Page 67 of Hyperspeed
I walked over, and Rev ended his conversation with the Vorkan.
“Mercer,” he said with an up nod. The galaxies in his eyes sparkled, like they often did before a race. He was excited, and that reminded me . . .
“Where’s the track, rookie? Can’t imagine you’re doing fifty laps around the shuttle park?”
Rev rolled his eyes, and his friend chuckled, a rich sound that rumbled through my chest like thunder.
“One, it’s only ten laps,” the stranger said, smile full of sharp teeth, similar to a shark. “And two, you’ve already driven on it.”
I must’ve looked confused, because he jerked his chin towards the highway.
“You can’t be serious?”
“As a heart attack,” he replied with a casual shrug. “The highways make for some great racing. Better than the sewers, am I right?”
Rev hummed. “Definitely smells better.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “I can’t tell if you’re taking the piss right now.”
His friend laughed again, and Rev sighed as if I was testing his patience. I noticed he did that a lot around me.
“This isn’t the ASL, Mercer. We take what we can get,” he countered, chin lifting just slightly. “The race starts late because the I-9’s dead this time of night. Everyone’s either at home or partying in the city. We’ve got the road to ourselves for a few hours.”
“And it’s worth it for the unobstructed view of Solveth’s neon skyline,” the Vorkan mused, gaze fixed on the glowing cityscape.
“Didn’t expect you to be racing today,” I commented, nodding at Rev’s helmet.
His friend dropped a heavy hand on his slim shoulder, and Rev grunted on impact. I winced in sympathy. Vorkans were stronger than most, and other species looked like weaklings in comparison. A heavy gust of wind could easily sweep Rev away.
“Course he is. Might be all fancy now, rubbing shoulders with the pros,” they said, gently conking Rev on the top of his head with a fat fist. “But our little Supersonic is still the fastest thing to come out of this crew.”
“Supersonic, huh?” I smirked, and the markings on Rev’s skin glowed burnt orange.
I could’ve made fun, because it was funny as fuck when he got embarrassed, but I didn’t want him to regret bringing me here. Seeing it firsthand, experiencing the atmosphere, I wanted to come again if he’d let me. So as he shuffled from foot to foot, obviously feeling awkward, I turned back to the Vorkan.
“I’m Kai, by the way.”
“I know who you are, Kai Mercer.” He took my proffered hand, giving it a firm shake that almost pulled my shoulder from the socket. But I felt how he tensed, like he was holding back. My curiosity was piqued; I wanted to see what he was truly capable of. “I’m Alvoth, but everyone calls me Al.”
Alvoth.
Rev had mentioned him during his interview, the stories a mixture of heartwarming and heartbreaking. This was the man who’d taken the rookie under his wing, given him an outlet while his mum worked for free on the weekends.
In my periphery, I saw Rev worrying his bottom lip, star-filled eyes watching me. He said nothing, but I could hear his unspoken words.
Please don’t judge me.
Please don’tpityme.
I wanted to dive in with questions about their relationship, about Rev’s past.
What was Rev like as a child? Had he been as closed off then as he was now? Was he a natural talent, or were his skills learned from hours on the track?
But Al wasn’t the person to ask, so I kept them to myself.
I’d felt how much it had cost Rev to open up during his interview, especially while I was in the room. He’d meticulously built his take-no-shit attitude, each barb and glare a brick in the fortress designed to keep people out.
So letting his guard down, revealing so much of himself . . . it didn’t seem to come naturally. I imagined he’d felt untethered afterwards. Vulnerable. And I didn’t want him to feel like that again, not because of me.
