The Spiral Circuit at night was a thing of wonder. The track shimmered in radiant blues and purples, lit by the city's artificial auroras and flickering spotlights. It twisted high above the towers like a living ribbon of light and velocity.
Avery stood beside Reyna at the launchpad, both in matching dark-rider suits, their helmets under one arm.
"This is the Relay Run," Reyna said, glancing at her. "Team racing. Tandem tactics. If you screw it up, we crash. Together."
Avery smirked. "What happened to riding solo?"
"I still prefer it," Reyna admitted. "But Nova insisted I test how well you follow orders."
"Let's hope she's watching."
Reyna looked at her "You've changed. Since that first race."
"So have you."
Their moment was interrupted by the shriek of the starter klaxon. The crowd cheered from overhead platforms, and drones flew low to stream the event across the city.
They mounted their bikes. Avery's was sleeker this time, personally tuned by her own hands. Reyna's was rebuilt from the damaged prototype—now faster, more lethal. Fitting for its rider.
The countdown began.
Three. Two. One. Go.
They launched.
Side by side, they shot down the track, moving like twin shadows. The world blurred into streaks of neon and wind. Avery leaned into Reyna's patterns, syncing her maneuvers to match. Where Reyna curved, Avery cut close. Where Avery surged, Reyna adjusted.
It was like dancing—with danger.
Halfway through the course, another pair drew up behind them—Nova and a rider Avery didn't recognize, both riding aggressively. Nova tried to wedge between them on the curve.
Reyna barked over comms, "Hold tight. We split on my mark."
Avery gritted her teeth. "Just say when."
"Now."
They diverged perfectly—Reyna taking the high loop, Avery the lower spiral. Nova faltered for half a second, caught between the two lines.
It was enough.
They rejoined midair at a fusion point, their bikes crossing streams as the magnetic tracks converged.
A cheer erupted.
They crossed the finish line seconds later—first place by a razor margin.
Avery skidded to a stop, helmet off, breathless. "You planned that?"
Reyna pulled off her helmet, hair tumbling loose. "I calculated the odds. Trusted the instinct."
Avery stepped closer. "And do you trust me now?"
Reyna's smile was softer this time. "I'm getting there."
Their eyes locked. For a heartbeat, everything else faded—the roar of the crowd, the glow of the lights, even the machines around them.
"I didn't expect to like this," Avery admitted. "Or you."
Reyna's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then stop fighting it."
The moment bent—closer, slower—until a drone buzzed overhead, shattering the silence.
Reyna blinked. "We should go."
But the tension lingered.
They weren't enemies anymore.
Not quite lovers either.
Something in between. Something waiting to fall.
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