Damien felt a rush of elation when the final stretch of the race came into view. He was so close to victory, just one more powerful surge could get him there. It would definitely be a gamble, however, as Clutch had already proved his willingness to play dirty. But he was in the thick of it now, and there was no way he was going to let this opportunity for payback slip through his fingers.

He worked the throttle, pushing the Tiger to its absolute limits as it barreled forward. Time almost seemed to slow down as the distance between the two racers quickly closed in. Damien knew what to expect, and he readied himself as he approached.

Once again, as soon as he got within one bike’s distance, Clutch swerved to intercept his path, causing him to back off and hold his position in second place. He cursed under his breath as the window of opportunity rapidly shrunk. One more attempt. There was time for one more attempt to overtake this reckless asshole.

With heightened focus, he pulled the Tiger up next to Clutch and let his finger slip over the NOS button. This time, Clutch was even more aggressive than before as he jerked his bike toward the Tiger, leaving Damien with no choice.

He hit the NOS button and the Tiger screamed forward at breakneck speed, slipping past Clutch as his attempted slam missed wildly, causing him to lose control. From his side mirror, Damien could see his adversary fight to regain command of his bike as it swerved side to side, quickly dropping speed. Clutch ultimately failed, but he managed to roll to relative safety while his bike crashed into an industrial building.

The gamble had paid off, and with the satisfaction of justice served, Damien continued on until he strolled through the hologram projecting the word ‘Finish’. He slowed to a halt a few bike lengths past the finish line, reigning in the Tiger to the jubilation of the crowd. Before he knew it, he was being swarmed by bodies as the spectators poured toward him like bees to honey, many giving him congratulatory pats in celebration.

It was as if he’d become an instant celebrity, and he had to admit that the adoration felt as nice as it was surprising. These people seemed to really enjoy these races.

“The winner is Ghost!” the announcer from before called out, followed by a unified cheer from the crowd.

Unsure what to do, Damien gave a politician’s wave to the people, unable to hold back his pride. A notification from the racing league mind chip quickly followed, confirming the results.

C-Division Race Complete

1st Place Finish

100 points earned

Ghost’s Total Points: 100

Points Needed to Advance to B-Division: 1,000

This was followed by yet another notification, this time from the T-Deck.

New Trait Unlocked: Street Racer (+25 Reputation)

It just kept getting better for Damien, be heard a few disappointed voices within the crowd.

“I can’t believe Clutch lost,” one voice called out.

“Yeah. I lost 2 Gs on that motherfucker,” another added.

The organizer started waving people away as the other competitors began rolling through the finish line. The girl with the purple bike finished in 4th place, and Damien had half a mind to ask about her “advice” but he ultimately ignored it. Even if her intentions had been to mislead him, it was his fault for getting carried away. Besides, he made up for it in the end.

As the afterglow of victory and the crowd slowly dispersed, Damien began strolling his bike away only to be approached by his two biggest fans, both smiling from ear to ear—a heartwarming image.

“My man, you never cease to amaze me.” Marcus gave an affectionate pat on Damien’s shoulder. “I was to told expect good things, but I definitely wasn’t expecting that. You really did me proud by carrying on the Marcus tradition of shitting on Clutch. Almost brought a tear to my eye.”

“Glad it meant so much to you.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Not surprising at all,” Bruce said. “I knew the readings I did on ‘im back at the shop didn’t lie. We’ve got a real superstar on our hands. Though I have to say, I didn’t expect Clutch to play so dirty. He doesn’t usually take it that far.”

“Must’ve been my presence that got under his skin,” Marcus said. “The asshole jeopardized the entire event by being so reckless.”

“You guys saw the whole thing?” Damien asked.

“Of course. The racing league mind chips let spectators watch the action through the racer’s eyes. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t go into any of your cyberware or neural implants, just the basic vision.”

That made a lot of sense. It was no wonder why the crowd loved these races so much. They could see all the action in real time as if they were out there partaking in the competition themselves.

“Make way! Make way!” the announcer called out again. “Next race is C-Division Big Vehicles. Clear the space!”

The trio moved away from the center of the action, letting the next group of racers take their starting positions.

“Keep up those performances and ye’ll catch the attention of some hot shots. Now if ye’ll excuse me, I’ve got some ‘innings to collect.” Bruce gave Damien a congratulatory fist bump and disappeared into the crowd once again.

“Huh?”

“Winnings. He bet big on you.”

“Ah, I see. And did you?”

“…No.”

“You didn’t think I’d beat Clutch?”

“It’s not that…” Marcus said, rubbing his neck nervously. “Okay, fine… it was that. Don’t get me wrong, I expected you to do well, but not well enough to beat a seasoned vet. Especially someone who was my rival for so long. But I learned my lesson, I swear. I’ll never doubt you again.”

Damien nodded his head and in fake anger said, “Damn right.”

As they walked a murmur of unease began spreading through the crowd and it quickly turned into rumbles of worry. Eventually a few groups began to call out the words no one at the event wanted to hear.

“NPD!”

“Damn,” Marcus cursed. “Clutch’s crash must’ve drawn too much attention. Now the NPD have no choice but to respond. That’s a shame, I really wanted to see the big vehicles.”

“Are we screwed?” Damien asked.

“Eh, not necessarily. This happens from time to time. They’ll catch a few stragglers and call it a job well done. But we don’t wanna be one of those suckers, so we better get out of here fast.”