Adrenaline Rush
A/N: Repost on of an old Dragon Booster fanfic I posted on the Dragon Booster Discussion Forum, date December 5th 2005. Scales, three to two years and I get back into the fandom now. I feel horrible. pout
Disclaimer: Dragon Booster is not my property. If it was, it would be still going on dammit.
Even when her dragon was approaching the starting line, her heart was already pounding.
A billion sounds surrounded her; the roar of the crowd, the sound of claws flexing the draconium track below her, the breathing of several riders, filled with anticipation.
She let her lips part, and inhaled deeply, trying to relax and relieve the tension, but she felt herself vibrating and her hands gripping the handles on her dragon's saddle, almost as if she would never see what tomorrow would bring. It was as though it was only her first time she had begun racing. She always felt that feeling since she began racing at age twelve.
It was a feeling that fascinated her, that overwhelmed her, and to this day she never understood why. She only knew that feeling would not stop her.
The hiss of steamrollers mingled with the cheers, and an all-too familiar voice boomed out loud and clear. Inadequate announcements were made; she heard, but she didn't listen. Instead, she continued focusing intently on the track that swerved and twisted in front of her eyes.
A turn left, with some red thrusting gear, perhaps...no, too risky, instead, she'd turn left, but use some blue turning gear...no, that wasn't good either...
Her mind was racing with the many possibilities of how to finish first in one piece, when her thoughts shattered by one sound.
She heard it.
That sound.
A beep; a short, abrupt one, but nonetheless, it meant something very important. It was a warning.
Her heart pounded rapidly as she fixed her posture on the top of her dragon. Her fingers loosened slightly, still wrapped around the handles, and her eyes narrowed. On the third beep she knew would sound out, she knew she wouldn't be able to think straightly anymore. All she had to rely on after that would be her instinct and her sense of mind.
She counted; five, four...
Another beep sounded out, the same as the last. She continued counting, the beat of her heart pacing more quickly than ever.
She continued counting; three, two, one...
The last beep sounded other, more prolonged than the last. To her ears, it was like the sound of a bell, its boom resonating out for all to hear.
The doors holding back the dragons slammed down, and dust flew everywhere as the sound of dragon paws pounding the track
The overwhelming feeling intensified, and she tried not to let it cloud her senses. Her focus was not just on the track. She tried to feel what was happening around her, without having to look back as she bypassed the dragons in front of her...
All of a sudden, she felt it, sensed it; she could hear the quadripedal dragon behind her. It was closing it too quickly; soon, that dragon would be ahead of her, and she would be in fourth place.
Fourth place was not one of her options, and neither was third.
She intended on being first, as she was usually in most of her better races. Any of the racers who knew her well knew she intended on being first.
She straightened her posture, and her dragon stalled, falling behind the quadripedal dragon and placing her into fourth. That was intentional; she had a plan, a plan that would get her ahead of the dragons in fourth, third, and second place...putting her into first.
The force of the wind felt heavy against her. She knew she'd fight it. She strayed just behind her opponent in front of her. Only one chance to get this right; the last time she tried this maneuver, she ended up having her thrusting gear fly off, along with her...
There!
She let herself dispatch from behind the dragon, and moved to the side of the track. The feet of her dragon went up against the wall; she bypassed the riders at fourth, then third, and was right next to the rider in second.
She let her eyes shift slightly then to her opponent. The rider looked startled. He then pulled out a mag-staff. It extended, and his dragon started pulsing with a riveting blue mag-energy light.
Her expression became fierce; she turned back to the track and pressed a small button on her right handle. She gritted her teeth as she heard the sounds of her thrusting gear being activated, and she burst off.
The feeling came back again; her eyes wide and her teeth clenched. Her hands were grasping the handles again; her knuckles were white, and she felt as though she would've crushed the saddle handles if not for the strong draconium metal they were made of. She felt the force of her dragon's acceleration. It pushed against her as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to feel what was around her; to hear the sound of the crowd...
A beep resonated, and then the applause erupted, echoing throughout the track, filling her ears, and she started breathing heavily as she blinked rapidly. A grin crossed her face and the overwhelming feeling slowly faded away as Race Marshall Budge's voice rang out again.
"The winner for five times straight this week in the All-City Racing...Kitt Wonn!"
The End