Nikko climbed up and mounted the rider’s seat.
“Oh, no,” Kiyanna said, stepping up and sliding her into the passenger position. “You’re back here. I’m the only one who gets to work this baby.”
Nikko protested, “Oh come on.”
“You don’t even know how to ride—not yet. And besides, this girl only responds to my touch.” A gleam of interest twinkled in Nikko’s eyes. “But … if you wanted me to teach you sometime, I’m game.”
“If that’s the only way …” Nikko’s playful smile beamed.
“Just sit back and let me take you for a nice ride. You’re gonna love it.”
* * * * * *
“Good luck!” Nikko’s voice echoed inside Kiyanna’s helmet.
The hoverbike’s engine purred as she waited in the starting pen. Her entire body tingled. The HoverDome! It seemed almost too good to be true. Since she saw the first telecasted race, she’d dreamed of competing here. Would Nikko get the same thrill out of this as she did?
The race—not Nikko—the race! Frustration swelled within her. Now wasn’t the time to try to deal with—whatever she was feeling about Nikko. Focus. The plan—yes. She just had to follow her strategy and she’d come out on top. She called up the bird’s-eye projection of the course. A red highlight plotted a path through the rocky terrain, with markers denoting a few tricky twists and jumps. Two times around and the race would be won.
Thoughts of the tight turns and flight-inducing ramps from yesterday’s ride with Nikko invaded her mind. She looked back at the seat behind her. The spot felt empty now. Longing burned within her. Their ride wasn’t just nice, it was memorable—special. Despite her best intentions, something changed inside her. The fierce independence she kept due to her profession cracked. She once believed, as a soldier, no one would understand her—what she’d been through—why she loved doing what she did. It wasn’t like she could talk about her missions, the ones she didn’t already want to forget. That created walls around her that kept everyone an arm’s-length away.
But then came the dancer. The more time they spent together, the more entranced she became. But to what end? Sure, the ex-husband, Cogeni, was history, but how many times did Nikko bring up Narrik? Even during their ride! She seemed really into him. How could she win Nikko over when the dancer wasn’t like her?
Regardless, she wanted more.
Her body remembered Nikko’s arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly as the hoverbike leaped off ledges, took the tight turns, and streaked across the arid landscape. Her heart fluttered. Maybe there was still a chance? Even if it was just wishful thinking, for the moment, she’d allow herself that thought.
A piercing tone ripped through the air and a red light illuminated over the starting gate. The buzz of hoverbikes filled the air. Right now she had a job to do—one that would be all pleasure. Whatever Narrik was off doing, she’d make sure whomever Eyani needed watching this race couldn’t take their eyes off it. Everyone would see her dominate. She almost felt bad for her competition. They had no idea who they were dealing with.
Her leather racing gloves crunched. Hands clenched around the handlebar, the sound of rushing blood pounded in her ears. She stared at the lights, itching for them to change. The elements of the track ran through her mind one last time. She needed to take the long way up the first ramp to reach the first set of power-ups. Adrenaline surged through her veins, her racing mania rekindled. Right here, right now, she felt alive!
Come on. Come on!
Every second felt like an eternity. She lusted for the kick of the bike, the rush of the wind against her suit, the tingle of tight turns, and the ultimate crushing of her opponents.
The red light began to flash. A rabid, manic energy pulsed through her body. Hands moving on instinct, her bike revved. The throbbing waves of the antigravity drive stroked her aroused senses.
Solid red.
Here we go. The other bikes were revving now.
Yellow.
The crowd exploded with cheers and howls.
Second yellow.
Steady … steady! Her thumb twitched over the boost button, prepping for her signature move.
GREEN!
Her legs tucked into her bike as she hit the turbo boost. Her suit groaned, hover transistors straining, as powerful boost thrusters engaged. Superheated air wrapped around her like a blanket as fire reflected off the pen walls. The hoverbike exploded from the starting gate, screaming like a fury, emerging from a ball of smoke and flame.
She imagined what her opponents saw—a hellish demon blasting from the depths of their own personal hell. She grinned from ear to ear. There was nothing like dazing the boys. Plus, it put them exactly where they belonged—in her dust. The crowd roar drowned out the engine noise. The beautiful discord soaked into her soul. This was living!
Tearing ahead, she hugged the first bend, locking out her nearest competitor. This bike rode tight! Whatever the techno geek did, everything was working. With a good lead and plenty of speed, it was time to toy with her prey. The first lap was all about the power-ups, which were found on the longer route around the track.
Which one will send the boys reeling?
All she needed to do was drive through a holographic power-up box to activate a random weapon on her bike. Gone were the good old days of specific weapons placed in strategic places along the track. This random thing made everything less predictable, but more entertaining.
The bike listed as the port stabilizer went soft. Her teeth mashed together, taking her focus off the track to check the engine panel.
If that geek messed this up …
Before she could move to correct her steer, a dashboard light flashed from red to green. A renewed burst from the gravity drive restored the balance.
A glitch? That’s so Toriko!
Her D’mok abilities sensed an opponent approaching from behind. She snarled. One hitch ate her lead!
Hugging the inside curve, she boosted toward the first power-up. She had to get there first. A set of holographic morphing polygons hovered in the path ahead.
Her nearest opponent, a sleek blood-red and black-striped bike, closed in fast. The thought of being side by side with a powered-up competitor didn’t sit well. It wasn’t enough just to reach the power-ups first. She needed to keep the other guy from getting one, and she knew just how to do it. Her timing had to be exact.
She dropped her speed and focused her D’mok-enhanced senses. With a pleased nod, she felt the precise distance to her competitor.
That’s it, big man, come and get me.
Steady … steady …
With a sinister grin, she torqued her stabilizers and held on tight. The back of her cycle fishtailed and smacked hard into the other bike. A jeer escaped her as she hit the forward boosters. In her bumper viewer, her opponent spun out of control. A perfectly timed hit of her tail against his front. Score!
Her win was short-lived. With boosters blazing, a slick black bike with gray blotches screamed directly for her. Guess she had to be greedy. Gripping the controls, her bike slid edgelong, catching three of the holographic polygons. Each shattered as she passed through. It didn’t matter that only one would register. Three were now gone.
Pulling back on the controls, the bike rolled and pointed back down the track. She imagined the incensed rider snarling as she boosted ahead. That was one power-up he wasn’t going to get. And to think, he took the long way to reach this section of track! Too bad.
A dance of holographic light washed across the front of her bike, over her, and congealed on the rear wings. A monstrosity of a gun appeared from the light. Had it been real, and not a hologram, the weight would have flipped her backward in an instant. The weapons display updated with the weapon, which read “Proto-Cannon.” Even from the display it looked like a freak show: two large barrels surrounded by smaller tubes, and shards of crystal piercing out the sides. Glowing lines of energy ran across its length.
What in th
e hells is that?
The weapons display flashed a set of indicators. “Open Ranged, untargeted, distant weapon, with a blast radius upon impact.” She scoffed at the final warning icon. “Backlash possible.” Backlash? An interesting complication—a minor one.
Throwing the throttle back, the bike lurched then dove down to the track below. Four other bikes were just ahead. “Untargeted? Fine.” Her mouth slipped into a menacing smile. Her thumb flipped open the weapons trigger. Charging, the Proto-Cannon emitted a rainbow light that rained down on her. Fevered screams erupted from the stands. She glanced down at the display.
Charged and ready! Show me what you can do, baby!
Above her, a ball of light gathered at the tip of the Proto-Cannon. The barrel pulsed backward as a shell of white light blasted toward her competitors. Still in flight, it turned blood-red and flung a vertical blade of energy back her way.
Backlash!
Ready for it, she sent the bike into a roll, dodging out of the way. In her rearview display the bike behind her got smacked hard, its nose clipping the ground from the power loss, tumbling into a roll.
Better you than me!
Fans across the stands whipped into a frenzy as the red shell landed between the bikes ahead. An explosion mushroomed out, flinging two of the bikes into the safely meshes outside the track. A third fishtailed madly before recovering. A grunt escaped her, having failed to take out both the leader and one other. For being holograms with bikes programed for a realistic responses, the effects sure looked like the real thing.
Have to close the gap!
Her fists clenched on the throttle grips. Rounding a bend, she saw ribbed hills ahead. Relieved, she saw the leader lazily riding up and down each one.
Amateur!
As she crested the first hill she punched the turbo boost, vaulting off the top and sailing over the second and third hill. Flying like a bird of prey, she swooped down, then back up, vaulting over the next three. In moments she’d be on the leader.
Something far below her craft caught her eye. Shifting polygons?
No!
She sailed right over the power-ups at the bottom of the last ribbing. A warning light on the dash flashed.
Hells!
She torqued the controls and rocked left as a blast of ice shards flew past. One of them must have spawned an ice cannon power-up! Though, it should only have had one shot.
Her teeth ached from grinding. Sloppy! She had to focus. There were possibly four others with weapons, plus the leader now.
Another alarm. A peek at the display showed an energy ball closing fast. She swerved out of the way, but noted it arced high above her and continued harmlessly ahead. It couldn’t have been intended for her.
A seeker!
Rounding the bend she saw the final moments of it cratering into the ground, feet ahead of the leader. As the bike passed over, it exploded, launching the bike off the track and into the safety mesh.
Nasty toys in this run.
A sudden realization came to her. Could another blast like that be coming? If so, how would she avoid taking that hit?
She’d deal with it when the time came. Now she had one last opponent to catch up to.
The throbbing purr of the gravity drive filled her ears as she hit a straight run. This was where her baby should dominate. Every moment brought her closer to the lead.
Another alert—oncoming projectile. She didn’t have time to check her display before a shadow appeared directly above her. Whatever it was, it moved fast. Recalling the last devastating attack, she dodged right. Red light cast on the track before her, followed by a rain of fire. She swore she felt heat on her legs. Weren’t these all holograms?
Just ahead, the leader’s tail turned black and a threat of smoke trailed. He’s hit! The bike also appeared to be losing speed.
She boosted, trying to overtake the lead as they sped toward a fork in the track. A schematic of the track flashed through her mind. The right-hand path would give her better gains going into the final lap, but she had to get around the leader first. But she was on the left. Making the right would be a challenge. The leader slowed, blocking the way right and driving her farther left. A set of electric prods appeared on the side of the leader’s bike.
“No, no, no!” she yelled as his bike tried to ram hers. She had no choice now; bank hard to the left, she avoided the spikes but went directly down the wrong path.
“Hells!”
At least she ran over another of the polygon power-ups. Another turret. She hit the weapons trigger and set it to deploy around the first corner of the next lap.
Another bike whizzed past, a massive booster pack strapped to it. She was getting left in the dust! This wasn’t right! How could this be happening?
She passed under the starting gate. A display illuminated on her windshield.
“Fourth?” she cried. Taking the left route really hurt her position.
Rounding the bed, her turret blasted out holographic balls of metal like a machine gun at passing bikes. To her chagrin, the one that had just boosted past her now crawled, loaded down with tumored clusters of metal balls on its frame.
The two bikes ahead appeared to be taking the short route at the first fork. In the past, she would have done that on the second lap as well. But each power-up dramatically changed the game; she couldn’t afford to not take one while opponents behind her picked them up.
She banked right and headed up the route toward the power-ups. A monstrous green bike that looked more like a demonic face roared up on her left, then boosted ahead. She snarled. It looked tuned for speed. Flipping on her boost only held the current gap.
Not good!
Seconds after passing over the power-up, a large booster appeared atop his bike. If he activated that thing, she’d be left in his contrail. She passed over the polygon container as a fiery maw emanated from the booster pack.
Tether? she wondered as her power-up displayed.
“Tether!” she yelled, punching the launch button. A magnetic grapple slung forward and connected on a low-hanging nub of the green bike as the stream of booster fire blasted out.
The roiling cheer rose from the crowd as her bike lurched like a fish snagged on a fishing line. She gripped the controls, struggling to hang on. The steering felt unresponsive as her bike careened ahead with her competitor’s stolen speed.
A static charge filled the air, sending the crowd into a greater fervor. The lights above the track dimmed, and a crazy lightshow flashed. She ignored the distraction, desperate to nudge her ship from ramming into the obstacles on the course while tethered. A countdown on her windshield showed how much longer it would hold.
Another set of polygon power-ups appeared before them. The green bike passed over two of them. Her best bet was to go for one on the right side. But she couldn’t get her bike to comply. A snarl escaped her as she sped past the polygons. No power-up.
A beam shot into the air from the green bike ahead. Exploding, it rained down into millions of tiny rays of light across the entire track. A message appeared on her battle display: “Immune.”
Like a water skier, as the green bike rounded the corner she felt her bike slingshot wide. She just had to hold on for a few more seconds. Two bikes, formerly ahead of them, spun out while struggling to regain control. Little indicators on her mini-map showed a dizzying icon next to the competitor blips. Did the lightshow do that? “Immune” must be because she tethered to the bike that caused the effect. As she passed them, her position count dropped from four to two.
Sweet!
The tether broke. Another ribbed run approached. Careful this time, she drove up and down each hill, steadily gaining until she was nearly neck and neck with the leader. She wanted to move in close and taunt the poor guy. Men were so easily distracted, especially when their ego was at risk. Psychological warfare was always fair play.
Pulling in precariously close, she looked over to yell. Instead she was met by a hard boot to the side
of her bike and an unexpected feline retort.
“Outta my personal space, whore!” she hissed.
A woman! Another woman, in a grotesque pink and white racing outfit! The two passed over the power-ups. Assuming the other gal didn’t get side spikes, the worst of the weapons appeared to target the leader, which would be too detrimental for either to use while so close together. This was good.
The weapons display updated. “Energy leach!” Kiyanna yelled, pleased. Now all she had to do was stay close, and hit her with her leach weapon toward the end. That would siphon out power from pinkie’s engine and allow Kiyanna to pass for the win. Assuming the others didn’t catch back up.
A turret snapped into place at the far end of the obstacle course. That’s what pinkie got? If she could stay close the turret wouldn’t fire, because turrets never attacked the racer who activated it.
The roar of two engines screamed from behind. Things were getting tight. A red cast filled her cockpit, accompanied by a radiating heat. The racer behind her must have activated a fire weapon. An alert just flashed across her windshield: “Flamethrower.”
“No kidding?” she said, frustrated. Despite dodging, the hit caused her engine to overheat and lose speed, allowing pinkie to pull ahead. A bulky silver and black bike attempted to boost around her from behind, but drew the brunt of the flamethrower’s heat. It hitched, then swerved, before its engine exploded out the bottom. The crowd went wild as the bike flew wildly off the track and into the safety net. Moments later, the flamethrower extinguished. At least she was clear of that one. Now she needed to close in on pinkie.
Winding through the obstacle course, the leader swerved, attempting to force her to face toward the slime turret. The oozing barrel pointed directly for her, ready to fire. One hit, and the race would be lost.
“Not today, kitty!”
D'mok Revival 4: New Eden Page 27
