Lex's POV
As I made why way to the hanger with my helmet in hand,
I conversed with Jarvis, who had linked up with my bike, and was piloting it here as fast as he could, with out compromising it's delecate, power systems.
"How's it look? Think you can do it?"
A long cord extended from Jarvis's spherical body to the airbike, which allowed him to run diagnostics on my ride.
"Ten more minutes and it should be fine, but just barely, sir.
"That's more than good enough—" A third-year student interrupted our whispered conversation when he made his way over to me—a tall guy, his hair cropped short, and top it all off, completely ripped. Like, this guy definitely worked out. Thick, corded neck muscles bulged when he looked me up and down. I recognized him as one of the top contenders, i.e., the number one bet for the ultimate victor, in fact.
"So you're replacing Jilk, huh?" he asked. I didn't sense much hostility.
"Well, if it isn't 'Dan' the number one pick'," I said. "Need something? I'm a bit busy, so maybe we could talk later? ."
I stepped in front of my bike, keeping Jarvis hidden behind me. This guy was a follower of Clarice, so I couldn't be too careful.
The guy seemed surprisingly relaxed. "You already know about me, then? That saves me the trouble of having to warn you. Although, I never dreamed a nobody like you would take Jilk's place. Kinda makes this whole thing more difficult."
Nobody? I suppose I had, in fact, been low key here so far, but it kind of stings.
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and turned serious. "I wanted to apologize ahead of time. I've got nothing against you, but I'm going to crush you during the next race. I mean it."
What a refreshingly straightforward declaration of war! Although if he was bothering to apologize, maybe he could just refrain from beating on me in the first place? I didn't love pain.
"What, are you really feeling like a heel?" I asked. "Miss Clarice blackmailing you or something?"
"No!" His indignation caught me off guard, and he quickly apologized.
"My bad, sorry, don't mean to yell…" He cleared his throat, glanced both ways, and got close to explain himself. "My family is court nobility, but we're at the low end of the table, so to speak. I have no court ranking and I'm not the heir either."
In other words, this follower was part of the general class.
"Despite my position, the miss is kind to me. When she realized my talent for airbike riding, she financed my training. Thanks to her, after I graduate, I'll be able to ride for a living." He placed a hand on one of the nearby bikes, smiling, but with a tinge of sadness. "She really is kind. We all looked up to her. So many of the other girls are just awful. Hearing their followers complain about them, we always felt lucky."
I kept quiet and listened as he continued.
"The miss has an airbike track at her house. I've never lacked for practice because I could go there whenever I wanted. She even hired a coach and sent airbikes to that ex of hers. She always smiled and cheered for him.
Kind of hard to watch, but I was happy for her. Then that bastard had the nerve to break off their engagement. She tried to meet with him, persuade him to see sense, but he refused to even see her."
Well, I couldn't blame either this guy or Clarice for taking issue with that. Jilk deserved to have the crap kicked out of him. I wouldn't get in their way.
'Have at it, even! Just leave me out of it'
"I get we're you're coming from man I really do, to be honest I hate him too"i said and he seemed surprised by the revelation.
"So can't you let me go this once, as we have a lot in common as two dudes who both hate hot guys" I asked. (conveniently forgeting I was one of the so called 'hot guys')
"Sorry. I feel for you, but the miss's orders are absolute. And this one we swore to carry out by whatever means necessary. Even if it cost us our lives."
Talk about insane determination. Clarice had inspired a profound level of devotion.
"I heard what happened in the medical office," he said. "I'm sure it's asking too much, but I hope you won't think too badly of her. She changed so much over the term, after being dumped by her fiance of 12 years. Started dragging around slaves and partying all night.
She wasn't like that before."
Slaves and partying? Enh. Tons of academy girls got deep into both of those, my older sister chief among them. I was maybe too desensitized to be fazed.
"So what, are you telling me this because you hope I'll go easy on you?" I teased.
He laughed. "No such luck, huh? Well, I figured you wouldn't care much for my circumstances. That's fine. Think of it as me talking to myself.
You can forget I said anything."
I watched as he left, then plopped myself down on the airbike seat.
Slipping the helmet over my head, I snapped the chinstrap in place.
"Diagnostics complete," Jarvis announced.
"Great."
"Sir, do you really intend to pursue the championship even after hearing him out?"
"Of course. Sucks for them, but Leon's bet too much money on my victory for me to just lose, he would have my head."
The main arena was massive, a circular stadium with observation decks crammed full of students and faculty. My bike, the Endeavor, sat at the starting line, an aggressive piece of black-and-silver engineering that drew stares from the academy-issue red bikes surrounding it.
"Sir," Jarvis's voice chimed in my comms, "the Solar Reactor is stable, but running at a 52% probability of containment field failure if stressed."
"Understood, Jarvis," I muttered, strapping on my helmet. I adjusted my customized race leathers— personaly designed and fabricated
"Just warn me when it hits 90."
I scanned the other racers. Dan was there too, he and a bunch of Clarises followers we're glaring daggers at me,Jilk's
replacement, ready to enact their masters revenge on anyone associated with the Prince's faction.
A voice boomed over the speakers, "Racers, start your engines!"
The bikes roared to life. My custom engine hummed with refined elegance.
"Ready... GO!"
The airbikes shot off the line in a synchronized blur. I immediately pulled ahead, my advanced tech giving me a clear lead over the academy models. The race was on.
"Clarice's faction is coordinating to block the rear, sir," Jarvis reported. "They seem focused on creating chaos to give Dan the win."
I flew into a sharp turn, hugging the inner wall of the track. The race wasn't just about speed; it was a contact sport, a battle of social dominance played out at 300 KPH.
On the second lap, things got dirty. Two bikes swerved simultaneously, trying to sandwich me against a guardrail.
"Tch! Amateur hour." I out-menuvered them, sending them spinning harmlessly into an outer safety barrier. "Oops."
Clarise's followers glared back at me, pushing their bikes harder.
They started smashing their bikes into mine.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG
The impacts rattled my teeth, but my
superior-alloy chassis held firm under their constant assaults.
"Your move, simps," I thought
We entered the final straightaway. I was now neck-and-neck with Dan. This was it.
"Jarvis, activate the Solar Reactor," I commanded.
"Activating, sir. Containment probability is now 78%."
My bike surged forward. A subtle golden aura of pure solar energy encased the frame.
The sheer, raw power pushed the speed dial past its limit. I was gone in a flash, leaving Dan eating my dust.
I crossed the finish line in a spectacular burst of speed. The crowd roared. I had done it.
"Winner: Lex fou Bartfort!" the commentator's voice echoed over the loudspeakers.
" Sir probability of reactor containment failure has reached 94%, sir!" Jarvis yelled in my ear, the smooth British accent replaced by genuine panic. "Emergency shutdown failing! The energy modulation threshold has been breached!"
Shit! The bike began to vibrate violently beneath me, the golden aura flickering into a dangerous, unstable white. It was going critical.
"Sir, I recommend you steer the bike up!" Jarvis offered.
"The blast radius will annihilate the stands!"
I didn't hesitate. I yanked the handlebars hard, aiming the Endeavor toward the clear, open sky above the arena. I pushed the throttle to full speed, and every ounce of mana I had into the gravitational stabilizers, keeping it steady for a moment longer.
"JUMP, SIR!"
I leaped from the bike, and started hurling toward the arena floor.
The Endeavor Mk-I soared upward, a falling star aimed for the heavens. A second later, miles above the arena, the custom bike exploded.
BOOOM!
The sound was a deafening thunderclap that shook the entire stadium. A massive blue-white solar plasma burst bloomed in the sky like an artificial sun.
On the ground, the force of the blast sent a powerful shockwave across the stands, making everyone instinctively duck or shield their faces. The bright light was momentary blinding,the force also forced me towards the ground faster, till Dan, caught me on his bike
"Dan you saved me, but why?" I asked breathing heavily, cause while I was fire and heat proof, I wasn't fall proof.
"I had too, after all we both hate hot guys" he said with a smile and we both laughed.