AN- Alright, here you go. Tell me what you think!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tristan heard a humming behind him grow louder and he turned around to see Jim driving up in his Efrau. The young man stopped the car beside Tristan, and turned it off, parking it. "That's what you're going to beat me with?" he snorted.

Tristan sat astride his motorcycle, helmet already on. He tossed Jim an earpiece and tapped the side of his helmet. Once Jim had placed the device into his ear, Tristan spoke. "That earpiece is a comm device that is connected to the radio in this helmet. And yes, I plan to beat you with this motorcycle."

Jim snorted again. "Come on, it has wheels. Heck, it only has two of them! And I bet it runs on a liquid fuel, am I right?"

"Yeah, and your point is? It runs on pure hydrogen, and is faster than you think it is. It follows the basic design of the GSX 1300R Hayabusa 2006, a motorbike made on earth back at the beginning of the twenty-first century. And that bike was the fastest of its times!"

Another car arrived, this one a rental, and Gene hopped out with Ula. "Alright guys, what d'ya say we get this race started! Now, since I don't want to miss any action, you are gonna have a small camera mounted to your vehicle."

Tristan shook his head. "No way, Starwind. That camera goes on the side of my helmet. Give it here," he said as he held out his hands. Gene tossed one of the devices over, and Tristan smoothly caught the little camera. He attached it to a slot on his helmet, one that was originally intended for a flashlight, but it held the camera quite nicely.

A hand lay on his shoulder, startling him. He turned to see Ula looking at him, worry etched in her eyes. "Don't worry," he whispered.

"Alright!" Gene shouted as he pulled out his handgun. "The race begins when I fire, and ends when you pass where Suzuka waits outside the city. Gentlemen, start your engines."

Tristan twisted the key in the ignition, and the motorbike, which he had named Izanaga, roared to life. He revved the engine, adrenaline starting to course through his body. There was a high pitched hum as Jim started his own vehicle. The Efrau floated up from the ground, and Tristan barely heard Gene start shouting. "On my mark, get set…!" The dry crack of his pistol was heard and the Efrau rocketed forward as Tristan started fast as well.

Not fast enough to burn rubber, for he knew that would just waste time and gas. Instead he gradually accelerated until he was shifting from gear to gear in less than one second per gear. Hitting the clutch again, he bent down over the bike until he was almost tucked into it, making him more streamlined. He threw a careful glance at his speedometer, and grinned wickedly. 197mph and climbing.

The wind snapped at his clothing as he ripped down the highway, and he noticed with fierce glee that he was rapidly catching up to the Efrau. "Oh Ji-im!" he called in a singsong voice. "Look behind you."

Tristan was close enough that he could easily see the young man turn in his seat. A look of utter disbelief crossed Jim's face. "How the hell-!" he spluttered. Tristan pulled up next to him. They were entering the city.

Instantly Tristan opened up his awareness and made sure he was able to respond to anything instantly. At the speed he was going, there were no second chances. If he messed up, he was undoubtedly dead.

Two rental cars, lane to the left, he was coming up fast to them. Directly in front, a transport. From then on in, it was pure reflexes. Car! Truck! Hoverbike! He snapped left and right without a problem, scaring the living shit out of nearly everyone he passed.

Everything he saw he instantly analyzed and viewed his options. It was then that he saw Jim just ahead of him, as well as the traffic light just ahead of them turning from green to yellow. He cursed violently. Jim could stop the Efrau on a dime, though the restraining straps would leave large bruises on his shoulders and chest. Tristan couldn't stop on a dime, and if he did stop, then he would have to start the acceleration process all over again.

Speed: 208mph. The intersection was made of two highways crossing each other. At his speed, he'd blow through it in less than .09 seconds. But if he hit something, there would be no surviving it. He revved the engine as he popped a wheelie and went even faster.

Gene's POV:

He watched the screen that showed Tristan's camera footage with morbid amazement. Ula sat next to him, clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles were white, and her nails punctured her skin. She didn't notice, her eyes fixated on the screen.

When Gene saw the traffic light change from green to yellow and Tristan didn't slow down, he cursed. "He is not gonna try-!"

The camera view shifted wildly as Tristan accelerated so that he was on only one wheel. "God! Tristan, NO!" Gene shouted, not realizing that Tristan couldn't hear him. Gene could only watch with horror as Tristan sped towards his doom. Dread made his stomach plummet as the camera view looked to the right, revealing a huge truck barreling through the intersection. There was no way that Tristan could avoid it.

Tristan's POV:

FUCK! There has to be a way! Thinkthinkthinkthink! It was then that he saw it. It was risky, but it was potentially the only thing that would save him from the massive cargo truck. He dropped back down onto both wheels, and kept the same speed, fear knotting his stomach, making it do odd flips and jumps. NOW!

He squeezed the brake handle for the rear wheel hard, locking it immediately. The bike started skidding, and he turned the handlebars to the side, barely slipping under the cargo truck. He felt the heat and electrical energy of one of its grav-lifts as he passed by it. If he had been directly below it, the energy would've ignited the fuel in his bike. He just barely survived.

But he was now ahead of Jim, and he planned to keep it that way. He hit the gas again, and he shot forward, speeding ahead to claim his victory. Jim Hawking was never so humiliated in his life…