Kirran stared at the course.
The course stared back.
There were rings everywhere.
Above him.
Ahead of him.
Twisting around towers.
Looping through the sky.
Some floated only a few feet above the ground.
Others seemed high enough to scrape the clouds.
“This is insane.” Gear spoke through a nearby loudspeaker.
“That’s the spirit.” “That wasn’t encouragement.” “It was to me.” Kirran groaned.
Behind him, Raymond sat inside the observation booth with a cup of coffee.
Unlike Kirran, he looked completely relaxed.
“I’ll call the ambulance if you crash.” “THANKS, RAYMOND.” “You’re welcome.” Mach’s icon appeared inside the visor.
“For the record, I would prefer not crashing.” “Me too.” “Excellent.
We are in agreement.” At least, that’s what it felt like.
◇ ◇ ◇ A countdown appeared inside Kirran’s visor.
00:05 00:04 00:03 00:02 00:01 GO The thrusters ignited.
Kirran immediately screamed.
Not because he was in danger.
Not yet.
Because he had never accelerated that fast before.
The world blurred.
The starting line vanished behind him.
Buildings became streaks of color.
Wind roared around his helmet.
“TOO FAST!” “You requested speed.” “I TAKE IT BACK!” Mach politely ignored him.
The first ring approached.
Rapidly.
Very rapidly.
Uncomfortably rapidly.
Kirran jerked the controls.
The chair overcorrected.
The ring flashed past.
And the wall behind it did not.
THUMP!
Pain exploded through the chair.
Kirran bounced backward.
His visor immediately displayed a warning.
ATTEMPT 1: FAILED Silence.
Then Gear’s voice.
“Good news.” Kirran rubbed his head.
“What?” “You found the wall.” “Wonderful.” Attempt Two lasted twelve seconds.
Attempt Three lasted eight.
Attempt Four somehow ended before it started.
Kirran wasn’t entirely sure how.
By Attempt Six, he finally managed to stay airborne.
Unfortunately, he missed the third ring.
The entire course turned red.
A loud buzzer sounded.
Kirran nearly threw his helmet.
“This is impossible.” “It is not impossible.” Mach’s icon blinked.
“It merely requires improvement.” “I hate when you’re logical.” “I understand.” ◇ ◇ ◇ Hours passed.
Attempts blurred together.
Crash.
Reset.
Crash.
Reset.
Crash.
Reset.
At some point Kirran stopped counting.
Unfortunately, the course did not.
ATTEMPT 15 For the first time, Kirran reached the final section.
◇ ◇ ◇ The last ring floated directly ahead.
Victory.
Sweet, beautiful victory.
“We’re going to do it!” The ring grew closer.
Closer.
Closer— The timer expired.
The ring turned red.
A buzzer echoed across the field.
Kirran froze.
“…No.” TIME LIMIT EXCEEDED “No.” Gear’s voice returned.
“Try again.” “NO.” “Try again.” “I REFUSE.” “Try again.” Mach sighed.
“I believe we should try again.” Kirran looked betrayed.
◇ ◇ ◇ The sun slowly moved across the sky.
The field became littered with failed attempts.
Not physical debris.
Just emotional damage.
Mostly emotional damage.
Kirran’s arms ached.
His shoulders hurt.
His pride had suffered catastrophic injuries.
And yet— He kept going.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every attempt improved.
A little faster.
A little smoother.
A little better.
The crashes became less frequent.
The turns became sharper.
The fear began disappearing.
Something else took its place.
Confidence.
◇ ◇ ◇ ATTEMPT 86 Kirran shot through the course.
First ring.
Second ring.
Third ring.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth.
The chair moved like an extension of his own body.
Every turn felt natural.
Every maneuver felt effortless.
Wind rushed past.
The final section appeared.
“Mach!” “I see it!” The last ring approached.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer— Kirran dove forward.
The chair surged ahead.
The ring flashed green.
Silence.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then— “We did it!” Kirran threw both arms into the air.
“We actually did it!” Mach’s icon brightened.
“Excellent work, Kirran.” The loudspeaker activated.
“Not bad.” Kirran smiled.
“See?
I told you I’d get it.” Gear paused.
Then added: “You still missed the time limit.” Silence.
Kirran’s smile vanished.
“What?” “You completed the course.” “YEAH.” “But not within one minute.” Kirran stared at the sky.
The sky offered no comfort.
◇ ◇ ◇ A few minutes later, Kirran landed near the observation booth.
He was exhausted.
Sweaty.
Completely drained.
But happy.
For the first time, he actually felt like he belonged in the chair.
Like he belonged in the suit.
Like he belonged in the sky.
Then Gear ruined everything.
Again.
“So.” Kirran immediately frowned.
“So?” “We should probably begin combat training.” Silence.
Kirran blinked.
Mach blinked.
Raymond nearly choked on his coffee.
“Combat training?” “Correct.” Kirran pointed toward the obstacle course.
“I just survived THAT.” “Good.” Gear smiled.
“Now comes the hard part.” Mach’s icon slowly lowered.
“Oh dear…” Kirran suddenly had a very bad feeling about tomorrow.