Author's note: Wow, Deltoran's back. Calm down, D.M., I'll get the plot back on track by the end of this chapter.
Segment 4: Board Brains
Chapter 5: Indy Melon Method Fox Tango
(Leo)
This was it. Wave had already taught us, down to the very last detail, how to use Extreme Gear. Now we were in a race against Jet the Hawk, one of the best Extreme Gear users in existence. Even with his handicap, the pressure was tense, but I stayed cool.
As Wave counted down, Jet began to run toward the starting line, carrying his Type J. Kim and I decided it was best to follow suit, and we ran down the track as well.
An instant after Wave's countdown hit 0, Jet crossed the starting line. As he did so, he jumped up and popped his Type J under him. As we crossed the line, I pushed Kim forward and jumped on top of the Gemini Dash in hot pursuit.
At first, the match was any man's (fox's? hawk's?) game. Around a big turn, Kim and I managed to get lucky and zoom ahead of Jet, who looked more than a little annoyed. "Stupid annoying handicap," I heard Jet mutter.
Before we knew it, though, Jet hit the boost himself, zoomed up next to us, and knocked me off balance using what looked like a feather duster. Made with his own feathers, even. Strange.
Kim reached out from under the Gemini Dash to catch me and help me regain my position, but the incident left us in the dust, not to mention the loss of quite a bit of Gear fuel.
Up ahead was a large jump. Jet crouched down and jumped high into the air, performing a series of tricks. Wave called out the tricks as Jet performed them: Indy, Melon, Jessy, Hawk Dive. The last one was apparently a unique trick that Jet coined himself.
Determined not to get set back, I jumped the Gemini Dash just as high as Jet had, and Kim and I performed our own chain of tricks. Wave called these out, too: "Indy! Melon! Method! Fox Tango!"
Fox Tango? Where had she gotten that name? Well, no matter. I quickly positioned Kim under me for a perfect landing, and my HUD registered an SS rank and a nice air refuel. Not bad for an amateur.
Now it was payback time. Kim hit the boost, and Leo and I zoomed forward. Upon getting neck and neck with Jet, Kim reached out from under the Gemini Dash, grabbed the Type J, and flipped it sideways, causing Jet to stumble as we zoomed ahead.
The rest of the race wasn't much to tell about. It was basically more of the same, without much else of interest. What's important is that at the end of it all, Kim and I were in first place, beating Jet by a few yards.
Wave deactivated the V.R. machine, and Kim and I were back in the training room. Jet was right next to us. "I would have won by a mile if Wave hadn't applied that stupid handicap," he growled.
"I think that's why she applied it," Kim remarked with a smirk.
In response to this, Jet tried to give my sister one over the head with his Type J, but Wave stepped in. "Now just a moment, Jet. That's no way to treat guests."
"Guests?" Jet shot back. "These two came on board our ship without any invitation at all, remember? They could be thieves or something!"
"WE'RE 'thieves or something,'" Wave reminded the hawk. "Besides, I met these two before you did, and I trust them. They don't strike me as the type that'd steal anything from us that we didn't steal first."
Jet, a little exasperated, glanced back to Kim and me, and we nodded. "She's right," I said.
"It's almost lunchtime," Wave added. "Let's discuss matters over a bite to eat. Come on, Leo, Kim. We've got some high-quality food here on the Babylon Wing."
While we were eating lunch- which, by the way, was delicious- the four of us talked about a few things, including a few more aspects of Extreme Gear, what the Babylon Rouges had gone through in the past, and most importantly, Babylon Palace. We had to get that third Black Emerald.
"It worries me a little," Jet commented. "No matter how long Storm's gone, he's not one to miss lunch. It must have been something serious. Did you say something about a dark dimension controlled by the demons?"
"Yes," I reminded Jet. "The entrances to this dimension are odd crystal balls set up in dark areas. One of them is in Babylon Palace. I think Storm must have found it and gotten captured by the demons."
Wave nodded. "As crazy as that story might sound, I believe you. You aren't planning to go in there, are you?"
"Oh yes we are," Kim interjected. "We're going to rescue Storm, too; you can bet on it." Man, she's getting to be just like me.
Jet and Wave discussed this for a moment. After a couple minutes, they came to a decision. "Okay, Leo, Kim," Jet said, "we'll let you into Babylon Palace to rescue Storm and get this Black Emerald thing. But Wave's coming with you."
We decided that it wouldn't hurt to bring Wave with us. "All right, let's go right after lunch," I told our hosts.
It was then that Kim glanced at Wave's plate. "Gee, Wave, you've barely touched your food. You really eat like a bird, don't you?"
"Mind your own business!" Wave shot back. I resisted the urge to laugh at this exchange.
Gee, this chapter turned out short. What am I doing wrong? Why are my chapters turning out like this?
Well, whatever. To fill the space, here's a quick riddle. The first person to figure out what the answer is gets a… gets a… well, I'll figure that out later.
(ahem)
I am my last, my last is an S
I ride a rock, and I ride it the best
My bound is low, but my pride is high
And my P.O.B. is up in the sky
I have no checkpoints I'm required to find
Instead, I search for a trio that shine
My name is too much for my life to behold
So the letters that start it are how I am told
Who am I?