Ride

Aelita flew down the 90 degree drop, gaining speed with every wisp of wind shooting past her face. The track curved down between two hills and made a half circle turn around the third before straightening out for miles to the other end of the ruins. A second later an explosive sound echoed and reechoed eerily and ear splitingly loud into the ears of every creature with in thousands of acres.

Zane couldn't see Aelita. He thought she had lost control and crashed. Every thought of what could have gone wrong was whirling through his head like an angry storm. He urged his board forward, no longer caring about his own safety, and sped down the tracks as fast as he could go. He had to find her.

Suddenly, he heard a scream and laughter coming from the distant mist veiled other side of the ruins. It wasn't a hurt scream or a scared scream. It was happy. Replaying the sound in his head, his special senses discerned Aelita's voice, and strained for the words,"Mach one! Mach one!". What was that supposed to mean? At least she was safe.

Zane was still subcontiously urging his board forward when the track straightened out. Before he could stop the board rushed forward like there was no longer any resistance. The wind stung his face almost to involuntary forced tears. By the time he had managed to get a scream of terror from his mouth, he was dipping and diving with the ruins again. He had shot through at 343 meters a second..Then it hit him. The speed. Mach one. The boom. He had been going at the speed of sound!

Aelita heard the boom and a scream and felt the ruins shake under the shock and tension. "Can't have Zane catching up to me on his first run, can we!" She smiled and pushed her board down the track, urging it to it's limits.

Zane felt a dip and a rise in the track and before he knew it he was free flying through the air, leaving only his momentum to carry him to the other side of the tracks, catching them upside down. He turned over and sped down the tracks further when something caught his arm. Before he could grasp reality, there was a screech of metal and sparks every where from where his board was skimming the steel tracks. He halted abruptly, heart ready to beat up out of his chest. Seeing that he was going to fast to notice or head her warning to stop, Aelita had jumped on to his board, now traveling just under mach speed, and stopped it in it's tracks. There were advantages to being special sometimes.

Zane was still to stunned to say anything. Aelita, who was standing on his board with him, threw her arms around his neck, laughing her head off at his price less expression.