CHAPTER 9
Death Dog

I could still hear the sound of air whistling by me at over 350 speeds while I was in my mech. Even though tonight's night practice had ended, it felt as if I still was sitting in the pilot's seat, the controls were still rumbling under my fingers. I walked along the track, hands in my sweatshirt pocket, breathing in deeply the night air.

It was Sunday. Tomorrow was Monday. Our next race was Thursday. Against Satomi.

The thought of it was scary. And yet it was somehow satisfying.

"Hey, Lotus," I heard Addy's voice say to me from the entrance to the track. I turned and she was standing there in a full-length coat. "We better start heading back if we want to keep curfew."

Oh yes. Curfew. The newest feature the IGPX officials thought would make us safer from the killer that was still at large. The curfew was midnight. And I could find so many reasons why this would not help one bit.

I started to walk toward her slowly, not wanting to leave the track. I loved being out here at night even more than I loved being out here in the morning. I had this ongoing daydream where I'd be out here and the sky would not be totally black, but dark bluish. And the lights would be on from the city and from the team's buildings but not on the track. And then somehow Cunningham would find me here and he would join me and…

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Lotus."

"Me?" I asked my coach, totally still lost in my daydream.

"Yes, you." We left the track and headed toward our team building, which was still a ways away. "It's probably an awkward subject to touch, but we need to hit it."

"Okay," I said, thinking that I was ready for anything she might say to me.

"I watched the interview Benjamin Bright had with Team Velshtein after their race a couple days ago."

"And?" I asked her, not fully in the conversation.

"Cunningham seemed unwilling to tell everyone what was going on between you two. But I thought you'd like to tell me."

I involuntarily froze in my step, suddenly realizing where this was going. Oh, god. This was awkward. "N-Nothing," I said, fumbling for words. "We're just friends."

"Just friends…" she repeated.

"Right," I confirmed with a firm nod of my head. After a while I sighed and said, "Okay, let's just say even if I wanted us to be any more than friends, we wouldn't be right now. This whole thing is very…vague. I don't even exactly know what's happening between us. Okay?" I knew it didn't make any sense, but Addy seemed to understand.

"And is it going to affect you in a race? Our race against Velshtein will probably be even bigger than the upcoming one against Satomi."

I shook my head resolutely. "In no way will this whole thing affect my performance in that race. Don't worry."

Addy smiled. We had already reached the lobby of our team's building. "Nice try," she said to me with a smile. Then she turned and took the available elevator. That left me alone and puzzled, staring after her and wondering what that meant.

---zoOM---

Tuesday. Clips of Satomi racing go right through my pupils out the back of my head. I was now immune to them.

Lectures and analysis and simulations. They were heard and thought and done with.

I knew I wasn't ready for the race. But I already tired of Satomi. I might as well buy one of their team jackets, put on face paint, and wave a flag with a big yellow S on it. That was how much of Satomi I got.

Tuesday afternoon.

"Lotus, are you listening?" Addy asked me, waving her hand in my face. I jerked fully awake to discover Jax, Beckem, Addy, and Brad all looking at me inquisitively. Was something important going on? Oops.

I looked up to see layouts of Satomi's three mech's on the screens in front of me. That's what we had been doing…

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," I said, trying to give Addy my best I'm-focused-and-ready-to-work face. Addy straightened up, tapping a finger on the waist of her jeans.

"Uh-huh. I'm not convinced," she said to me, looking…well, not convinced. "I think it's time to take a break."

"Really?" Jax asked hopefully, his eyes immediately brightening. Even Beckem seemed to wake up a little bit more at the thought of a break from this stuff.

"Well, I'm not going to get anywhere with you three napping," Addy complained, giving Brad a look that said kids these days, tsk tsk tsk. I was pretty sure I saw Brad give her an understanding one back. "So…out. All three of you. I suggest you all stick together and do something outside that is active. Just don't get killed or get run over by cars. We still do need you." Addy smiled as Jax did a mini victory dance in his seat and immediately got up.

Still a little in a daze, I slowly got up from my desk and went outside into the hallway. Jax was already in the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor of it. Beckem and I trudged in. I yawned. The door slid shut and we started to move down to ground level.

"So, what do you want to do?" Jax asked.

"Actually, I'd like sleeping right now," I said.

"We could go to the arcade," Beckem suggested hopefully.

"YEAH!" Jax agreed enthusiastically. "Lezgo!"

"Well, you guys go. I'm staying here," I said resolutely.

"Come on, Lotus. You know you want to play some DDR. You're really good at DDR," Beckem said.

"Eh," I said.

"YEAH! DDR!" Jax said. I was afraid he'd start jumping up and down, causing the whole elevator to plummet into doom. Thankfully at that moment, the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open.

And thankfully at that moment, my cell phone that was lodged in my jeans' pocket started to ring, playing its painfully bright tune and vibrating against my thigh. I jumped a little, not expecting the vibrating.

"Well, look, what do you know, I have to take this call," I said, giving Beckem a smile. "See you guys later."

"Come on, Beckem. Let's just go. Lotus can do whatever she wants. Come on, come on. Arcadeeee…"

Beckem gave me one last look before he disappeared from view of the sliding glass double doors of our team building. I resisted the urge to make a face at him. He needed to lighten up sometimes. For goodness sakes, if you are going to suggest going to an arcade, at least look the part.

I finally looked down at my cell phone and nearly jumped again at the caller ID.

Alexander Cunningham.

---zoOM---

An hour later, I emerged from my "room" much better looking than I was before (hopefully). In the hall, I made one last check of my purse, making sure all I needed was there. Then I slipped on some sunglasses and planned on going out…

Who would I meet at this opportune time other than Addy Kelly? The elevator door slid open and I walked forward into it just as Addy was running out. We collided and fell, her sliding back into the elevator and me sliding back a little down the hall. "Hi…Addy," I said tentatively. Addy was in one of her volatile moods at the moment, I could tell. One little thing and then BAM, she'd explode.

"There you are!" she said breathlessly. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Many people do these days," I said under my breath, glaring at the ground as I got up.

"There's been another death," Addy gushed out, apparently not hearing my comment. I forgot about it too as I froze at those words. Who could it be? Suddenly, I could feel my blood turning cold. I knew people now in the IGPX. They were my friends. What if something happened to them? Takeshi? Maybe it was Cunningham after he got off the phone with me? What if it was Fantine? How would Takeshi take it? Just thinking about all of it made me almost cry.

It couldn't be Beckem or Jax, I reasoned, trying to calm my panicking brain. If it had been one of them, Addy would have been more haywire. She wouldn't have been the bomb about to go off. She would have been the bomb that already went off.

We both rushed to the briefing room, where we could hear the noise of the TV on in the hallway. I was just as paranoid as she was now. Who? Who? WHO?

"Tragedy has struck once again in the IGPX community. Officials estimate that this morning at the Johannsen house…" –it's Bjorn! I thought— "…Sola was kidnapped from the backyard where she was taking her morning stretch. Bjorn reported her missing as soon as he woke and couldn't find her around the house. Only a few hours ago was her body found inside of a toolbox in the Edgeraid warehouse." I felt horrible when my heart relieved itself of the panicked state it had been in just a few minutes ago.

"Investigators believe she might have been poisoned in some way, as there are no obvious wounds on the body. They also say that if Team Edgeraid had managed to find Sola sooner, she might have been able to be saved, but they were just too late. Bob, back to you."

Mr. Karlen had a hold on the control this time. He breathed in and out deeply, his face paler than usual. Finally, in the spasm of silence that was just screaming to be broken, he murmured, "What is this sport coming to?"

Addy and I both contemplated on that for a moment. Then I tried to sneak out of the room. Addy caught me though, when I was a few steps from the elevator.

"Where do you think you are going?"

I turned around and gave her a falsely innocent smile. "I, um, I'm going to go to No—I mean, the pilots' common room to tell Beckem and Jax."

"I'll go with you," she said, stepping toward me.

"No, no," I said, backing up toward the elevator. "Don't worry about it. I'll be okay. You must have other more important things to worry about. I'll handle this, okay?"

To my relief, she nodded and turned to go the other way. "Be careful, Lotus," she said over her shoulder as she walked away. Elated with my lying skills, I ran into the elevator before she could change her mind and went down to ground floor.

A/N: It's almost been a month, so I thought it'd be cool to update again.

I got FOUR reviews last time, instead of three. That was uber exciting. Thank you so much.

Hope you liked it. This one isn't quite as filler-ish as the rest.

Until next time...