Page 20 of Hyperspeed
Their eyes didn’t leave the feed. Scaly fingers rapidly tapped the tablet’s screen as Ivy Juno—a human driver and former Pulse Racing engineer—misjudged her braking while taking a sharp turn through one of the floating rings. She skidded off-course and crashed into a chunk of rogue ice.
My shoulders jerked up, teeth gritted tight, like I could feel the shudder of impact in my own bones.
“That’ll be a difficult fix,” I remarked.
Ailor scrolled up, reviewing notes from the previous race at Vortex Canyon. “Juno also hit the wall in her first practice session. She’s solid on the straights but struggles to judge braking distance ahead of tougher turns.”
“I’ll keep it in mind if she’s nearby.”
“Yes, but it’s unlikely. So far, her average times won’t make the top ten. Still, you’ll probably lap her, so stay alert.”
We watched the rookies in silence, the only sound being the steadytaptaptapof Ailor’s fingers.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
I was so engrossed in the feed that their words made me jump. “What question?”
“You don’t normally watch the other teams practice.”
“Still not seeing the question, boss.” I gave them some serious side-eye.
Ailor smiled. It was small, but enough to reveal a set of needle-like teeth. If I didn’t know Ailor well, they’d unnerve me, but our team principal was nothing more than a huge softy, all wrapped up in a yellow-skinned package.
“The question was implied,” they muttered. “You haven’t done this for the last two seasons, at least. I’ve told you before, Kai. You can’t outrun what you don’t understand, and studying your competition is—”
“The first step to beating them,” I cut them off. “I know, I know.”
They finally looked up from the screen, grey eyes locked on me. “And yet here you are for the first time in a while. What’s changed?”
I wanted to tell them that nothing had changed, but a black vehicle with blue and silver detailing diverted my attention, and I couldn’t focus on anything else.
“Ah.” Ailor spoke, their words barely louder than a breath. “I see.”
“What do you see?” I couldn’t look at them, scared of what I’d find there.
I focused on Rev’s vehicle as he blasted through the first ring. His speed left the other rookies in the dust, on par with the more seasoned racers—quicker, even.
Of course, it didn’t count until qualifying, but the way Rev chewed through the seconds, creeping closer to my best lap time, had me on the edge of my seat.
“You feel threatened.”
Okay, that took me off guard.
My head snapped to the left, and I frowned at Ailor. “I’m not threatened by arookie.” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. They made me sound way cockier than I’d like, and I cringed when the ridge above Ailor’s eyes rose on one side.
They didn’t even have proper eyebrows, and they could still do what I couldn’t.
“He may be a rookie, but he’s still your competition, Kai. Revvak Arathiel is on the same level as you and Jaxir. The same as Zylo and Valen. If Zenith signed him, then that boy has earned his place here. You’d do well to remember that.”
Feeling scolded, I dropped my gaze to the desk. I hated getting told off by Ailor, even when I deserved it. They’d never raised their voice, not once in the five years I’d been on the team. I didn’t think they were even capable of speaking above a certain decibel. But they gave off those “I’m not angry, just disappointed” vibes.
So if I pursed my lips, pouting like a baby, that was my business.
“I seem to remember another rookie who shook things up with their talent,” Ailor continued. “And when others dismissed him because he was new, do you know what he did?”
“What?” My teeth sank into my bottom lip, trying to fight the smile pulling at my mouth.
I looked up to see them watching me, eyes overflowing with fondness. “He proved everyone wrong, showed them what he was made of.”
