Short Stories

Round Fifteen - The Last Sky Racers

3... I felt the adrenaline pump through my body as I counted down the numbers in my head. 

2... The purr of the bike rumbled softly, shaking me to the core. 

1... My eyes flashed open. There was nothing except the sapphire sky and the field of trees below to meet my gaze. 

Go!

Air whipped about me as my vehicle lurched forward. I grasped the handlebars tighter, my leather gloves providing a more secure grip. The hover bike roared loudly, surging excitement as I made a sixty degree turn to the right. A sudden bleeping interrupted my flight and I swiped the screen of the electronic device. 

"What is it Tommy?" I asked, my friend's face popping up onto the screen. 

"You've been practicing for the Sky Race all morning. Take a break and meet me at the shop." He immediately hung as if he had expected me to come right then and there. Shaking my head is disbelief, I revved the machine up again and raced through the sky for another half hour. 

By the end of the half hour, I had practiced approximately three runs of the Sky Race course. The course itself was tricky. Taking into account the possibility of pranks from other racers was the biggest problem. In a Sky Race, there was only one rule: don't kill your competitors. Any trick could be pulled, no holding back. They could hurt you until you were at the brink of death, but they just couldn't kill you.

The familiar ring of the communicator went off again, Thomas' name shone in white letters. I contemplated ignoring it for a moment before accepting his call. 

"Please come down." He begged, eyes widening like a puppy. 

"Why?" I asked, lowering the hover bike down to the ground. I placed my thumb over the camera so that he couldn't see what I was doing. 

"I want to give you something." He tilted his head, trying to maintain an innocent look.

"No. I'm going to keep practicing." I said sarcastically while I parked the bike onto the ground outside of my shop. I unhooked the communicator from the bike and held it in my hand. 

"You're leaving for the Sky Race tomorrow and now is the only time I'll be able to see you. Are you going to come down or not?" I could hear the pleading tone in his voice. I could almost feel sorry for him. 

"Stop pleading with me and turn around." I smiled, walking into the shop to see him with his back towards me. He spun around to face me, a bouquet of daisies in his hands was tied together with a blue blow. 

"Myra!" He gave me a hug and placed the bouquet in my hands. 

"Thank you." I smiled, sniffing the flowers. There was a little tickle in my nose as the pollen drifted through the air. "I'll see you when I return next Saturday?"

"I'm not sure." Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. "New job, crazy hours. You know how it goes. I'll do my best."

"Alright. I'm sorry I made your visit shorter than expected." I said, slightly regretting my earlier actions. 

"Yeah, it's fine. It's not like I'm on a time crunch or anything." He shrugged and gave me another hug. "I'll see you when you get back. As soon as possible, okay?" 

"You got it, Tommy. Thank you for the flowers." I waved him off as he left the shop. 

***

"Welcome, everyone, to the last ever National Sky Race Championship!" The announcer, Jim, shouted into the stadium, the crowds cheering excitedly. The number of people in the arena was the smallest that it had ever been. I had to admit that Sky Racing was a dying sport. 

"Now," The announcer, "this race has become the grand finale to a long-running, forty year sport that had begun in the year 2038. Many of us here tonight are sad to see this exhilarating competition go. Among us tonight are the last, and certainly most famed, Sky Racers of the United States of America. Of course, we must acknowledge the changing of seasons in today's sports. However, Sky Racing will go down in the history books as a fantastic sport. Tonight, these five will compete to gain the title of the United States National Champion. Remember the rules and may the best racer win!"

This was one of the most defining chapters of my life. I would have never believed that I was going to race with four of the most famous Sky Racers in the nation. I felt the anticipation trickle up and down my spine. This would be an all or nothing effort. 

"Mount your bikes!" The Course Captain shouted to us and we each got on our hover bikes. Flipping a few switches and pressing a button, my vehicle burst into life. Making sure my bag with tightly latched onto my bike, I gripped the handlebars, ready for the race. 

The digital screen above us was red and we watched it, waiting for it to turn green. 

The announcer came back onto the microphone, "racers ready?", we answered back with shouts of confidence. "3... 2... 1... Go!" He shouted and the screen went green. 

My bike zoomed into the air, gaining a height of 10 feet per second. Soon, we were all racing 1000 feet above the ground, orange markers on the ground providing our only navigation. My bike propelled itself to the first place position, far ahead of the other competitors. I had the strongest horsepower, but that didn't mean that I had a winning advantage.

Without warning, my vehicle had yanked backwards and out of the sky. The others were pulling pranks already! As quickly as I could, I flicked on the gravitational stabilizer and my bike straightened itself out, speeding up to third place. It was best to hang back and out of the way until the last leg of the race. 

The seconds ticked by as I waited for the perfect opportunity. I had lost sight of the other racers, but my navigation system showed where they were. I was well away from them, now I just had to keep myself hidden.

The announcer could be heard in the distance. "Who of the five racers will cross the finish line first and gain the champion title of the International Sky Race? Only time will tell."

Suddenly, the warning light on my hover bike had started to go off. It was just what I needed. When my bike was pulled back, the fuel tank was damaged. The biodeisel had leaked and nearly a kilometer worth of distance could be pushed out of what was left in the tank. The finish line was four-thousand feet away. 

Speeding the bike up, I flew right behind another racer. I wasn't much of a prankster, but this was my only shot. Reaching for their back propulsion jet, I slipped a small EMP device onto the bike. I sped up in front of them, getting far enough away and pressed the detonator. Instantly, their jet went out and the bike plummeted towards the Earth. I could hear the announcer over the speakers, describing how we were at the last 2,000 feet of the race. 

I was in second place and the racer in first was only five-hundred feet ahead. There was a little over 1,000 feet worth of distance that my fuel could muster. I had to wait until I had five-hundred feet left. Having gained about ten feet to the racer ahead, I knew that the race would be a close call for me. 

500 feet of gas left in the tank and 1,000 feet left to go to finish the course, I had to double my speed and risk becoming vulnerable to other pranks. I switched on the two extra jets and my speed instantly doubled. My bike quickly gained up to the racer ahead of me and raced alongside them. With my speed doubled, I could gain distance quicker without burning all of my fuel. The finish line came up into view and we were neck-to-neck. 

Crossing the line together, the announcer kept the crowd cheering as he explained the possible tie. My bike finally ran out of fuel, slowing itself to a stop and beginning to overheat. I hopped off of my bike to congratulate the other racers who zoomed by the finish line only seconds after us. We each looked to the screen to see the snapshot of who won the race. It was very close, our bikes merely inches apart. 

"The winner!" Jim the Announcer shouted. "Is Racer Myra Jenners! Congratulations on becoming the last and greatest Sky Racer of the United States!"