With eruptions of fire, the Zoomers blurred into a streak of color, blasting forward into the night. Ashelin's hands shook as she watched the balls of flame grow fainter, then disappear completely as they whirled around a corner. The roaring engines faded and Ashelin stood for a moment, looking after them. She's incredible… A loud thudding grew in her chest, and she whipped her head around towards the front door of the saloon. The bouncer turned and met her eyes, offering a single, "Wow."
"I need to get back in, now." Ashelin tried to sound confident, but she could not hide the tinge of fear in her voice. The bouncer nodded his head and Ashelin thanked him, pushing the door open.
In the time Ashelin had been outside, the rebels had grown more wild and unrestrained. Almost all of them had made their way to the dance floor, some moving in time with the thumping music while others danced erratically and unpredictably. Ashelin heard a loud "Wooooohooooo!" from the center, and caught a glint of blonde hair spinning around the dance pole. Ashelin continued to scan the saloon. A few rebels were chatting in a booth. One man was sprawled across a table top while his friends played cards around his body. The two Samoses were immersed in heated debate, surely about plants or Eco. Agh, I still don't see him… I knew he wouldn't be easy to find, but damn. I hope he didn't leave already. A few moments of snaking through the dancing crowd and searching from different vantage points, and Ashelin had found her target. Vin was a slight man, animated in his constant anxiety, deep fissures of wrinkles across his forehead. When outside of his lab, his head jerked around on a constant swivel, ever vigilant for danger, wringing his gloved hands. He wore small, round glasses, and his ears and tufts of white hair poked out from under his brown cap. He had found sanctuary in a booth far from the door, tucked in at a vantage point so as to see the front door and as much of the room as possible. Unfortunately for Vin, Ashelin came up from slightly behind him.
"Vin! I have a favor to ask," Ashelin slid into the booth beside him, trapping the man. In return, he threw up his hands in front of his face and let out a small shriek, attracting stares and snickers from the nearby rebels.
After realizing that he was not, in fact, being attacked, Vin lowered his hands and dropped his head, sighing as he put his hand over his chest. "Ohh! It's you. You scared the bejeebers outta me! I thought maybe this was it, that the Krimzon Guard had found us and I was about to be the first to die!"
"No, no, you're fine, we're all safe. But I have a favor to ask." Ashelin had, at first, found Vin annoying. Sure, the city could be dangerous, but his constant vigilance felt excessive, and Ashelin had thought him weak. She had expressed her doubts about his usefulness to Torn, but was flooded with shame when she heard the story of how Vin had been trapped in his lab near the drill site and how he barricaded himself in when the area had been overrun with Metal Heads. He'd been stuck there for nearly a week, subjected to the constant snarls and claws on metal just outside his office. No wonder he hates leaving his lab.
"Oh?" The man adjusted his glasses, "What can I do for you, Miss Ashelin?"
"I need to get access to the security camera system throughout Haven City."
"Hmm," he grabbed at his chin with his thumb and finger, "what sector do you need?"
"Every sector between here and the Stadium."
"Okay, and how soon do you need access?"
"Like…right now." Ashelin's eyes drifted away sheepishly.
"What!" Ashelin thanked her ability to hold a stony face; Vin's animated reaction of flailing arms and grabbing his forehead nearly made her chuckle. "Do you have any idea what it takes to hack into one sector's security system!? And you're asking me to hack into…" he counted on his fingers, imagining the city's layout, "five sectors?"
Ashelin sighed and looked away, "Well, if you don't think you can do it, I understand. I'll try to ask around, see if someone else ca–"
"Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not be hasty!" Got him. "I didn't say I couldn't do it. And besides," Vin shuffled around in his briefcase, a security blanket for his time out, "if I can't do it, then it's just impossible." He pulled a laptop computer out of his bag, flinging it open. His fingers blurred as he typed strings of code into the machine. Ashelin had no idea what the color-coded text and flashes of light meant, but after a few short moments, Vin turned the computer and did a flourish with his hands, presenting the fruits of his labor.
The screen was sectioned into small boxes, most of which showed an ordinary day of city life. But there, in one box, Ashelin saw the expansive fields of grain with two dots in the sky, growing quickly as they approached the camera. The forms flew past, and Ashelin saw a blur of wild teal hair as the woman laid flat against her green Zoomer. Neck and neck with Erol atop his own Zoomer, standard KG red. Ashelin clapped Vin on the back, which elicited a small yelp from the older man. "Thank you, Vin, I owe you big time."
Vin peered at the computer screen, "Soooo, what am I looking at here?"
"Well…" Ashelin scanned their immediate vicinity. Nobody is too close. Her voice dropped, as quiet as she could speak, "Don't say anything, I don't want to worry people. But Keira is racing Erol across the city, an–"
"WHAT! KEIRA IS RACING EROL?" Vin grabbed his head with both hands. "Why would she do that? He's a MANIAC! Keira could get hurt! Or–"
Ashelin threw her hand over his mouth, but the damage had been done. A few rebels turned and looked at the pair, whispering to each other. But it was Jak's voice that pulled Ashelin's attention. "What?"
The greens and yellows of the large grain fields were a blur. Keira and Erol whipped through the scenery, at times in tandem and, at others, in their own sort of dance. Her knuckles were white, gripping the throttle at maximum force, only letting up when absolutely necessary. She was focused and continuously scanned for obstacles and potential paths.
The two approached an expansive field housing the looming, snoozing yakows. They lazily yawned in protest to the roaring engines. Erol pulled his Zoomer next to hers before he lifted his mask, screaming against the noise of the wind. "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line!" He flipped his mask back down and eased his vehicle away, then veered back sharply, hitting Keira's. In the shock of the hit, she released a hand from her handlebars. Bastard! Wide-eyed, she looked ahead; she was heading straight for a yakow. She grasped the handlebars, attempting to adjust back to her original path. I won't make it in time. She pulled back the handlebars and flung her body backwards, gripping the Zoomer with her legs. She rolled the throttle hard and she was pulled up into the sky. The yakow raised its head, curious and blissfully unaware of what could've been.
Keira's eyes scanned the road ahead of her wildly. She saw the blur of red, leaned forward then down again, and sped on to catch up.
Jak's face was pulled deep into a frown, eyes electric with rage. His high shoulders and balled fists only accentuated his anger. Ashelin lowered her hand from Vin's mouth. She took a deep breath, preparing for the argument that was about to unfold. "Yes, they just left." She tried to keep her voice as even and calm as possible, hoping to not escalate the situation further. Provoking Jak too much could be dangerous, especially in such a crowded area.
"Why?! WHY did you let her go, Ashelin? You know he's dangerous, you know he'll do anything to win." He tried to keep his voice low; Jak wasn't one for attention. But the surrounding rebels began to buzz about the exchange. "He's going to try to crash her, she's gonna get hurt. And you let. her. GO?"
Ashelin's mind twinged with irritation. She crossed her arms, saying evenly, "He will try to crash her, but she can handle it."
"She shouldn't have to handle it! You should have STOPPED her!" Jak's voice raised now, a crack of purple shooting off one of his fists. No longer were the surrounding rebels hiding their sideways eyes, and instead allowed themselves to gawk unabashedly. The spark off of Jak's fist caused many to shriek, which only prompted more to turn around. Ashelin and Jak were quickly becoming a spectacle.
Ashelin stood from the booth. Vin stayed shriveled in the corner, eyes going between the pair and the laptop screen. Ashelin stretched to her full height. She kept her arms at her side; she remained ready, but unthreatening. Her voice stayed moderate and even, not meeting his shout. "I think that Keira is perfectly capable of beating Erol. She's extremely talented and has a good head on her shoulders. You two are best friends, surely you know how good she is."
"Don't talk like you know her better than I do, Ashelin. I know she's good, but this is Erol we're talking about! He's insane, who knows what he'll–"
A shrill noise from Vin pulled the pair's, and all the on-lookers', attention. Vin turned the laptop towards Ashelin; the flyers had made it into a section of the Bazaar, and Erol's Zoomer was up against hers. He pulled back to slam against hers again. From Ashelin's periphery, she saw Jak's hair begin to lighten to a bright white, and a crackle of electricity popped off of him. Oh shit. Ashelin's body told her to turn towards Jak, to stop his transformation any way she could. But her eyes remained glued to the screen. Keira rolled her Zoomer and she threaded between two pillars, gaining plenty of distance from her assailant. Erol's momentum continued and he was forced to come to a near stop, just shy of crashing into a pottery stall. The surrounding Bazaar vendors shook their fists at him, spewing curses and obscenities. Keira zipped onward, and Erol revved his Zoomer in pursuit.
Ashelin's hand went over her chest and she exhaled, flooded with relief. She turned back towards Jak. He was still mid-transformation, but his eyes were softer now, pride and surprise washing over him. She offered him a soft smile, and said gently, "You should have more faith in her." Torn separated from the crowd and placed a hand on Jak's shoulder. Meeting Torn's eyes, Jak's hair slowly regained its color and his nails shortened from the long, dark claws they'd become.
"Hey yo! What jus' happened!? Did Erol do somethin'!?" Jynx's voice shouted out from deep in the crowd. Wait…it's too quiet in here. Someone turned down the music. Realization hit Ashelin; most everyone in the saloon was turned towards them. I guess word got around. She sighed. She'd wanted to keep this under wraps; no need to worry people at a party. But now everyone knows.
Torn spoke to Vin, "Any way you could hook the video up to that bad boy?" He gestured with his thumb to the large screens hanging over the bar.
"Psshaw! Child's play!" Vin rolled his eyes, already pulling out a large bundle of cords.
"Hey maybe we sh–" Ashelin had started to protest at Torn, but the saloon erupted in action and sound. The dance floor was now deemed the viewing area, and rebels excitedly buzzed and chattered at the prospect of watching the race. Chairs were turned to face the screen, and a few rebels had taken it upon themselves to start refilling everyone's tankards.
Torn put his arm around Ashelin's shoulders and led them over to a prime spot to watch. Jak followed, along with Tess who carried a passed-out Daxter in her arms. Vin was bent down behind the bar, and after a few moments the screen flickered. The security camera footage popped up on the screen, and a chorus of enthusiastic "Ayy!"s broke out across the saloon.
Okay, the northern farms. Keira felt a drip of sweat whisk away from her forehead. We're about halfway there now. The looming trunks of tall fruit trees stood in front of her, arranged in erratic splatterings. Why they didn't plant them in rows, I will never know. She furrowed her brow. Erol's probably not going to try anything here. It's hard enough just to fly through this. All of Keira's attention was focused on not smashing into the maze of trunks.
As she blasted out of the small forest, she leaned down against her vehicle and entered the Main District. She lowered her Zoomer into the waterway that ran between the streets. I won't scare any civilians down here, and Erol can't try to hit me. As if summoned by his name, the Commander lowered his Zoomer about fifteen feet in front of her, tossing something over his shoulder. It moved too fast, and before she could dodge, Keira felt a thick splat against her shoulder. It stung, but she continued on. She glanced down and saw the gooey innards of a peach flinging off of her jacket. Are you kidding me?
She pulled up and went high out of the waterway, then leaned hard into a hairpin turn. Erol yanked into the turn with one hand; the other was raised high, a second peach ready. Keira shot down and felt the peach whizz through her hair, but ultimately it left her unscathed.
She aimed up and away from the civilians, most of whom had scattered from the projectile peach and the seemingly reckless flyers. She pulled around another tight turn and realized they were passing her apartment. A pang shot through her chest. Am I going to be living there after this? She shook away the thought. I can't think about that now. First I have to win. We're getting close.
Keira and Erol zoomed down a short straight away, side by side. Erol moved slightly ahead of her and raised his arm, last peach in hand. But she'd seen him this time. He lobbed it at her, and Keira dipped down and raised up her own hand. Taking her hand off the handlebars had been risky, but it had paid off. The peach thudded into her cupped hand. She flew under and around him. Erol looked back to where she had been, on his left. When he didn't see her, he turned to his right. There she was, her own arm raised. With all the force she could spare while steering, she slammed the peach into his orange hair, obliterating it into mushy bits.
The saloon erupted into a cacophony of cheers. The crowd of rebels raised their tankards, shouting praises of Keira's name and laughing wildly at the scene. Ashelin smiled. It warmed her heart that the Underground was supporting Keira so whole-heartedly. When Keira had first joined, rumors wove through the Underground, fears that she may double-cross them; she'd been Erol's mechanic for some time before Jak's arrival. But now look at them. They're cheering for her.
Tess nudged between Ashelin and Jak, making space to insert herself. Ashelin tensed in response, but kept her eyes glued forward. Tess bumped her shoulder lightly into Ashelin's. "She's a pretty awesome flier."
Ashelin responded, without looking at Tess, "She sure is."
"I just hope it's enough to beat him. Hell, enough to keep her safe…" Tess's voice was different now, more even and sincere, less flighty.
"Oh," Ashelin's voice tinged with irritation, "so now you're worried about her well-being?"
From Ashelin's periphery, she saw Tess swing her head over with a glare. "Of course I am! I like her!" One hand went to her hip. "I'm not silly all the time, Ashelin, just when I want to be. I have emotions, I'm multidimensional." Tess flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder.
Ashelin sighed, trying to rein in the frustration she felt. "Then why have you been acting like that all night?"
Tess's face changed, an innocent facade as she batted her eyelashes and cocked her head to the side. "Huh? Like what?"
Ashelin turned and glared at the blonde, shaking her head. "Don't do that, Tess. We both know you're way smarter than you let on. I know you were trying to get a rise out of her, out of both of us. Well congrats, you did. Your choices made her mad, made her go outside, and made her pick a fight with Erol."
The bartender's face dropped, her eyebrows now knitted up with worry. "I really wasn't trying to do all that. I just wanted to feel her out a bit, see if she could handle a little bit of jealousy." She offered a sad smile. "Gotta make sure she can take care of you." Her face shifted to an insincerely haughty look, scoffing slightly as she shrugged, "But now I don't know! She didn't tell me to go fuck myself, so I don't know that she has the fire to deal with your stubborn ass."
Ashelin rolled her eyes at the woman, then looked back to the screen. "You're unbelievable."
A few moments of silence passed between them. "You love her, don't you?"
Ashelin whipped her head back to Tess, who wore another wide smile. Ashelin could feel her face flush. Before she could answer, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Torn had maneuvered around Ashelin and was now between and behind her and Tess. "Heyy ladies, how're we enjoying the race? Tess, do ya mind givin' people a refill? Some of 'em sloshed with all the excitement."
Tess turned her smile to Torn. "Of course!" She responded with a giggle and laid Daxter, still sleeping, in Jak's arms. "Take care of my wittle shnookums!" She pushed her way through the crowd to a spot behind the bar.
Ashelin looked at Torn gratefully. She was glad for the distance from Tess, especially after how she'd been acting. And I'm not ready for that conversation. Torn gave her a smile. "I told ya I would, what did you say? 'Do what I can to limit your interaction.'" He winked at her. She rolled her eyes and huffed. When she got mad, she usually adopted that formal, commanding way of speaking she used in the Guard. She didn't like it, but it got things done.
We're so close. Keira knew this part of the city like the back of her hand. She knew that around this next corner, tucked away by the water, was a shortcut. It'd be a sharp turn, but it would shave off a few seconds. It's risky, but I need any advantage I can get. She spotted the entrance ahead and cut ahead of Erol, aiming down for the opening.
CRACK! As she crossed his path, Erol revved the throttle, T-boning her Zoomer. Keira yanked the handlebars to overcorrect, but it wasn't enough. As she entered the tunnel, another sharp clang rang out, jolting Keira's left side as the left steering fin clipped the entrance. A metallic flap flap flap echoed along the walls, and the Zoomer bounced slightly in time with the loose rudder. She slammed her leg forward, catching the fin and holding it in place with her foot. The vehicle wobbled, but Keira steadied as best as she could. Damn it! Thank the Precursors this is a straight-away.
She slammed the throttle and zipped through the tunnel and into the sunlight. She scanned ahead of her but did not see Erol's crimson vehicle. Good, I'm still ahead. Keeping her hands steady, she looked down at the damage. The green paint was scarred and the fin was bent slightly, but Keira's eyes grew wide at her stroke of luck. The fin was connected by a thick piece bolted together and a small stabilizing rod. Hitting the wall had loosened the large nut that connected the pieces together, and it teetered at the edge of the bolt. I can't believe it's still on there.
Keira looked forward, assessing her path. No other fliers were ahead of her and she was above the pedestrians. Okay, I should be safe. She leaned down, moving in a precarious balance of reaching for the damage while steering the Zoomer. Partly by feel, she touched the metal piece and spun it with her fingers down onto the bolt, still holding the fin in place with her foot. It left her reach, tightened down as much as she could do by hand. She released her foot, but the fin still flapped. The Zoomer wobbled slightly, and Keira's arms moved quickly with slight movements to stabilize it. Damn, this'll be too hard to turn. The straight-away continued on another few moments, but Keira could see the curve up ahead.
Keira's stomach dropped as a streak of red passed her. Over his shoulder, Erol waved tauntingly. A loud thumping formed in Keira's ears. A wash of ice fell over her body. For the first time, she was feeling the full weight of her bet, the implications of losing. He'd likely move her out of her garage, hole her up somewhere in the Fortress, working on his vehicles and his vehicles only. Her breathing shallowed and quickened. Her vision shrunk, the edges marred with darkness. Even if the Underground did manage to bust me out, I couldn't hide forever. Haven City was a cage, a maze that Erol knew all too well. He'd find her, and he'd exact a devastating revenge on any who helped her.
Then I just have to win.
Keira took a deep, steadying breath and studied the scene before her. Erol was approaching the turn now. Okay, it's less sharp than it looks. But it's still too much for the fin right now. What can help me turn… Her eyes traveled up slightly. The buildings on this corner had sat vacant now for months and had fallen into a state of disrepair. They sagged lazily, back and to the side away from the road. The tenants in the neighboring buildings had demanded them to be torn down or repaired many times, but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. So the buildings sat, leaning precariously but perfectly.
She pushed her foot up against the rudder, holding it as steady as she could as she rolled the throttle. Keira leaned back and to the left, pulling the handlebars back as she carefully aimed for the face of the buildings. She could see pedestrians pointing and shouting, but she focused on the task ahead. Keira was nearly perpendicular to the walls now, flying along the decrepit buildings. As she reached the turn, she leaned back hard, pulling the handlebars and holding the fin in place. The curve of the buildings was just enough for her to bank along them. She shot around and up, launching above the skyline.
She stretched her neck, looking off ahead and to her left. There it is. Beams from large spotlights, scattered around the stadium courtyard, drew dancing patterns in the night sky and on the dark clouds above. Its "roof" was a series of orange metal sheets stretched into a dome, the top perpetually open. Bright bulbs shone down from spindly metal stalks, spaced evenly around the outer wall of the stadium. Keira's Zoomer floated back down into the flying zone, her gravity-defying moment over. She was a mere few yards behind Erol.
Another straight-away, she did not need to worry about turning for the time being, but another sharp turn was up ahead. She released her foot, and the rudder flapped in a rapid rhythm. Keira's mind raced. How am I going to fix this? It's still too loose to give me a clean turn… Keira leaned down, hoping against hope that she could reach the nut this time. She brushed it with her fingers, but it remained tauntingly out of reach. DAMMIT. I knew I should've just welded the pieces together instead of the 5/8" nut and bol–. Her mind stopped, struck with realization as if it had been another of those blasted peaches. Keira's hand smacked at her pants pocket for confirmation. Feeling the long lump, she scrambled her hand inside and pulled out her savior. By the Precursors, what are the chances… Keira usually cursed her habit of stowing her tools in her pockets or bag, being so particular about putting them back in their place. But now, here, she was thankful for every time she'd ever done it. Because this time, after making those last minute adjustments to Jak's Zoomer (or rather, Daxter's Zoomer), she'd stowed her 5/8" socket wrench in her pants pocket, forgotten for the race, the party, the argument. But now, it would save her.
Keira pushed her foot forward again to hold the fin into its proper place. She kept an iron grip on the wrench's handle, afraid of losing her one ticket to a fixed rudder. She kept her eyes forward, and stuck out only her pointer finger, feeling for the nut and bolt. Finding it, she placed the opening of the socket wrench on top of it and regained a full grip, turning the wrench gingerly until it found purchase on the hexagonal nut. Feeling it lock into place sent her heart skipping and thudding, and Keira cranked the socket wrench until it was tight. She pulled as hard as her muscles would allow. She removed the wrench and took a deep breath. She lowered her foot. No flapping sound. The fin held on solid. Keira's face split into a large smile, throwing her head back, she screamed out a laugh.
She stowed the socket wrench back into her pocket. her body surged with adrenaline, thumping with her heartbeat. The two racers approached the left turn. Erol yanked his Zoomer into a wide arc, and as he looked over his shoulder towards Keira, she could imagine the sneer under his mask. She pulled the handlebars hard to the right with one hand and yanked the hand brake with the other, drifting into the curve. She lifted her hand and put her middle finger below her goggled-eye, sticking out her tongue at him in a laughing sneer of her own. She pushed the hand brake back down and corrected to a straight positioning. The stadium was ahead, just beyond a final wide road and the long courtyard. Gotta cross the finish line. How am I going to get in? The stadium entrance was a wide opening, no doors or bars to prevent one from flying through. Keira pictured the interior. Past the entrance was a series of sloping ramps that led to the expansive space housing the track and stands. But damn, those are close quarters. It'd be hard to fly even without Erol trying to sabotage me. She glanced towards her combatant. She followed his gaze, and he was staring intently at the entrance. I can't risk it. But what else can I do?
Keira scanned the courtyard, looking for anything that would help. A few civilians loitered around the area, and Krimzon guards looked up from their ticket pads towards the roaring Zoomers. Stalls had popped up selling food and booze, t-shirts and souvenirs during the races. But these sat now empty and unattended. Tall screens, each bearing the faces and sponsorships of the racing teams, had been erected as well. One in front of her bore only Erol's smug face, stretched to fit the shape of the long sign. His eyes were casted down somewhat, as if looking down on the civilians, and on Keira. Her blood boiled, then the chill of inspiration hit her. Her eyes followed up above the sign, and she saw the top of the stadium, the orange dome shape "cut" flat at the top. The roof! The roof is open! The sign sat between Keira and a vendor's stall. It was attached to its pole with two connectors, one at the top, and one at the bottom. If I can get the top one to disconnect, then it should fall and lean against the stall! But is it at the right… Keira's eyes traced her potential trajectory, imagining the angle of the sign if it did hold against the stall. By the Precursors… It'd be perfect. But how am I going to break that connector? I could hit it with something then come back around, but that would be a lot of wasted time, and Erol might finish by then.
As the two entered into the courtyard, the clouds above the stadium parted, and the moon, bright and full, flooded the area with light. Keira's mind snapped to Ashelin's moonlit smirk in the alleyway, so close to hers less than an hour ago. When she leaned in, I almost thought she was going to kiss me.. Would I have stopped her? Keira gasped. She leaned in to give– She pulled Ashelin's gun from her jacket pocket. Her eyes found Erol, still ahead of her and aiming towards the stadium entrance. I could…I could shoot him. The pause was, in reality, only a short instant. But it sat for what felt like an eternity in Keira's mind. No. She looked towards the sign. I'm gonna beat him the right way.
Ashelin had shown Keira her blaster once before, on a longer visit to the garage. It was a one-handed weapon, made of deep shiny gray and crimson metal. It housed enough energy ammo for six shots, with six small lights along the side to indicate its energy level. At the time, Ashelin had offered to teach her how to shoot, but Keira had recoiled from the thought. Now she wished she'd taken Ashelin up on her offer. But still, there was a job to be done. I don't have another choice. I just have to do it. She turned the gun and saw four of the six slots lit. Okay, four shots. Would've preferred six, but I can work with four. She lifted the blaster with one hand towards the sign, and she pulled a trigger for the first time.
The recoil jolted her hand up, and the shock of it made Keira pull the trigger again, flinging a bright red blast off into the night sky. The first shot hit the side of the stadium up and to the right of the sign. Erol's head jerked down, then over his shoulder to look at Keira. He looked forward and began to weave back and forth in a serpentine manner, in order to dodge bullets that were truly not aimed for him. Keira looked back to the sign. Damn, okay, two. She imagined that day in the garage. Ashelin had tried to get Keira to hold the blaster, but she refused. Ashelin, with a scoff, had replied, "Okay, well you're at least going to listen while I talk you through it. Just in case you ever need it." 'Square your shoulders. Straight arms. Both hands.' Something. Pull the trigger.' Keira couldn't bring herself to take her hand off the handlebar, but she squared her shoulders as best as she could with one hand on the gun. She straightened her arm and held it firm, aiming ahead of her and pulling the trigger again.
The red blast hit the wall to the left of the sign, but around the correct height of the connector. Erol swept into the entrance of the stadium, and Keira's heart dropped. Okay, last one… What did she say? What did she say? 'Square your shoulders. Straight arms. Both hands…. Take a deep breath! Pull the trigger!' Keira squared up, straightened her arm. Wait. 'Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it.' THAT'S what she said! The sign was just ahead of her now. Ahh, fuck it. Keira released her other hand from the handlebars and grabbed the gun tight, resquaring with strong straight arms. She inhaled deeply, expanding out her stomach and chest. She squeezed the trigger. With a shower of sparks, the top connector pinged into the air and the sign teetered before falling, crashing down on the roof of the vendor stall.
AHHH HOLY SHIT I did it! Keira slammed the blaster back into her pocket and gripped the handlebars. The shots had scattered any remaining loiterers, and the path in front of her was clear. Keira angled down and closed the remaining distance flying along the ground, laying as flat against her Zoomer as she could manage. She reached the impromptu ramp, and it lifted and flung her high up into the air. The wind above the buildings was biting and cold, but Keira hardly noticed it with her rush of adrenaline. She aimed her eyes down into the open top of the stadium. As she crested her arc, the checkered banner came into view. And thankfully, she did not see Erol. It'll be a steep descent, but I think I can do it. Keira didn't want to imagine the wreckage if she miscalculated this, and fought off the vision of the explosion that would ensue. Another deep breath and she aimed down into her fall.
A series of slopes preceded the finish line. Keira aimed for a downward slope and, as she crossed into the orange dome, she saw Erol burst through the ramp exit and into the open track area. He went down the slope of the track and, approaching it herself, Keira pulled back hard on the handlebars and into the curve down. Erol was only ahead of her for an instant; the momentum of her flight shot her forward and ahead of him, closing the short distance. Above her, the checkered banner zipped by in a blur of black and white.
Keira pulled the brake and turned the handlebars sharply to the left. She saw Erol, crossing the finish line now, and planted her boot on the ground. It skidded along until the Zoomer came to a stop. Her body vibrated and her heartbeat thumped in her chest, but she felt like the world was muffled and quiet. She raised her hand in the air, balled a fist, and pulled it down, releasing a guttural, victorious scream.