The plan has changed a little. I realize there's one event that I didn't include in the last summary of how many chapters are left. In short… it adds up to… 1, 2… 3-4 left, not including this one. However, event #1 may be combined with this one, making that 2-3 left. I'm giving myself an extra chapter because the finale might take more than one. Anyway, enjoy.
Ace
"You got her something, eh?"
I nodded, turning the box on its side. "It feels a little corny, giving my girlfriend jewelry."
Striker laughed. "Every man goes through this at least twice in his life…"
"Twice?" I cringed.
"Well, there's always this 'out-of-nowhere' gift, then the ring…"
"Oi, I'm not marrying her now…," I stated, shoving him to the side.
With a smile, Striker responded. "I've seen the way you look at her, boy. Give it a few years…"
I looked at the box, pressing my lips together. "When will she be back?"
"Soon… She made us promise we wouldn't do anything… So today's just a normal day for her."
"Where'd she go?"
He shrugged. "She said something about searching for a side-job so she has something to fall back on once Leum comes back."
I looked at my leader. "You're not going to keep her here?"
"Can't force her, can I?"
"Absolutely!"
He laughed. "I know you love her, son, but it's entirely her decision. It's really not my place."
"There's that word again," I sighed.
"Too soon?" Striker asked, watching me.
"I… I don't know, maybe…"
He rested a hand on my shoulder. "If there's any doubt…"
I shook my head. "No, that's not it."
With a curious grin, Striker stepped forward. "Commitment issues, then? That must come from your father."
"Don't you dare bring my father into this."
He shook his head, looking at his shoes. "My point entirely," he muttered quietly.
"Hey… Damn, what's with the tension?"
I quickly shoved the box into my pocket.
Striker smiled, giving a half-hearted wave as he left the room.
I turned toward Lora, forcing a smile. "Happy birthday," I spoke softly.
She smiled. "Glad you got that over with… Now… I have a few errands to run—"
"Lora…"
"—before the sun sets, so you can either come with me, or stay—"
"Lora," I interjected again.
"—on the ship. Either way, I'm—"
"Lora!"
"What?"
"Why do you hate your birthday so much?"
She sighed. "Why didn't you want us to do anything for yours?"
"I hate celebrating."
She hummed. "Okay, I suppose we have different answers, then. Um… My dad… refused to ever let me have a birthday party, or acknowledge that I was there…"
I rolled my eyes. "Sure noticed you when I was there."
"Ace, that's another story entirely."
"So wouldn't you rather celebrate to bother him?" I asked, smiling.
"No, it's useless. I'm sixteen, okay? There's nothing else to it. Can we get on with today?"
I took a step back, pulling the box from my pocket. "Guess… you won't want this then…"
Lora stopped in her tracks, the room falling into a dead silence. "Ace…"
"No, it's fine. I'll take it back tomorrow."
"I told you not to get me anything…"
I shook my head, looking at the box. "Goddamn it…"
Lora looked at me, tears in her eyes. "…Wh-what… is it?"
"You said you didn't want it." I rolled my eyes.
"N-now hold on…" Lora wrapped her hand around my arm, gently prying the box from my hand. "I didn't think you would actually go to the trouble and get me something…"
"Yeah, and I thought you would be mad. This mushy stuff is gross…" I rubbed my neck, watching her closely.
She pulled the hair clip out of the box, examining the bug. "Dragonfly… You… were listening…?"
"Well, yeah. I'm not entirely an asshole."
She shook her head. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Ace…"
"Neither do you, hypocrite."
She laughed, clipping her bangs to the side with the dragonfly. "You didn't spend a fortune on this, did you?"
I smiled. "Nope. Striker did."
"So he bought it…"
"…Technically…"
"You better pay him back, Storm Boy…"
I laughed nervously, glancing around the room. "Can we move on?"
She rubbed her nose. "Absolutely. I have to run a few errands. Do you want to come with, or stay here?"
I shrugged. "I should probably stay here."
She nodded, standing on her toes to kiss me. "I'll be back later."
ooo
"WAKE UP!"
I groaned, rolling over. "No…"
"Please?"
"Ace, I think the lady means well…," V2 chimed in.
"Do not! Ace! Get your ass out of bed!"
"…I refuse to wake up… It's a slow day, please let me sleep…"
Lora leaned in, kissing my cheek. "Get up or that's the last kiss you'll see until you turn twenty-five."
I rolled over again, not realizing how close to the edge of the bed I was. Lora quickly stepped back as I fell toward the floor, groaning loudly. "Goddamn it all…"
"Yay! Now you're out of bed, you have no excuse!"
I sat up, rubbing my shoulder. "Yes I do, I'm in pain. I need to sleep this off."
"Get over it, you wimp!" Lora leaned over, trying to drag me to my feet.
V2 laughed, scanning the room. "Lora, it's seven, now."
She gasped, pulling me up to my feet with all her strength. "Come on, get your ass up. Let's go!" She began dragging me out of the room, V2 not far behind.
"What the hell is so important?"
V2 answered, "Today's the first day of the Carnival!"
"You're going to make me hang out with a bung of Carnies aren't you?"
Lora nodded. "Yep!"
"Great…"
Every year on Terra Saharr, they held a carnival alongside the race for the velocity crystal. Sky Knights from all over Atmos gathered to compete for the Velocity crystal. Not too far away was the Carnival where citizens entertained themselves. Several attractions that you couldn't find on Neon planted themselves on Saharr. While you waited for the race to begin, you would hang out at the Carnival, and the Carnival stood its ground for a entire week, even after the Race was long over with.
And no doubt, if a Storm Hawk showed up… I would be asked to race.
And race, I did.
ooo
Day two of the Carnival called for the preparations of the race. But Lora had preparation plans of her own. "If you're going to race, you'll need to look the part!"
"…I look like Striker."
"No, no, his headgear is much different."
I pulled the metal contraption from my forehead and sighed. "I'm not wearing this."
"Fine… but I think you look hot…"
"…That's not going to work, Lora…" I chucked the piece aside, watching as Lora ran after it. "Fine… I'm not letting this go to waste. When race-time comes, you're wearing it. But for now…" She hung the metal headgear over her own skull, smiling proudly. "My handiwork, my headgear. Ha!"
I laughed. "You look beautiful, darling, but it looks much better on me."
"Then you wear it!"
"…No."
She narrowed her gaze, pouting.
"Listen, I have to check on my bike, okay? I have an hour until the race… Why don't you go off and enjoy yourself?"
"There's nothing fun at the Carnival…"
"Said the bitch that dragged me down here," I grumbled.
"Shut up, Ace. The point was to get you to race; I never intended to drag you to the Carnival for any other reason."
I growled. "Drag me to race… I should've seen that coming…"
She shook her head. "I'll go shopping then. I'll be back before race-time…"
I nodded, stepping off toward my bike to find an admirer examining my bike. "Oi, buddy, get off my bike," I urged, trying to shoo her away. "Rules say no one's allowed back here before the race."
"Rules, eh?" she laughed, turning to face me. "Since when are you one to follow rules?"
"Excuse me?"
"Here, take this," she demanded, shoving a crystal in my direction. "You're not allowed to lose this race, understand?"
I examined the odd crystal, then looked at the girl. "I thought I had two more weeks."
"Oh, you do," she grinned. "But you're going to win this race…"
"By cheating…"
"So you've lost your loyalty?" she questioned. Moments later, her hand shot out for my neck. The short girl growled, her odd tattoos beginning to glow. "Welcome to the future, Dark Ace. You can't escape this… Deny it all you want. Hell, throw the race away… but nothing will stop fate." She ripped her claws from my skin. "God, you've always been this way…"
Utterly confused, I watched the red-head pace, circling my bike. "I'll fix up your bike, but you'll use that crystal at your discretion, understand? Timing is essential."
"What is it with you Cyclonians and your persistent talk of destiny?" I asked, squatting down to watch her as she worked.
"Don't ask me, I was given a script," she muttered, gripping a wrench between her teeth. "Plus, you're a stubborn jackass and you always will be… Someone has to drill it through your skull, even if your girlfriend can't."
"Girlfriend? Have you been watching me? Are there others here?"
"…Something like that…" She began to rip the metal plating from my Skimmer, fixing anything she deemed unfit.
I examined her off clothing, noting one tattoo that didn't seem to belong. Out of the markings that crawled her skin so unnaturally, this one seemed the most out of place. It was the mark of a bounty hunter—a kind of person you didn't run into so casually.
This girl seemed so comfortable around me. The girl was out of place—this wasn't her time and she definitely didn't belong outside in broad daylight. A number of labels and excuses could've been used to explain why she seemed out of place, but none came close to reality.
Not too long after the girl finished fixing up my bike did she sit back and stare, watching my every movement, inspecting every detail.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Cyclonis sent me… Against my will, might I add…," she growled, looking away. "The damn girl thought if you were involved I might give a damn."
I sighed, taking a drink from a cup of water the regulation staff had brought me. Trying to be a nice person, alongside the curiosity that had risen, I tried to make small talk. "What's your name…?"
"…Fury," she stated. "At least… that's what I'll tell you," she laughed.
"Fury… Odd name…"
"Comes from this," she began, pointing to her necklace. "A Fury crystal… They were discovered not too many years from now…"
"In which direction?" I asked, laughing.
"The future…," she spoke seriously. "About eleven years… Someone discovered a crystal deposit in the wastelands and sent prisoners out there to mine." She shook her head. "You'll see, don't make me explain it."
"…I'm in over my head, aren't I?"
"You're asking me?" she laughed. "If you think you have it bad… Imagine being forced to absorb some of the Timepulse… That's how I got here."
"You were sent eleven years in the past because you touched the Timepulse crystal?"
She shook her head, stealing a fuel crystal from my Skimmer. "I'm here because I absorbed some of its power…" She demonstrated this fact by making the fuel crystal disappear into thin air.
Stunning, but apparently not impossible.
I looked at the wrench in her other hand, wondering if I hit my head hard enough, if I would wake up from this nightmare. Timetravel… and crystal absorption? I shook my head. "Get out of here," I demanded.
"Or what?"
"Or I will kill you with that wrench."
Fury laughed in disbelief. "You think you could get to me faster than I could get a hand around your neck?"
"I will do everything in my power to bash your skull in, no matter what your mutant… powers… could do to me." I stood up, taking a threatening step toward her.
She blinked. "Damn, Ace, you're not kidding…"
"Do I ever kid?"
She looked to the side. "No… Even if you don't have the power to back it up… you don't lie…" She stood up, walking toward me. "Well, comrade…," she sighed, watching me closely. "I have to say you look a lot different without that metal contraption… Different, but not better…"
I narrowed my gaze, examining her odd eye-color.
"I'd love to stay and continue this little chat, but you're a total asshole," she laughed, pulling her goggles over her eyes.
"…What's your real name?" I asked.
Not without hesitation, the girl responded. "Kai…" After a moment, her smile returned. She held up two fingers as her grin widened. "See you later, Sky Knight…" And like the fuel crystal, she faded into nothing more than crystal dust, carried off by the wind toward the race track.
I looked at the crystal in my hand and sighed. "Guess I gotta win the race…"
ooo
I watched as they raced from the starting line to the finish as I stumbled off my bike. Lora was the first to throw her arms around me. "You did it!" she cheered. "You won! Haha!"
"Yeah…," I said, laughing. "I won…"
Lora was soon pushed out of the way as others surrounded me.
News reporters began shouting, asking for a comment from the Velocity race.
"Well, uh… heh…" I brushed a hand through my hair.
"What Skimmer model are you riding?" one reporter asked.
With a smile, I responded. "Uhh… III Ultra… No armor…"
"What grade fuel crystals do you use?" another shouted over the crowd.
"Four? I… I don't know. Ask Lightning Strike, he buys them."
One man reached out putting his hat on my head.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" a woman asked slyly.
I had to remember, Lora was supposed to stay secret. "I, uh… heh…" I searched for her through the crowds, catching a glimpse past the reporters.
Lora watched as the crowd grew denser and denser as the moments passed. She shook her head, walking off.
"Lora…" I muttered.
"Lora?" she asked defensively.
"Excuse me," I spoke loudly, squeezing my way through the crowd. "Move it… Damnit, get out of my way!"
The crowd dispersed once I was no longer the center of attention (and I must admit, I was starting to love it). I quickly raced after Lora, gripping her shoulder. "Lora, where are you going?"
"You power-man bastard!" Lora shouted. "I can't believe you!"
"They surrounded me! What else was I supposed to do?"
"I don't know, leave? If you don't talk, they'll lose interest!"
"But—"
"But what?" she asked, holding back tears. "You're no better than those reporters…"
"Come on… You would've done the same thing in my position!"
"Duh! But I wouldn't have had to worry about you! If someone pushed you away from me, you would've ripped their head off!"
I laughed. "Me? I'm surprised you didn't!"
"The difference between me and you? I meant it literally… you didn't…"
I looked away, rubbing my neck.
"Ace, I may be a violent person, but I have a rational view of right and wrong. You, however… You've changed in the past few months. I don't know what's going on… but the Ace I met wasn't violent, power-mad, and didn't drool over other girls when I'm standing right there!"
"I was not drooling…"
"Tell that to her! She's still watching you!"
"She's a slut!" I retorted. "Any girl that doesn't realize I'm perfectly happy with you must be cheap…"
"You're a real asshole if you think that cheesy line will work on me."
"Well I'm kinda running out of options…"
Lora narrowed her gaze, that look of murder burning in her eyes. "Ace… if you value your life, you'll stay as far away from me as possible…"
"Lora—"
"I'm not joking this time, Ace. Just stay away from me or I will kill you."
I stood there, beside myself, as she walked away. The slut was brave enough to walk up to me with Lora now out of sight and try again.
"So, this means you're single, yes?"
"You better get your grimy hands off my ass or I won't hesitate to kill you in the most brutal way possible," I growled, my hand around her neck.
Wide eyes pleaded for me to let go, her painted nails clawing at my hand. Somehow, I found it in me to let go. The girl fell to her knees, quickly scrambling away.
I glanced back toward the Carnival, crying out quietly. "Lora…," I breathed.
ooo
All right, this leaves one chapter left before the finale, totaling 2-3 chapters left. Enjoy! Hopefully I'll finish today!
