AllFreeNovel
Share Us
14
Just as Onnika took her place in line for the virtual reality event, she saw that Aidan had beaten her there. He was seated in one of only four VR chambers, a shell-like cockpit open on either side for easy access, situated on a high platform near four larger than average holo-screens. The three remaining VR chambers were occupied as well.
Only four contestants competed at once? Good odds.
Caryn, watching from the sidelines, shot her a set of thumbs-up for encouragement.
As Aidan reached for his VR visor, he glanced in her direction and did a double take. Then he smirked and shook his head before donning the visor.
What the hell was that? Did he think she was out of her league here? He didn’t even know what she was capable of. The nerve!
The massive screens blinked to life, each showing a first-person view from the contestant’s perspective. Four computer generated ships hovered side-by-side at the base of a desert canyon. Bold numbers blinked on the screens, counting down.
Onnika recognized the VR system immediately. AVFS, Advanced Virtual Flight Simulator. It was the most advanced, ridiculously realistic virtual reality flight simulating system ever released to the public. She’d been dying to try it out ever since hearing of its existence.
When the count reached zero, the race began and the players shot forward. Aidan’s ship leaped ahead, snagging the lead. Second place was hot on his ass, however, and gaining. The first turn was a sharp, blind corner. Aidan had no trouble navigating it, but then suddenly he came upon a jagged boulder jutting out from the cliff face, blocking his path and forcing him to bank hard to the right to avoid it. In doing so, he nearly sideswiped his closest competitor, but at the last moment, he corrected his trajectory and the two ships only grazed each other. Was that skill or luck?
Unfortunately, it slowed them both down.
As the two ships righted their trajectories, the craft that had been in third place powered ahead, taking the lead. She heard Aidan’s curse as he followed close behind, maintaining second.
The canyon opened up to a sea of high dunes that resembled a still snapshot of monstrous waves in the midst of a tumultuous storm. In tight formation, the racers climbed to the pinnacle of the first sandy peak, gaining speed on the smooth uphill straightaway. In turn, the ships launched off the apex, leaving a wake of whiplashed sand that glistened and danced in the air.
Thrusters burning hot, the racers streaked high over the gently sloping dunes that gradually shrank in size before leveling out to a plain of dried cracked plates of hard packed soil.
Onnika bit her nails as the four crafts sidled up to one another, neck and neck.
An obstacle of stone arches rose up ahead, closely aligned but offset just enough to force the racers into zig-zag maneuvers to avoid smashing into one another or into the thick legs of the arches. Aidan was still trailing the lead. The third and fourth place racers lost ground.
In the distance, a wall of desert stone rose, disappearing into the clouds. At its center was a narrow canyon that offered a deeply shaded passageway. The first-place racer opted for a higher altitude while Aidan went low, staying close to the ground. The two were right on top of each other.
As their path thinned even further, Aidan tilted his craft sideways to avoid brushing the jagged cliff faces with his wings. Moments later, the other racer was forced to do the same. At these speeds, the slightest glance would be enough to toss a ship off kilter, resulting in a fiery shower of metal and fuel.
Although this was a virtual race, Onnika felt her heart begin to pound. Transfixed, she hadn’t noticed Caryn coming to stand by her side. Lear was with her now. “Hey. We’re going take a look around,” Caryn informed her.
Feeling a little protective, she eyed Lear briefly, then nodded to Caryn. “Be careful. Stay close to him.”
Lear seemed to have noticed Onnika’s flash of concern. “Do you expect danger?”
“I always expect danger,” she replied.
“Your sister is safe with me,” he assured.
She believed him. His intention to look out for Caryn was strong. That eased some of Onnika’s worry. Once the two of them were off, she returned her gaze to the race.
Aidan’s ship was still perpendicular to the ground, but he remained perfectly centered in the impossibly narrow canyon, as though he inherently understood the dimensions of his craft. His opponent was doing all right as well, though he seemed to have more room to maneuver.
A pinprick of light up ahead indicated the exit. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was nearly blinding. Aidan and the other racer exploded from the crevasse. The other racer leveled out immediately, but for some reason, Aidan remained sideways.
Onnika cocked her head. Then she understood why. Through the bright haze, he’d caught sight of the curved cliff face directly in line with their path. The canyon hadn’t ended, it had only expanded, and they were approaching another sharp turn.
Already in the perfect position, Aidan pulled back on his controls and engaged his bottom thrusters, riding the curve. The other ship banked hard, but didn’t have enough time to readjust. His ship slammed into the cliff and erupted into a fiery mess of shrapnel that rained down just as the third-place ship emerged from the narrow passage and nearly made the same error, just barely clearing the turn and taking second place. Aidan was now in the lead.
He added power to the thrusters as he headed into the second lap. With each twist and turn, he only seemed to gain speed, the others falling farther and farther behind. He blasted over the desert, shot through the arches, and glided through the narrow canyon, once more taking the low path.
On the third and final lap, it was as if he’d designed this landscape purely for his own enjoyment. Like a bird soaring on a peaceful current, his flight seemed effortless. She took in his expression, visible just under the visor. He looked almost bored.
To the cheers of the spectators, he crossed the finish line with nearly half a lap between him and his rivals.
