim continued to race to the predestined finish line, where Nerin was waiting for them on his Solar Glider; A boat like vehicle, with three sails, one on each side, then another one in the middle. He had his camera in hand, planning on taking a picture when they crossed.
The blinding light caught them, bringing them to a halt. Neither knew who was ahead of the other, not till Nerin had the film developed, or told them.
The man got off his Glider, and walked over to them, camera in hand. "Well, happy to say. you both tied. Hawkins, it seems that your surfer is almost just a little faster than the one you used a year ago, which is just fine, but the only way to make it better is to keep improving." He turned to Serin, and nodded. "Well, I think it is time to get back to the real world, and both of you need to get back to work." He returned to his glider, and flew off.
Serin sighed, and turned to jim. "Well, looks like we might have to keep improving our boards, and race again."
Jim snorted, and brushed his hair back with a hand. "Nah. I know you have been improving your board, and I just got mine back last week, and I never had a chance to upgrade anything on it. Had you just left your board how it was, you would have seen that mine was faster."
"well, James Hawkins, if you ask me, I think that if I gave you a chance to upgrade, you might have beaten me, but since we tied, that still doesn't mean I won. In one week, we'll race again. I'll see you at work." She got on her solar surfer, and sped off back to the Benbow Inn.
She stopped just behind the Inn, shut off her board, and went in, dropping her protective clothing she used when surfing inside the closet. She grabbed an apron and threw that on, then went to help Sarah with the customers.
~~~ Leave a review if you would like to see this finished. or continued. ~~~