The lab was quiet except for the low hum of holo-screens.
Ava sat cross-legged on the bench, a stylus in her mouth, eyes fixed on the rotating model of a prototype car hovering in the air.
Jax stood behind her, flipping through data sheets like a man reading bedtime stories. He hadn't slept for twenty hours, and his eyes burned, but his focus never wavered.
[A/N : He totally forgot about meeting Paige]
The Death Race was not a virtual event. It was physical.
Real cars. Real tracks. Real risk.
The academy had announced it with bold letters: "Engineer your own victory."
Each team received a base prototype and had to modify it using the academy's weapon and shield modules. There were no fixed blueprints. The car was as strong as the mind that designed it.
Ava leaned back. "So this is the engine they're giving us?"
"Class A turbine with flux regulators," Jax replied, scrolling the data. "Stable, but lazy. It can't keep up with Zinnia's weapon mounts unless we change the capacitor routing."
She chewed the stylus. "Stable sounds boring."
He smiled faintly. "That's why we're changing it."
On the side screen, Zinnia's name flashed in the participant list. Her car stats were already public: balanced frame, twin railguns, energy shield rings, and a precision booster.
Celestia was her partner this time. Together, they were dangerous.
Kai teamed with some guy named Reeve, a flashy student who liked glowing paint and loud engines. Their car design looked like a party on wheels.
Ava rotated their own prototype. "So what's your plan? Offense or defense?"
Jax pointed to the lightweight chassis. "Neither. We're going for misdirection."
"Misdirection?" She blinked. "We're in a race, Jax. You don't hide in a race."
"Exactly." He tapped the screen. "That's why no one will see it coming."
The lab lights flickered as the simulation module booted. Holo-screens lit up in front of them, showing hundreds of modification slots — engine, suspension, shield generator, weapon mounts, capacitor housing, auxiliary module, and coupling joints.
Ava watched as Jax stripped away half the base modules.
"What are you doing? You're deleting armor."
He didn't look up. "We don't need it."
"That's insane."
He shrugged. "Heavy cars can't dance."
She sighed, half-smiling. "And what happens when Zinnia shoots our 'dancing car' with her railgun?"
"Then we move faster than she can aim."
He selected a module labeled Kinetic Overclock Capacitor and slotted it where the safety ballast should have been.
The system beeped in warning.
[Warning: Stability compromised. Chassis balance below recommended safety threshold.]
Ava frowned. "Even the system thinks it's stupid."
"Good," he said. "That means no one else will try it."
For the next hour, they worked in silence.
Ava configured the weapon nodes — short-range plasma emitters that could double as boosters.
Jax rewired the car's internal matrix, routing energy directly through the coupling shafts.
He wasn't just building a car. He was creating something unpredictable.
When the lab door opened, Kai leaned against the frame, holding a cup of energy drink.
"Still awake? Damn, Jax, do you even blink?"
"Sometimes," Jax replied dryly.
Kai peeked at the screen. "You removed the armor? Are you trying to die stylishly?"
Ava smirked. "Apparently, it's part of his genius."
Kai shook his head. "You'll either win big or explode beautifully."
He raised his drink in salute and left.
Jax stared at the empty doorway. "He's half right."
Ava stretched. "You really think this setup can win?"
He nodded. "If my calculations are correct, yes. But winning isn't the hard part."
"Then what is?"
"Making everyone believe we lost until it's too late."
She gave a short laugh. "You're impossible."
He smiled faintly. "You'll see."
By morning, the test rig was ready.
The academy's pit area buzzed with energy. Dozens of teams tested their designs, holo-projections flashing with car diagnostics and energy readouts.
Spectators and sponsors roamed between them, taking photos, gossiping, placing early bets.
Zinnia's car stood out like a beast — heavy, sleek, and glowing with controlled power. Celestia adjusted the calibration rings with perfect precision.
She noticed Jax walking by and smirked. "That's your car?"
He nodded casually. "Lightweight and unstable. Just like me."
Celestia chuckled softly. "You're aware that looks like suicide on wheels?"
"That's what they said about flight once."
Zinnia's eyes narrowed. "Try not to cry when you crash."
Ava stepped beside him, chin high. "Don't worry. He doesn't cry. He just wins. And then..."
The crowd nearby laughed. Zinnia smiled coldly and turned away.
Jax whispered under his breath, "Let her laugh. It helps me measure confidence."
Ava grinned. "You're evil."
"Only when I need to be."
Later that day, the teams were called for inspection.
Each prototype was rolled into scanning chambers.
Academy technicians scanned for illegal mods, AI interference, and overclocked parts.
When they reached Jax's car, the inspector raised an eyebrow.
"You've removed the main stabilizers?"
"Intentional," Jax said.
"Why?"
"Because balance is overrated."
The inspector sighed and moved on.
Ava laughed softly once the man was gone. "You're going to give them a heart attack."
"Good," Jax replied. "Fear makes them underestimate."
They climbed into the cockpit to test the interface.
Inside, it looked like a fusion of a fighter jet and a gaming console. Every control was clean and sharp.
Ava adjusted the targeting ring while Jax checked telemetry.
[System Sync: Pilot Jax – Co-Pilot Ava. Core Temp: 62%. Overclock: Disabled.]
Ava frowned. "It's synced perfectly."
"Then let's break it."
He hit the manual override, forcing the system to reroute through his own custom matrix.
The screen flashed red for a moment, then stabilized.
[Warning: Manual energy routing detected. Unstable feedback loop possible.]
Ava blinked. "You're going to blow something up."
He smiled. "Hopefully not us."
They ran a test lap around the simulator track.
The car jolted, hissed, and almost skidded off. Ava cursed and slammed the stabilizer thrusters.
Jax didn't even flinch. "It's fine. It's learning our rhythm."
She shot him a glare. "Our rhythm? It's learning how to kill us."
"Same difference."
Hours later, under the night sky, the final grid announcement came.
[Official Team Order – Heat One:
Zinnia & Celestia
Ava & Jax
Kai & Reeve
Team Lunar
Team Specter
Team Zenith...]
The holo-screen glowed over the crowd.
Bets skyrocketed. Zinnia's odds dominated. Ava and Jax sat near the bottom.
"Perfect," Jax murmured.
Ava leaned on the car door. "You like being underestimated?"
"It gives me room to surprise them."
From across the pit, Zinnia waved mockingly. "Try not to burn out on the first corner!"
Ava flipped her hair and whispered, "She's gonna eat dust."
Jax smirked. "She'll choke on it."
They watched as Celestia's team loaded their heavy boosters. The air filled with the sound of engines warming up, a deep rumbling that shook the floor.
Jax's eyes gleamed. "Every race has one rule."
Ava tilted her head. "And that is?"
He looked at the track lights reflecting in the car's frame. "Everyone thinks they're fast until they meet someone who thinks differently."
Ava smiled faintly. "That sounds like something you'd say before breaking physics."
He started the engine. The car hummed, light and responsive. "Physics needs a little humility."
[System Check Complete. Engine Status: Optimal. Capacitor Charge: 97%. Boost Cooldown: Ready.]
She gripped the control ring. "Ready?"
"Always."
The academy announcer's voice boomed through the air.
"Drivers, to your starting lines!"
Engines roared to life across the track.
Spectators cheered as holographic advertisements floated above, projecting sponsor logos and flashy effects.
Zinnia's car shimmered under bright lights, confident and heavy.
Jax's looked fragile beside it — thin, sharp, almost skeletal.
Commentators whispered into their mics, "That thing will fall apart before the second lap."
Ava heard it through the headset and chuckled. "They don't know you very well, do they?"
Jax smirked. "They will."
The countdown timer glowed red.
Ten seconds.
Ava's pulse quickened.
Zinnia's smirk widened across the line.
Celestia tightened her gloves.
Kai waved to the crowd like an entertainer.
Five seconds.
The engines screamed.
Jax's car vibrated like a predator holding back.
Three.
Two.
One.
The lights flashed green.
Every car surged forward in a burst of light and smoke.
The race had begun.
Jax leaned forward, eyes sharp, hands steady. The first lap blurred into motion. Ava's voice synced with the rhythm of the engine.
"Speed 230. Left curve incoming."
"Got it."
"Rail shot behind—!"
"Let it fire."
The shot grazed their side, melting a paint layer but missing the core.
Jax didn't even blink.
'Perfect,' he thought. 'She's already wasting ammo.'
Ava stared at him, half in disbelief. "You're insane."
He grinned. "That's new?"
Their lightweight car skimmed past a curve, brushing dangerously close to the track wall. Sparks flew. The crowd gasped.
Jax's eyes locked on the monitor. "Everything's working."
"Working? We nearly died!"
"Almost dying means it's tuned right."
Ava groaned. "You need therapy."
"Later. For now, just trust me."
The sound of boosters filled the night. Zinnia's car sped past them with a roar, metal plates gleaming.
Ava clenched the control stick. "She's pulling ahead."
"Let her," Jax said calmly. "The faster she runs, the easier she'll fall."
The lap timer ticked down. The first checkpoint loomed.
Zinnia crossed it first.
Jax and Ava crossed seconds later — and behind them, the crowd was already laughing, calling his design suicidal.
He didn't care. His eyes glimmered like a man watching a chessboard, not a race.
As the cars looped around for the next lap, the screen displayed the standings.
[Lap One Complete:
Zinnia & Celestia
Kai & Reeve
Ava & Jax]
Ava exhaled, sweat glistening on her neck. "You sure about this?"
Jax smirked. "Completely."
"Then what's next?"
He gripped the throttle. "Now we make them think we're losing."
The engine screamed as he hit a strange combination of switches.
The car jolted violently, skipping sideways. The crowd gasped. Sparks flew again.
Ava shouted, "What the hell was that?!"
Jax's grin widened. "Preparation."
The screen flickered with warnings.
[System Instability Detected.]
[Oscillation pattern abnormal.]
The commentators yelled. Spectators thought their car was malfunctioning.
But Jax stayed calm. His eyes glowed with calculation.
'Just one more lap,' he thought. 'Then they'll see.'