Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star-Racers or its canon characters. Bethany is mine, however, so she is copyright me.
The sun was always too happy in the morning after a night of raining, and Eva pulled the pillow over her head. She really didn't mind mornings all that much, but after a night like hers the sun could have been a little less happy.
"Up and at it, Miss Wei. We've got a race today," Rick called to her. Eva grumbled and turned over, trying to get some more sleep, but it was no use. She was awake and sleep was doing it's best to evade her.
She pulled herself up and swung her feet over the edge, rubbing her eyes. They weren't too bad this morning, only a little dry and itchy. There had been some mornings where she'd had to bolt past family and crew to make it to the bathrooms without being seen. It didn't happen often, but she would have preferred that it didn't happen at all.
She pulled on a new shirt and pants, grabbed her toiletries and headed for the bathroom. For the garage, it was a communal bathroom, so men and women had to share. For Eva, that wasn't a big deal. She was just wondering how the new girl was doing.
After throwing out a few "mornings" to crew members and seeing her father for a quick second, she finally made it to the bathroom. When the door opened, she was surprised to find a sleepy looking Bethany brushing her teeth, staring at the image in the mirror. Eva made her way over to the neighboring sink and plopped her bag down on the edge.
"Morning sunshine," she sing-songed. Bethany looked down at her, lifted an eyebrow, and went back to staring at the image in the mirror. Eva couldn't help but laugh. She was feeling better already.
"God I hate mornings," Bethany grumbled over her toothbrush. "I am a night owl through-and-through. If they would make mornings later, I would be set for life." She spit and rinsed out her mouth, gargling while still keeping an eye on the mirror. Eva felt her own eyebrow lift, the toothbrush moving automatically.
"I don't think your reflection is going to jump out and get you," she said. Bethany looked over at her and cocked the other eyebrow.
"Oh, you don't think so? Well, one day your back's gonna be turned and then BAM! That's when she'll get ya. But, that's just what I've heard." She stretched and scooped all her things into her bag while Eva nearly choked on her toothbrush she was laughing so hard. She looked at her one final time.
"Today's the first day I'll get to see you race. I'll be in the surveillance room, but I'm looking forward to it," she said smiling, and left. Eva smiled and spit. Today wasn't going to be a half bad day after all.
The rest of the day went quickly, with Eva getting an introduction to the upgrades, warming up, testing the system, the usual warm-up. She managed to get through to noon without seeing Bethany even once and even asked her dad about it.
"Don't bother her right now. She still busy organizing the papers and getting everything into proper working order. And yes, she will be coming to see your race from the surveillance room," he'd told her, and then literally shoved her towards the door to continue tests.
"Welcome to the Fourteenth Annual World Cup Championships! All racers, report to the starting line." Her head jerked up. She'd been busy most of the day that she hadn't noticed that the race was about to start. Eva scurried up the ladder and started the engine as the hood for the cockpit slid closed. She tested the rocket seat one last time and moved the racer out of the hanger.
"So how does she move?" Don asked. His face popped up on a screen, along with one of Rick and another of Bethany.
"Great. The timing still has me a little off, but a few moves in and I'll be good to go," she told them.
"If it doesn't improve, let us know and we'll fix it after the race," Rick said. His glasses shifted, which meant he was looking as someone, and if Eva had to guess, it was Bethany. She'd picked up on Rick's unease at dinner the night before, and didn't really blame him. But he could have had a little more faith than that.
"I know you don't trust me, Rick, and that's just fine, but you'd best have some hard evidence to prove it," Bethany told him. She hadn't looked away from the screen, obviously meant to catch him off guard.
"Who said I didn't trust you?"
"No one, but the only way you'd be any more obvious is by hanging a giant neon sign over your head." Eva muffled a snort, and even saw her father crack a half smile before clearing his throat.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Eva, I want you to be careful around the turns with that system and keep your eyes open for the Spartan team. They're not happy about their recent lose and rumor has it they have their eye on us," Don said.
"Roger," Eva responded and the screens disappeared. She brought the ship to a halt at the starting line and waited for the rest of the competition.
Don, Rick, and Bethany watched as other racers pulled up to the starting line, engines revving in an effort to show off. Rick wasn't impressed and hadn't been back in his day. The true test of skill would come on the track, not at the starting line.
He glanced over at Don, who was keeping a keen eye on the main screen. He had an ear open to all the others, but kept his focus on the main screen. Bethany was also watching it too, but seemed to be off in her own little world.
Whatever, just as long as she doesn't hurt Eva or sabotage this team, Rick thought as the racers took off at the start.
He watched the Wei racer bypass the competition with ease. She was a natural at this, just like her mother. He'd always been amazed when watching Maya fly, and it was the same way with Eva. It was like the racer was a part of her.
The racer flipped over the Kaze ship, and they were coming up on a particularly sharp turn. Rick had flown the course before, and knew Eva's best bet would be to stay on the inside. The Wei racer took the lead position and was closing in on the turn.
A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to notice Bethany touching her forehead, a bit dazed. She looked up at the screen and cursed.
"Eva, stay on the outside in this turn."
"What?" Eva's startled expression filled the screen, and Rick shook his head.
"Why?" the young pilot asked.
"There's…a trap ahead. It's on the inside of the turn, so stay towards the outside," Bethany said. She looked worried and her hands were shaking a bit. Something wasn't right and Bethany was visibly upset. She could just be a really good actress, Rick thought. However…
"Do what she says."
"Rick, what are you talking about?" Don protested.
"Let's just assume the worst and that there is a trap ahead. Eva, the corner!" The young woman looked up just in time and swung the racer far to the outside. The Kaze ship passed, but was quickly followed by a loud explosion and debris filled the screen. The surveillance room went silent as the dust cloud blocked the screen.
"There's been an explosion on the track!" the announcer cried. The stands were buzzing with anxious voices and a few spectators were pointing to the rising cloud.
The silence seemed to last forever in the Wei surveillance room before…
"I'm clear." They watched as the Wei racer broke free from the debris, followed by a few other ships. Don heaved a sigh of relief and fell back into a chair. Rick let loose the breath he'd been holding and glanced over at Bethany. She'd closed her eyes and was taking a deep breath. He watched as the debris finally settled, and was sickened at the sight of the huge black hole in the side of the Kaze racer. The camera stayed only long enough to catch sight of the paramedics before changing to another of Eva and the rest of the racers.
Eva and the Spartan ship were neck-and-neck. The Spartan ship slammed into Eva's, forcing her to the wall. She flipped, and floored the gas. The finish line was just ahead, but the Spartan's weren't giving up yet. They forced their speed until they were right on Eva's tail. They gave one final try to force her off the track by hitting the rear of the racer. But she swerved and pushed the racer over the finish line, with the Spartans following in second.
The surveillance room went to work immediately, assessing damage and talking to Eva. Don was quietly speaking to someone over the line, probably an official. Rick wanted to see how the young pilot was doing, but wanted to talk to someone else first. He turned and pulled Bethany towards the screens that were replaying the horrible explosion and Eva's escape.
"How did you know?" he asked. Bethany looked up at him, the conflict in her eyes going quiet. She turned towards the screens, fiddling with the dials until she glanced up at him.
"Watch." He looked to find the minutes before the turn. "The Spartan racer kept close to Eva from the time the race started until about thirty seconds before the turn. Then it suddenly drops back. That's when I figured something was up," she said. He watched as the racer kept nearly a constant pace with Eva before it suddenly slowed until it was far behind most of the competitors.
"I don't think so." She started.
"What do you mean? It's right here on the tape," she stated. He looked over at her, his face calm.
"I don't mean the evidence, I mean how you knew. You weren't really watching the race and then suddenly you were telling Eva to keep to the outside. That's what I don't buy," he told her. She watched him and then smiled.
"You can believe what you want, Rick, but that's what I saw. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go see how Eva's doing before I have to go deal with official matters," she said and left the surveillance room.
He watched her go, but he still didn't buy it. There was something about Bethany, something she was keeping from them. He couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, but it was enough to keep him suspicious.
He went out to the garage, and watched as Eva and Don talked with Bethany looking on.
What's she not telling us? he thought.
Author's Note: Thanks goes out to Star Fata, who's been reviewing. In answer to you question, if you're talking about Eva and Bethany, Bethany's going to be more of big sister to Eva. Thanks again.