DRIVER MACH 1

by ÆGEON DAVIS

  My brain was swimming in the crazy stunt we planned, but I mustered up the courage took a deep breath. I had just one thing to do: Help Spectra win this race. Then, I could have my car back and get home. But could I go home? Seeing what hardships the women were going through—forced indentured servitude—I had to do something.

  “Listen, Trixie,” I said, calling their singular name and looking at them both. “Get me on that track and I will make that asshole pay.”

  The Trixies pulled their wet sobbing heads from Mechanica. The death of the their brother had destroyed them from the inside out. I just hope they had one more jump left in them.

  “How will you make him pay?” the Trixies asked.

  I thought about all the ways I could finish a nine-foot-tall armored reptilian creature, then my better side got the best of me. There was no way I would have a chance on killing the guy, but we could destroy him in a different fashion.

  “What that brooding asshole seems to care about most is winning. So, let’s hit him where it hurts,” I said, getting more excited as I laid out the plan.

  “Right in his chin genitalia?” Mechanica asked.

  “No, we’ll hurt his pride,” I said with a chuckle. “We need to win this race.”

  “My fellow alien species… of the outer galaxy… of Alpha Centauri,” From the sky, a voice boomed that sounded like a Brooklyn politician that I swore was Bernie Sanders himself. We all looked back to see where the echoing voice came from, and then it continued, “Welcome to the first… qualifying race… of the Intergalactic Gauntlet. Remember, only the top two percent… of the one percent get into this thing.”

  An echo of ravenous applaud and chatter roared down the valley wall, which was made of trash and nurdle bits. We could hear the engines next, pulsing to the highest level just like they were going to blow a head gasket. A steady slew of exhaust and haze came barreling toward us as the racers prepared themselves.

  I was as ready as I’d ever be, so I shot a look to Mechanica and she spread two large stabilizer feet that unhooked from her lower half and dug into the ground. She then stretched her tow cable harness from behind her and loosened the slack. With a quick swirl of the tow hook, she swung it out and caught a branch she was aiming for.

  “Action time,” she cheered in her sweet accent.

  Trixie One and Two gave each other one last hug before leaning over like they were dropping on all fours. As they transformed, I watched the various parts slide into place and lock into their respective origin with the two wheels on their shoulders sliding down to their lower feet and the other one to the hands.

  Each of them hopped onto the wheels as their hands now became the wheel axle, their backs shifted into the rider’s seat, and their heads enclosed in frail plastic with a headlight. The rearranging of their petite bodies into a two super sleek racing bikes was a sight to watch and more complex than I could ever understand.

  “Okay, now perform the Twin Connection,” I said.

  Trixie One unhooked her right hand holding the wheel and reached for Trixie Two’s left hand. As they gripped each other’s hands, the connection was immediate, and I watched their motorcycle body frames fold together to establish a four-wheeler-like dirt bike. Mechanica finished the whole thing off adding the apparatus she had made that would ensure a solid mount of the stake into the ground.

  I grabbed the carbon fiber from my shoulder and connected to the mechanism, then hopped on the Trixies’ back—a fused spinal column single seat. Mechanica threw me my Visor and I slipped it on. I readied myself for the craziest thing I’d done in my life.

  Now, as you all know,” the voice echoed again from the down the canyon. “The first phase… will take place here on the Great Nurdle Reef. Where they place here is what position they will start in the next phase. And that next phase is… the Volcano of Virtue… but that’s not all, folks…”

  The announcer paused, increasing the anticipation. His inflection was so Brooklyn it made me want a pastrami sandwich on rye. The crowd’s chanting caused the bits of sand to shake beneath our feet.

  Then… and only the top of the top percent make this feat… it’s through the Cerulean Chasms!”

  Applause erupted, and I looked to Mechanica and the Trixies, “Cerulean Chasms?” I asked.

  “The Cerulean Chasms are the lava tubes at the outer base of the Volcano of Virtue,” Mechanica explained. “They glow an electric blue in the dark because of flows of molten sulfur. Then they connect back to here to the Great Nurdle Reef.”

  “Outstanding,” I said.

  Now, without further ado… warm up your drivers and ready your bets.”

  A fuzzy noise built up in my ear within my helmet. What started as a harsh frequency cutting in and out tuned to a more soft and sultry tone. It was Spectra.

  “This is Driver: Pit 10, do you read me?” she said.

  “Copy, Driver: Pit 10. We read you loud and clear,” I said.

  “The race is about to start,” Spectra said.

  I gave a quizzical look to the girls, and then answered, “Uh, yeah. We know.”

  The Trixies giggled.

  “Sorry, I’m just nervous,” Spectra said.

  “Listen,” I said. “This is your time to shine. And now you have the modifications to rub those assholes the wrong way.”

  “Rub assholes, honey?” Mechanica asked.

  “Yeah, like ‘rubbing’ bumpers?,” I explained with a laugh.

  Ready your Drivers… Get set… Go!”

  The deafening sounds of roaring engines flooded the valley behind us. What sounded like backfiring motors turned out to be actual gun fire and rockets being shot at each competitor. Smoke came billowing down early. My startled eyes caught all the action.

  We were quick to pull ahead from everyone and then I could see the first approaching racer. It was Corvus in the form of a giant Monster Truck. A blue fury of light emitted from the hub caps of his wheels. My Visor confirmed this was the ‘McFly’ hover modifications he had. From cab, thick artillery cannons were dead set on racers behind him, expelling large blasts of energy fire.

  VWOOOOOOSH!

  Corvus flashed by us. It was a goddamn massacre.

  I grabbed the Trixies’ handlebar grip and pulled myself over planting in the seat. I had ridden four-wheelers before on my dad’s track in the summer after hours. While feeling the Trixies mold to my body, my legs fit into their frames between the engine and manifold. I kicked my foot up to feel for the clutch, but nothing was there.

  “No clutch?’ I asked.

  “We will do the shifting,” they confirmed.

  VWOOOOOOSH! VWOOOOOOSH!

  Another two racers flashed by. Spectra would be there any minute. Now was our time.

  I twisted back the accelerator grip, and the Trixies roared to life. We shot out the side jungle and hit the nurdle sand track. I felt my back end wobble as the tires adjusted to the shore, but after a few revolutions we were barreling straight for the jump.

  The course was pretty much a straightaway at this point save for a few grooves which we could feel as we caught air in between them. I looked down at the handlebar to a red cap covering a button switch. This was for the device Mechanica had prepared. I flipped it up.

  A few miles ahead, I could see the slope and just past that was the Scabian Valley. Behind us, four other racers came roaring by, then onto the ramp and into the jump. Their soaring height as they flew through the sky rivaled a ten-story building.

  I felt my heart in my throat and the adrenaline kick in. I gripped the handlebars with all my might and anchored my body, balancing it for the ensuing flip to come. The Trixies purred under me, adjusting their dynamic shocks to the terrain.

  The ramp was an instant away. It was now or never. In my last moments, in this drudgery, I hoped Mechanica’s tow hook aim would be on point.

  We hit it.

  THUMP!

  Catching lip of the slope, I twisted the accelerator handle to full blast. We careened
up the slope and I slammed my hand on the button switch just as the two stakes planted firm into the crumbling rock. I glanced back to see the slack from the carbon fiber bands snake away.

  The Trixies gave an extra bounce in the rebound from their shocks and we took flight. Two belt-like tracks extended from the apparatus in wondrous glory as we approached the top of our arcing jump. I leaned my weight back, tilting us up. We flew for a few more seconds.

  Four more racers came swishing by us as they hit the ramp. Our air became unstable from the turbulence they were creating. I tugged on the handlebars and shifted my weight to start the backflip. As we swung around, I pulled hard, increasing their centrifugal force to give them the momentum to cross the deadly gap and let go.

  I fell backward, but tried leaning forward to expose my neck brace that connected to my suit. A few hundred feet passed and then another. Mechanica should pluck me from the open air any moment.

  THUNK!

  My neck brace yanked tight. The inner suspension extended from my neck brace became taut faster than I could process it. I felt my insides go into my legs as I dangled from a long tow cable. I looked up to see the brilliant red crane of Mechanica holding me high in the air.

  I snapped my head back to the Trixies. They split from another and each one coasted into a high arc with ease like they were born to do it. They hit the ground hard, but their shocks absorbed most of the impact. Broke apart at a car’s width , they each planted a stake. Despite their successful landing and implanting the stakes holding the carbon fiber belts for Spectra to drive on, the makeshift bridge was slumping too much.

  “The bridge is sagging,” I yelled into my comms.

  I swung myself around and spotted Spectra gunning for the ramp. Shit. Spinning myself back, I abandoned my fears of our plan failing, watching Trixie One and Two shift back to their robot form and contort their bodies to have the wheels, that were on their shoulders, come down to their hands.

  They each grabbed a bunch of the belt-like track and wrapped it around their pivots. Firing up their motors, the wheels spun furiously and tightened up the loose slack.

  “The twins got it, honey,” Mechanica said, pulling my cable up and away. “Now let’s get you out of there.”

  “No,” I responded, and the movement stopped. I was still over the belted tracks. Placing my hand on my neck brace, I reached for the bracket that held me to the hook. “I’m riding with Spectra.”

  “Sugar, you are crazy,” Mechanica said.

  “It’s the only way to make sure Spectra wins,” I announced, watching Spectra hit the bridge we created for her.

  She drove true and swayed over the elevated obstacle. I released the bracket just before she was under me. As I fell, I raised my arms and narrowed my legs together as if I was doing a foot-first dive.

  THUD!

  I struck the cockpit and slipped in with less-than-perfect execution, but hey, I made it. Spectra swerved from the impact, but I grabbed the steering wheel and kept us on course. My helmet locked into place, securing my connection to Spectra.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she screamed.

  “Corvus will pay for he did,” I said. “I want to hurt him in his pride.”

  We made it across the bridge and caught the Trixies, who cheered us on from the side of the road. As we passed, they each did a backflip and shifted into their bike forms, then starting chasing after us. Dirt and bits of sand ejected behind each one them in the side-view mirrors.

  “Listen,” Spectra said, hitting her brakes and banking into a slight drift. “Don’t fuck this up for me.”

  “Um, can we save this for later?” I yelped, yanking the wheel to keep us on the track. “Like when we are not going mach speeds.”

  We centered back to a straightaway. Over the Scabian Valley revealed a nothing but paradise. A brilliant, topaz-blue horizon glimmered in the distance off to our right. Crystal-clear water washed up onto the sandy beach to our left as we neared closer to the volcano’s base. The track exposed sheer granite-like rock where the roadways were cut to make the course.

  Behind us, a uni-wheel gyro bike came up on our tale. I recognized it from the Pit next to us: Driver: Pit 9. The razor-sharp paddles ripped though the sand with ease. She took a quick glance back at us, and I could see the burning desire to win fuel inside her as she increased her speed. Her stats read out on my Visor screen.

  Coalesce Carerra1

  “That’s Pit 9!” Spectra grunted, increasing her speed. “We can’t let her pass.”

  “Careful,” I said. “She might try to pass on the inside.”

  “She’s not fast enough. I’ll ram her into rock wall before she can get by me.”

  “She’s gonna draft on you,” I said, but was too late.

  “What?”

  The sandy beach narrowed. Pit 9 swerved left and then right. Her vehicle gave a burst of speed, passing us on the inside like it was nothing.

  We gained on her, but something reflected glorious sun rays of light into the air. It was like were heading straight for an array of decahedron-shaped sparkling diamonds. A sheen of iridescent liquid bubbled around in its exterior and I could count five globular clusters.

  Driver: Pit 9 hit the shapes first. She smashed away one of the diamonds in a vibrant colorful liquid burst and the contents splashed down on the fleeing vehicle. What looked like thick strokes of rainbow paint absorbed into the roof and tail end.

  “She hit a Shuffle Crystal!” Spectra yelled in excitement.

  “What the hell is a Shuffle Crystal?” I hollered, but it was too late.

  We hit the large decahedron crystals and it splattered me with the rainbow substrate like a rainbow pissing on a pot of gold. I felt euphoric, while chimes rang out and my visor flashed like I was playing a coin slot machine. My Special Ability began to pulse on and off, and then disappeared.

  “What the hell?”

  “The Shuffle Crystal randomized our Special Abilities,” Spectra said, gunning her engine as fast she could. “It shuffles up your Special Abilities. You are stuck with that one for a portion of the course.”

  My heart jumped. I was thankful for results. “Well, it’s a good thing we only have one Special Ability right now.”

  My Fixer ability was now missing their active brackets. I palmed my forehead.

  Lorean Michaels2

  “Oh, and if you only have one Special Ability then there’s a chance it will toggle off,” she added.

  You gotta be kidding me. Losing my Ability at random led me to wonder what Driver: Pit 9’s fate was. She was slowing down, missing her advantageous Sand Paddles. I scanned her attributes again.

  Coalesce Carerra3

  Coalesce’s shuffled Special Ability caught me by surprise and made the hairs on my neck stand up. I tried to speak the words as fast as my brain read the ability attribute.

  “Spectra?” I stumbled over my words, eyeing the narrowing beach side “Anti-Aircraft Defense Systems is for flying vehicles, right?”

  “What? Why?”

  “Well, her Special Abilities just shuffled to that.”

  Two small hand cannons unfolded from her backside, affixed with a heat-seeking sensor laser. The crimson light cut through the air until it targeted us. A loud buzzing sound rang from Spectra’s dash.

  “Shit,” Spectra said, hitting her brakes.

  As the beachside tapered to a near nothing, large waves broke onto the course more and more. Driver: Pit 9 swerved out of the way just as a wave washed in. One missile burst from a cannon and shot past us, scraping the rock side. Another wave crested in and I thought for sure the ocean would take us at any moment.

  Spectra whipped her back end around and sped up just as a large wave crashed over us. We spun over the wave’s surface. Driver: Pit 9 was washed up to the dockside and then swept out to sea. Gaining my nuts and bolts, I saw Spectra had landed us on a small lip of the the mountain face that was carved out.

  “We made it!” I cheered.

 
“Don’t celebrate just yet,” she said and yanked us off the road cut and backward onto the sand.

  I could see the sandy beach open up. Another racer coasted ahead with vigor on their McFly hover addition. As we pulled away from the rocky cliff face, water was now both sides of us. I could now see the valley walls of trash stacks that built the archways. We passed the Pits and my heart swelled with excitement.

  Spectra punched it and I felt my bones collapse inside my body as we hit Mach 2. Foot by foot, we inched closer to the opponent known as Driver: Pit 8; Kopera Kison. While looking like some kind of chaotic cybertronian-like vehicle straight out of a Michael Bay movie, her pyramid shape jutted spikes from all of its sides. Her stats in my visor.

  Kopera Kison4

  Spectra slammed into the spiked vehicle and her carbon fiber front Wing held up, knocking Kopera off course. She wavered just before she flipped behind us. We shot ahead in feverish glory.

  “Now, that’s bumpin’ and grindin’,” I yelled out.

  “And there’s nothing wrong with it,” Spectra confirmed.

  An echoing applause began to roar as we saw the swiveling Hollywood-esque lights, the elegant Neo-classical plastic steps, red carpet leading up to furious fans. Finally, the leaderboard showed us in Eighth place; Pit 8. The sight was bewitching as we crossed the finish line.

  We did it.

  12

  A Present From The Past

  “You did it!” Trixie One said, jumping up and swinging her arms around my neck. She kissed me on the cheek, followed by Trixie Two, who gave me a small squeeze on my butt.

  I blushed from the attention and spied Spectra rummaging through the new accessories from across our new garage. Pit 8 was easy on the eyes, especially compared to Pit 10. From robotic accessories the team could enjoy to plush human furnishings I thoroughly enjoyed, I felt right at home. There was even a wind tunnel to test different aerodynamic scenarios. Mechanica was more than pleased when they showed her a new set of tools she could use to make upgrades.