Kai's foot slammed the pedal into reverse, wheels screeching as his car twisted out from the rock it had been wedged against. With dust still whipping around him, he shifted gears, engine roaring as he bolted back onto the track.
[Broadcast Feed - Live from Mile 705,307]
The announcer practically screamed with excitement. "KAI'S BACK IN IT! You thought he was done-NOPE! That panther's got claws, and he's tearing his way right back into this race!"
Inside his cockpit, Kai muttered through clenched teeth. "That bastard... how the hell did he do that?" He narrowed his eyes, watching the Fortress-Class vehicle slowly gaining ground again in the distance. "Did he boost his body? Upgrade himself to make that damn tank fast? What kind of monster does that to keep up in a Fortress-Class...?"
Meanwhile...
Sky cut through the storm, her pink mask glowing faintly in the dust-choked night. Her vehicle surged ahead with feline precision.
But just beside her...
A voice slid through the haze like a blade.
"I wouldn't try attacking me if I were you."
She turned slightly, and there he was-3-7, eyes dead and gray, sword partially drawn like a warning rather than a threat. His youthful face contrasted sharply with the quiet menace in his posture.
"I've seen you kill racers. I don't die easy." His gaze didn't waver. Just a small, chilling smirk.
Sky scoffed, rocketing past him. "The hell was that creep? Another psycho with a blade fetish."
She glanced at her fuel gauge-40% left. "Damn it... when is this leg going to end already?"
Up ahead, faint ripples shimmered in the dust-Ghost-Class vehicles, invisible to most, but not to her trained eye. She smirked.
"I'll wait... one of you's gonna slip. And when you do, I'll be there."
Inside one of those invisible Ghost-Class rides...
Jose adjusted the steering with surgical control. His vehicle hummed low, cloaked, a ghost whispering through the storm.
He stared into his rearview mirror-dust swirled like poison behind him. Sky. He'd seen her.
"So... she's here. Come to win?" He chuckled darkly. "Or maybe to kill me. For 'betraying' her. Tch. As if that matters."
He exhaled slowly, but then-he noticed something.
His hand darted to the dash.
"Wait... no. No, no, no-" He looked down. Dust. Particles. Sticking to the shell of his car.
His voice was low and venomous. "Shit... they can see me."
Suddenly-BAM! Another racer slammed into him from the side.
Jose's car jerked violently, scraping against the side of a jagged rock formation. His teeth bared in frustration.
"FUCK! Idiots! I can barely see in this goddamn storm-and it's night on top of that! What, are we all driving blind now!?"
He gripped the wheel tighter, knuckles white, his mind racing.
"Can't cloak. Can't hide. And I sure as hell ain't gonna run." His voice dropped into a whisper, icy and focused. "They'll die before they outlast me."
Every racer, battered and burned, suddenly plunged into a wide, crumbling stone bridge that dipped downward into the mountains. Wind howled through its broken arches. Support beams groaned beneath the weight of dozens of vehicles.
The announcer's voice crackled over the broadcast: "THEY'RE ENTERING THE OLD BRIDGE! SLIPPERY, NARROW, ONE MISTAKE AND IT'S A DROP TO NOWHERE-OH MAN, THIS IS GONNA BE A BLOODBATH!"
Jose narrowed his eyes, gears shifting again.
"Let it fall apart. I'll still be the last one standing."
Meanwhile The battered bridge groaned under the chaos as every racer slammed and scraped against one another, desperate to survive the plunge into its narrow, crumbling descent. Tires squealed, engines roared, and explosions lit up the night like thunder in hell.
Ro-Ro and MeMe's car finally shot over the ledge-dead last.
"Ro-Ro-THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" MeMe screamed, eyes wide as they flew through open air.
Ro-Ro just grinned, hands steady on the wheel. "I know."
SLAM! The car landed hard on the slope of the bridge, sparks flying as it scraped the metal rail. MeMe's heart nearly burst from her chest.
"WHAT THE-?!"
Ro-Ro was already shifting gears, weaving between mangled vehicles. "Man, these bastards need to MOVE!"
Suddenly-a bullet whizzed past, cracking the passenger-side mirror.
Ro-Ro hissed. "Oh for fuck's shake-"
MeMe blinked. "Shake?!"
Ro-Ro gave a short, barking laugh. "Huh? Oh-yeah, I meant, wait nah fuck that! Here."
He shoved something into her lap. She looked down and froze- A golden Desert Eagle. Heavy. Real. Deadly.
"Ro-Ro-what?! No! I-I can't! I can't use this!" Her voice cracked.
His tone shifted-harder, serious. "MeMe. This ain't a fairytale. This ain't Disney. This sure as hell ain't some kid-friendly Saturday morning space show." He flicked his gaze to her, dead serious. "This is life or death. What if I get hit? What if I'm not here to save you? Who's gonna do it then, huh? You gotta be more than the sweet alien girl with the big eyes and big heart."
Their car suddenly jolted-a hard bump from the side, nearly sending them off the edge. Other racers weren't so lucky-vehicles skidded, exploded, or slipped on oil as the bridge turned into a warzone.
Ro-Ro pressed on. "You can't always rely on me, MeMe! You gotta rely on yourself! You're not a princess! You're an alien-and a smart, tough, weird-ass alien girl who can HANDLE herself!" He smirked. "If you can't... we might as well give up on our wishes now."
Another violent bump slammed into them-Ro-Ro growled. "Shit, I can't see them. Must be a Ghost-Class vehicle-sneaky little-"
He suddenly rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and bellowed into the storm: "HEY! YOU PUSSY! COME LOOK ME IN THE EYES-OR YOU HATE YOUR MAMA!"
A shimmer beside them twisted-and a Ghost-Class racer appeared, scratched metal and glowing veins pulsing across his car. The psycho grinned wide, eyes bloodshot and twitchy.
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY MAMA! SHE HAD TWENTY GUYS AT HER HOUSE-BUT I AIN'T NO DAMN PUSSY!"
Ro-Ro smirked like a devil lighting a cigarette. "Then come prove it, dickhead."
The psycho reached for his gun. "With pleasure."
Ro-Ro closed his eyes, smiling. "MeMe."
She was trembling, gripping the gold pistol in her lap.
"What-what the heck are you doing?! OPEN YOUR EYES!"
He didn't budge. "Only you can save us."
"Ro-Ro PLEASE! I-I can't! I can't kill again!" Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes. "Please-just do something!"
But Ro-Ro stayed still, lips curled into that same damn smirk.
The psycho aimed. Right at them.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Eight rounds.
The ghost's windshield shattered. His vehicle jerked violently, spiraled off the bridge-gone.
Silence. Only the wind and distant gunfire remained.
MeMe sat there, shaking, still holding the gun. Her breathing was shallow. Eyes wide.
"I... I did it?"
She looked at her hands. "I did it. I-it felt wrong. I wanna throw up. But... I did it."
Ro-Ro opened one eye and looked at her.
"Heh. I knew you could." Then, with that crooked grin: "Told ya you weren't some fragile little thing. You're my goddamn co-pilot, MeMe. Welcome to the real race."