Chapter 3
Max felt the rumble of her motorcycle between her legs and her stomach tightened. Dan was next to her on his new motorcycle looking calm in a jean jacket and a baseball cap. She turned to her and smiled. "I'm sorry Max. You know I never meant to hurt you."
Max glared at him and focused her attention back on the road. There were a good number of cars and people on the road. That was good, she could see things that he couldn't and she knew things that he would never know. She turned back to him, a glared plastered on her face. "You know where the Boardwalk is right?"
"That little seafood place on State Road? Yeah I know where it is."
"First one there wins. We go as soon as that light turns red."
"You mean green don't you?" He asked but Max had already turned away and was revving her bike.
Dan sighed and looked back at the road. Max's eyes were trained on the lights, they were green but she knew that soon they would be red and the only two people moving would be her and Dan racing through the streets of Seattle on their motorcycles. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her body and she smiled to herself. It was going to be fun to kick this guy's ass. And it wasn't going to be that hard. She had ridden this stretch three times that morning going over advantages in her head. She knew all the back alleyway shortcuts and roads to take. She was ready but reflexively her hand tightened on the handlebars.
Suddenly the light turned yellow and Max revved her bike and poised her foot ready to shift. As soon as the light turned red she jolted forward and quickly picked up speed. There was no one around her but the bike and the other people. Dan was invisible to her and Max was in her element, wind streaming through her hair, blowing against her face. She loved this. She could hear Dan but he was behind her and as soon as she turned off into an alleyway the sound of his bike disappeared and she was alone dodging trash and boxes and the occasional sleeping drunk. It didn't take her long to get out of the alleyway and back onto the street and when she did she turned around, Dan was right behind her.
Despite the fact that she was a better racer his bike was better then hers and if she didn't come up with something fast he would be able to beat her and then. Well she wouldn't even think about that. She quickly dodged between cars and trucks stopped on the busy road and took an intersection at deadly speeds. She only had another three or four blocks to go and Dan was gaining fast. She pulled back on the gas and shifted into her top gear as fast as she could and focused ahead. There was a small row right down the middle of two lanes of traffic. Dan would have to go around but she was sure she could make it. Max went as fast as she could go, easily pushing two hundred miles per hour. She hit the thin lane between the stopped traffic and didn't let off the gas. She felt the wind blow by her and swore as a mirror clipped her shoulder almost sending her into another car. She quickly regained her balance and suddenly the traffic ended and she was back out into the open streets with the restaurant in front of her. Dan was farther back now after having to take a detour but he was once again gaining.
Max leaned against the front of her bike and put everything she had into it. Her muscles tightened and her breath came in short gasps and suddenly she hit the restaurant. She quickly hit the brakes, coming to a skidding halt in front of the door just in time to see Dan pass by. Max hoped he wouldn't keep on going and that she'd have to chase him. She would have done it but she wasn't in the mood. He slowed down and turned the bike around, coming back towards her. "I win," she quipped, looking at him with a thin smile on her face.
Dan looked back at her with a glare. "How did you do that?" he asked, stopping the engine.
"Simple," Max said. "I'm the better driver. It just works that way."
"I've got the better bike," Dan said, his knuckles tight on the handlebars.
"Correction big boy, I've got the better bike now and you've got nothing. Now that I've got the skill and the bike, you're screwed."
"Go to hell bitch," Dan spat.
Max just smiled at him before pulling back and punching him in the nose. Dan let out a cry and clutched his face, blood pouring between his clenched fingers. "Oops," Max said, "Did I do that?"
Dan glared at her through the blood. "How am I supposed to get home without a bike? I live miles away from here."
"I'm sure you can get some cute truck driver to give you a lift if you help him out. If not, I suggest you get walking cutie pie because pity don't work on me."
Dan glared at her as he stepped off the bike and started walking in the other direction, his hand still cupping his wounded nose. Max got off her bike and hopped on the other one delighting in the roar of the engine as she turned the key. Max smiled and for a single second there was no Manticore, there was no Dan and there was no world, there was only Max and her motorcycle.
Twelve hours later Max sat on the Space Needle in downtown Seattle. It was the one place that she could go to think when she wanted to be alone and it reminded her of the "high place" back at Manticore. I could have dumped the bike. Max thought to herself. Tossed it in a river or lake somewhere; burned it in a back alleyway. I could have sold it and made a fortune but instead I sold my other bike for a measly two grand and have been riding around on my new motorcycle all day. I could have dumped it and Dan could have become another part of my life that never existed. But I didn't want it that way. Some things I want to remember, some mistakes I want to know so I don't make them again. Dan was a mistake because I fell in love with him and that was stupid. I can't fall in love, not with what I am and who I'll never be. I hope I broke that basterd's nose into little pieces so that whenever he looks in a mirror he'll see me staring back at him and remember what he did. I know that every time I ride that motorcycle I'll see him and I'll never make that mistake again. I guess that bike really is an extension of my soul, if there is such a thing.
Max felt the rumble of her motorcycle between her legs and her stomach tightened. Dan was next to her on his new motorcycle looking calm in a jean jacket and a baseball cap. She turned to her and smiled. "I'm sorry Max. You know I never meant to hurt you."
Max glared at him and focused her attention back on the road. There were a good number of cars and people on the road. That was good, she could see things that he couldn't and she knew things that he would never know. She turned back to him, a glared plastered on her face. "You know where the Boardwalk is right?"
"That little seafood place on State Road? Yeah I know where it is."
"First one there wins. We go as soon as that light turns red."
"You mean green don't you?" He asked but Max had already turned away and was revving her bike.
Dan sighed and looked back at the road. Max's eyes were trained on the lights, they were green but she knew that soon they would be red and the only two people moving would be her and Dan racing through the streets of Seattle on their motorcycles. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her body and she smiled to herself. It was going to be fun to kick this guy's ass. And it wasn't going to be that hard. She had ridden this stretch three times that morning going over advantages in her head. She knew all the back alleyway shortcuts and roads to take. She was ready but reflexively her hand tightened on the handlebars.
Suddenly the light turned yellow and Max revved her bike and poised her foot ready to shift. As soon as the light turned red she jolted forward and quickly picked up speed. There was no one around her but the bike and the other people. Dan was invisible to her and Max was in her element, wind streaming through her hair, blowing against her face. She loved this. She could hear Dan but he was behind her and as soon as she turned off into an alleyway the sound of his bike disappeared and she was alone dodging trash and boxes and the occasional sleeping drunk. It didn't take her long to get out of the alleyway and back onto the street and when she did she turned around, Dan was right behind her.
Despite the fact that she was a better racer his bike was better then hers and if she didn't come up with something fast he would be able to beat her and then. Well she wouldn't even think about that. She quickly dodged between cars and trucks stopped on the busy road and took an intersection at deadly speeds. She only had another three or four blocks to go and Dan was gaining fast. She pulled back on the gas and shifted into her top gear as fast as she could and focused ahead. There was a small row right down the middle of two lanes of traffic. Dan would have to go around but she was sure she could make it. Max went as fast as she could go, easily pushing two hundred miles per hour. She hit the thin lane between the stopped traffic and didn't let off the gas. She felt the wind blow by her and swore as a mirror clipped her shoulder almost sending her into another car. She quickly regained her balance and suddenly the traffic ended and she was back out into the open streets with the restaurant in front of her. Dan was farther back now after having to take a detour but he was once again gaining.
Max leaned against the front of her bike and put everything she had into it. Her muscles tightened and her breath came in short gasps and suddenly she hit the restaurant. She quickly hit the brakes, coming to a skidding halt in front of the door just in time to see Dan pass by. Max hoped he wouldn't keep on going and that she'd have to chase him. She would have done it but she wasn't in the mood. He slowed down and turned the bike around, coming back towards her. "I win," she quipped, looking at him with a thin smile on her face.
Dan looked back at her with a glare. "How did you do that?" he asked, stopping the engine.
"Simple," Max said. "I'm the better driver. It just works that way."
"I've got the better bike," Dan said, his knuckles tight on the handlebars.
"Correction big boy, I've got the better bike now and you've got nothing. Now that I've got the skill and the bike, you're screwed."
"Go to hell bitch," Dan spat.
Max just smiled at him before pulling back and punching him in the nose. Dan let out a cry and clutched his face, blood pouring between his clenched fingers. "Oops," Max said, "Did I do that?"
Dan glared at her through the blood. "How am I supposed to get home without a bike? I live miles away from here."
"I'm sure you can get some cute truck driver to give you a lift if you help him out. If not, I suggest you get walking cutie pie because pity don't work on me."
Dan glared at her as he stepped off the bike and started walking in the other direction, his hand still cupping his wounded nose. Max got off her bike and hopped on the other one delighting in the roar of the engine as she turned the key. Max smiled and for a single second there was no Manticore, there was no Dan and there was no world, there was only Max and her motorcycle.
Twelve hours later Max sat on the Space Needle in downtown Seattle. It was the one place that she could go to think when she wanted to be alone and it reminded her of the "high place" back at Manticore. I could have dumped the bike. Max thought to herself. Tossed it in a river or lake somewhere; burned it in a back alleyway. I could have sold it and made a fortune but instead I sold my other bike for a measly two grand and have been riding around on my new motorcycle all day. I could have dumped it and Dan could have become another part of my life that never existed. But I didn't want it that way. Some things I want to remember, some mistakes I want to know so I don't make them again. Dan was a mistake because I fell in love with him and that was stupid. I can't fall in love, not with what I am and who I'll never be. I hope I broke that basterd's nose into little pieces so that whenever he looks in a mirror he'll see me staring back at him and remember what he did. I know that every time I ride that motorcycle I'll see him and I'll never make that mistake again. I guess that bike really is an extension of my soul, if there is such a thing.