Disclaimer: I also happen to not own the song "Lights and Sounds" by Yellowcard. But rocking out to it is all mine. (You can do it too.)

CHAPTER 2
Skylark

"Wooo! You siked? I'm siked!" Jax yelled, bouncing as we walked down the long corridor to our mechs. I sighed, already tired for him as I watched him waste energy. We shouldn't have let him down that cup of coffee. I mean, it wasn't that early in the morning. And just because Jax isn't a morning person…

"You guys ready?" was what Brad Daniels greeted us with. His infectious smile made all of us give him one back. Brad was just that way, like jolly old Santa Clause…until you mess with his technology. Then he goes all Jackie Chan on you, without the humor.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Beckem said calmly as he allowed Brad to fit him inside the cockpit of his mech. That was a good and accurate way of putting what I was feeling right now into words. I nodded to no one in particular and watched as Jax went inside his mech too, still woohooing about the race. Finally, Brad turned to me and clapped his hands together.

"All right, super star, let's get you in the beauty."

---zoOM---

"Dun-nuh dun-nuh dun-nuh dun-nuh dun-nuh dun-nuh…"

"Jax, would you shut up already?" Beckem said hostilely to his teammate, who really was getting annoying. We were already pulling up into our start positions and he was still goofing off.

"Yeah, Jax, please cut it out," I said to him, my voice quieter because I was distracted by more important things. This was it. The moment, the chance, the dream, the fantastic. And now I got to be a part of it.

Hopefully, I wouldn't screw all this gloriousness up.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop, Lotus. See, Beckem, she said the magic word."

Beckem growled loudly. "Just shut your trap, Ajax!"

Quiet suddenly reigned over the communicator. I could only hope that either Jax had finally gained enough sense to shut up or that the other two had finally realized what I had realized. That this was it. All that practicing and joking…and now it was true.

"All right, take your mark, guys," I said as a warning, alerting them to the fact that the countdown clock was below ten. I watched as the numbers decreased in size second by second, feeling the tension in me building up to an almost unbearable amount…

"AND THEY'RE OFF!"

Immediately, I surged forward, putting all of my tension and exhilaration into shooting out onto the track. The speed jump plastered me back into the seat of the cockpit. And then I couldn't help but smile. I saw the Skylark girls circling in front of us, but that didn't faze me at all.

"WOO!" Jax screamed into the communicator. "Jesus, guys! Guess what? WE'RE IN THE IGPX!"

"Yeah!" I screamed with him, screwing manners and focus for just this second. The first lap was just to get a feel for everything. And I was pretty sure that in the state I was in, the feel for the track had come the minute I had waddled my mech onto it.

"'Hello, you. How was the rest? You made it through, but nevertheless. I got you, out on a wire. You be love and…'" Jax was singing, continuing the song he had been humming earlier.

Somebody other than the three of us suddenly cleared his or her throat over the communicator. "Guys, where are you?" Addy's voice said slowly into my ears. Immediately I felt a little guilty.

"Sorry, Addy. I'm focused, don't worry. I just had to get my jitters out somehow."

"Yeah, me too!" Jax hurriedly chimed in.

"All right, I'll allow you that. But that's it. If you screw up this race now, all three of you will be serious toast. Extra crispy."

Hello, you
How was the rest?
You made it through, but nevertheless
I got you, out on a wire
You be love and I'll be a liar

"We're coming into the second lap, y'all," I said, not meaning to have a southern drawl. Really, I could have cared less about talking. All I was focused on was Fantine, Fantine, Fantine. And taking her out. Not to dinner, but to a mechanical grave.

"All right, guys, you know the plan. One on one, all right?" Beckem said over the communicator. "You know your man…I mean, girl. So…" –I watched as Skylark's mechs all changed into the more limber battle position— "…let's go get 'em!"

Immediately, I had my mech push off from the track a couple strokes, making me close in on the mechs in front of me quickly. Both Skylark's Midfielder and Defender turned around to stop me, but I shouldered my way through before hearing the first crash of the race come from my left, where Beckem was probably violently engaging with the Skylark Defender.

Tell it all and fill up the air
But make it loud, 'cause nobody's there
And nobody's there
And nobody's there
Stop, turn, take a look around

Fantine probably knew instinctively that I was coming for her. She sped away from me and I chased her. We went into a loop. I felt the speed pushing me back, farther, farther, attempting to meld me into the pilot's chair. I pushed the speed faster, faster, loving the thrill and the pressure of physics.

There was another, louder and longer crash on my right. I didn't know what happened and didn't want to turn around to find out. I pushed on, keeping all eyes on Fantine and her speeding mech. We came out of the loop and went into another. Faster, faster.

At all the lights and sounds
Let 'em bring you in
Slow burn
Let it all fade out
And pull the curtain down
I wonder where you've been

Suddenly, I felt something grab me from behind and drag, or more like, fling me back. I gritted my teeth as my mech shook from the action. The Skylark Midfield mech drifted into my view. I watched from over the mech's shoulder as Fantine skated further away. The Midfielder skated backwards and flexed its claw-like hands. I wondered where Jax got to for only a second. Then I took advantage of the end of the loop to put on a burst of speed and zoom directly for the Midfielder, at the last moment whipping out an arm to punch…

Make it new but stay in the lines
Just let go but keep it inside

Never would I have expected to be too slow. The Midfielder's incredibly agile arm plucked my incoming blow out of the sky like an incoming ball. With the Midfielder's arm imprisoning mine I knew I was in trouble. Before I could react, she gave me a series of stunning blows. I groaned as I tried to withstand the attack without falling apart.

Finally, after the continuous stream of damage, I felt a lull in the strikes. Immediately I struck out with my other arm, only to have that one blocked too. But I was expecting that and I had a plan; immediately I bent and swept one of my mech's legs around the Midfielder's. Taken by surprise, she was tripped onto her back and skidded behind me, out of view. Not regaining my balance quick enough, it took a few seconds to get back on my feet.

But before even I could react, I was off again searching for Fantine.

Smile big for everyone
Even when you know what they've done
They gave you the end
But not when to start

My mech was badly shaken up, I could tell. I no longer risked the action of pushing my mech at full speed. Taking it only slightly down a notch, I narrowed my eyes at the track in front of me and at the small mech that was Fantine, determined to catch up and take her out…

Until the yellow caution strip flashed in front of me. The running skeletons were out. "Who's hurt?" I asked everyone in general over the communicator.

"Me," Jax said, although sounding as cheerful as ever. "You got pretty beat up too."

As required, I slowed my mech down. "Yeah, but you probably got it worse."

"He did, believe me," Brad's voice came over the communicator. I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, hey, but Skylark's Midfielder is in worse shape than me at least."

"That was because I had to scuffle with her," I pointed out to him with a grin on my face. It was immediately wiped away when Addy's angry voice thundered onto the communicator, instantly making everyone deathly silent.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she screamed at us. "Are the practices not helping you? Are you not even paying attention in practice? Where are your voices? Why aren't you TALKING?"

All three of us probably were scratching our heads now. I didn't get it. But I'd be the last one to say it. Finally, Beckem did. "Uh…what?"

"You guys aren't communicating during the race, for god sakes!" she bellowed, making me wince and try to shrink away from her voice. "You guys are SILENT. And when you are SILENT you make mistakes. And when you make mistakes, you get demoted back into the IG2s as laughingstocks. All right? Do you, all three of you, understand me now? Talk to each other, god damn it, unless you want me to come out there and personally kill each of you."

The caution strip was starting to flicker and fade. Addy's end of the communicator was also deathly quiet after her outburst. I took an awkward, shaky, and nervous breath. "Okay, then guys," I finally said after a while, because obviously no one else would say anything, "you heard the coach. Keep each of us updated, all right?"

Suddenly, the yellow caution turned into a blue GO! And I went, full speed, testing my mech to see if it could once again handle full speed with the little rest it got.

Not how to build
How to tear it apart
So tell it all and fill up the air

"I pushed the Defender pretty far back and with the damage it sustained, it probably won't be any more of a threat. I'm coming right up next to you, Lotus."

"All right, Beck, but don't lag. I'm gonna go fast."

I zoomed down the track, passing the finish to go into my third lap, the lap that really counted. Fantine seemed to be slowing down as well, probably sensing the fact that she was going to have to fight at some point and might as well make it now. I sped up even more when this registered, hoping to engage her even while her back was turned.

But make it loud, 'cause nobody's there
And nobody's there
Stop, turn, take a look around

I was almost in striking range when she whipped around to face me, erasing that plan for me. However, I still came at her, reassured even more when Beckem said, "Right beside you. Let's get her between us and play with her a little."

"Righto," I confirmed. As we plunged into the tunnel, I watched as Fantine revealed her claw-like hands. Then I charged and she charged.

At all the lights and sounds
Let 'em bring you in
Slow burn
Let it all fade out
And pull the curtain down
I wonder where you've been

She grabbed me the minute we were in range. My brain went uh-oh as she wasted no time in slamming me into the nearest tunnel wall. I could hear my mech screeching terribly as the metal scraped against the wall. I gritted my teeth again and struggled to get out of the hold, pushing, kicking, anything. The sound was almost getting too much to bear and I was almost ready to start screaming when I heard Beckem give a roar. In the next second, Fantine's mech went flying away from me, her grip literally torn from me.

Beckem immediately came over and helped me straighten up. I faced forward and watched the full effects of a Defender crashing into a Forward. Fantine's mech was just landing from being in the air for probably a few seconds. It rolled and crashed, sending up a collection of impressive sparks as it slid even farther on its side. Because a Defender's mech was so much more bulky and heavy compared to a Forward's mech, the collision effects could be seriously fatal.

I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way if you know how
I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way if you know how
I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way

Not for experienced Fantine, however. Just as I was skating hurriedly past her out of the tunnel with Beckem right beside me, I crashed onto my face in a jarring impact. I yelled in surprise and closed my eyes, feeling all my bones shift in my body. Immediately I tried to push myself up, realizing that my mech had come to a complete stop and that was bad in any event and in any race. I pulled on my right foot and realized that it had gotten stuck. I swiveled my mech's upper body around slightly to see that Fantine had grabbed onto it. She was also using it to pull herself up.

"Hey, Lotus, where'd you go?" Beckem asked, suddenly aware that I was not skating beside him anymore. He hadn't noticed my embarrassing face-planter and had went on.

"Just keep going, Beck, don't worry about me," I forced out through gritted teeth while trying to wrestle my own foot away from Fantine's killer grip.

I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way if you know how
I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way

"Are you sure? You don't sound okay." And there it was again, that protective, wavering voice. And in a race…I felt the anger course through me.

"Just shut up and cross the finish line already, Beckem!" I yelled at him through the communicator. Unconsciously, I brought my right foot down in a hard, angry stomp. It jarred me again to my very bones, but after a second, I suddenly realized that that was what I had needed to get rid of Fantine. Unfortunately, she was already pretty much on her feet when I got rid of her. Immediately I accelerated, swerving at first but then smoothly sailing down the track, hoping to create as much distance between her as I could.

I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way if you know how
I've got a way to work this out
I've got a way

Unfortunately, all that distance went to waste anyway. Probably only ten seconds later, she was crashing into me again from behind, this time with more force than before. I turned around to find behind her the Midfielders duking it out. I considered the possibility that her Midfielder could have thrown her ahead to give her a little boost before I had to hurriedly bring up an arm to block a strike.

Fantine was getting frustrated, I could tell. Her strikes were getting sloppier and slower. Finally, I was able to grab her mechs arms with my considerably slower ones. Then, I repaid the favor by ramming her mech into the railing of the track. She was the one frantic now, trying to get away. I saw her Midfielder out of the corner of my eye, frantic that her beloved Forward was getting hurt. She tried to pull way from Jax, but that only resulted in Jax pulling her back in and bashing her mech's head with his, his patent move. It was stupid, but it gave Benjamin Bright something to obsess over.

Stop, turn, take a look around
At all the lights and sounds

I saw Jax seize the moment to try and close the gap between him and me. "Jax, I'm sending the princess to you," I said over the communicator. "Catch her and send her into the Midfielder. It was what the Midfielder wanted, after all."

Jax laughed raucously, delighted that victory was in sight. "All right, I'm ready."

Using the last of my fighting energy, I pulled her away from the railing and then shoved her backwards. She wobbled, unsteady, before Jax grabbed her roughly from behind. I didn't stay to watch the result. Knowing that the last turn would be coming soon, I put my mech at full speed, skating powerfully a last few times before putting my mech into Speed Mode.

Let 'em bring you in
Slow burn
Let it all fade out
And pull the curtain down
I wonder where you've been

Up ahead, I saw the bulky shape of Beckem's mech, already in Speed Mode. Just because of the sheer lightness of my mech, I started closing in on him. It didn't matter though.

"Hi, Beck!" I called cheerfully through my mike. "Ready to make it official?"

"Oh yeah," he said as we swung around for home stretch.

You earned
Everything you found
And painted faces frown
I'll say I knew you when…

The sound of applause when Beckem crossed the finish line with me seconds after was deafening. It was so loud that I could even hear it through my mech's machinery. But all I could think of was the race that I had just finished, experienced, lived through. And now I, we, had done it.

"Good job, guys," Addy said wearily, cutting through my excitement. It sounded like she'd been working just as hard as we had. "You managed to make it through."

A/N: Oh I just love all you reviewers. You just seriously make my day. I didn't know this story would be that big of a hit but I'm excited that it did okay! Special thanks to my anonymous reviewers (you know who you are -wink, wink-).

So, if you choose to review, I'd like you to comment on how well I did this whole battle thing. I'm a "rookie" at writing an IGPX battle scene, as you probably can see. Was it not exciting enough? Well, it's your job to tell me!

Until next time...