Engines screamed as the cars tore through the first curve.
The track lights flashed red and blue across the night.
Crowds shouted, banners waved, and the roar of fans drowned out every other sound.
Ava held the steering loop tight. "Speed 240! Corner coming fast!"
"I see it," Jax replied, calm as ever.
Zinnia's car took the inside lane, boosters firing in clean rhythm.
Celestia's aim control was perfect — each rail burst landed near the edge of Jax's path, forcing him to back off slightly.
Ava hissed. "She's trying to box us in!"
Jax smirked. "Then let her think she did."
He flicked a switch on the dash. The car's stabilizers disengaged. The chassis wobbled like a live thing.
Ava's breath hitched. "Jax! The balance—"
"Trust me," he said.
The car tilted, almost touching the guard rail, then sling shotted forward.
Sparks flew from the sides. The speedometer jumped.
Ava felt her heartbeat sync with the vibration.
Behind them, Kai's car roared past in a flash of neon, music blaring from his external speakers.
"Woooo! Don't die, Jax!" Kai yelled over comms.
Ava rolled her eyes. "He's impossible."
Jax smiled faintly. "He's entertainment."
He then thought. 'Entertainer your husband'.
Zinnia's voice came through public comms. "Enjoy the view from the back, Jax!"
Ava muttered, "She talks too much."
"She'll talk less when her coolant burns," Jax said quietly.
He pressed another sequence. The Overclock Capacitor lit up on the HUD.
A warning flashed.
[Capacitor Load: 86%]
[Overheat Risk: Critical]
Ava gritted her teeth. "You're pushing it too far!"
"Exactly."
He twisted the control stick. The car's rear lifted slightly before slamming back down. The sudden burst threw them forward with brutal acceleration.
Zinnia's camera feed caught it, and the audience gasped. The move looked suicidal. The commentators yelled that his chassis couldn't take another hit like that.
But the car didn't break. It sang.
Lap Two started with chaos.
The field tightened. Cars fought for space, scraping metal against metal. Sparks scattered across the track.
Spectator drones hovered overhead, capturing every moment for live feeds.
Kai drifted too close to Team Specter's car, causing both to spin out briefly. The crowd roared.
Reeve laughed through comms. "Worth it!"
Jax kept focus. His display showed energy readings from every car in range. He was watching patterns, not positions.
Ava glanced at him. "You're doing math again, aren't you?"
He didn't deny it. "Always."
"Zinnia's ahead by ten seconds," she said.
"Good. She's spending her coolant faster than planned."
"How can you tell?"
"Her booster rhythm dropped by point two seconds last corner. She's overheating."
Ava blinked. "You can tell that from just sound?"
He smiled. "From everything."
Halfway through the lap, the first sabotage appeared.
Team Lunar deployed a magnetic spike net, bouncing it off their rear panel.
Zinnia avoided it easily. Kai's car jumped it with raw power.
But the net hit Jax's front tires.
The warning siren blared.
[Magnetic Contact Detected.]
[Traction Loss: 27%]
Ava cursed. "We're losing grip!"
Jax's jaw clenched. "Switching to manual suspension."
He tapped his custom override. The car jolted, sparks flying again.
The crowd gasped as it skidded sideways, tires squealing.
Ava held her breath. "We're spinning!"
"No," Jax said. "We're pivoting."
The car turned sharply, drifting through the curve instead of fighting it.
The spike net tore free and flew off the track.
The audience erupted in cheers.
Commentators shouted, "He turned sabotage into momentum! That's insane!"
Ava looked at him, half terrified, half impressed. "You're not normal."
"Normal people don't win," he replied.
They hit the straight again.
Zinnia's car still led, heavy and stable, firing controlled plasma bolts to clear debris.
Celestia was guiding every move with machine-like precision.
Ava adjusted their shield output. "We're stable for now."
"Not for long," Jax murmured.
He leaned forward, eyes flicking across dozens of data points.
"Watch her energy graph."
Ava stared. "She's dropping power?"
"Not yet. She will."
He toggled the capacitor again. The HUD flared red.
[Warning: Overclock Exceeded.]
[Chassis Integrity: 59%]
The car started to tremble. The floor vibrated under their feet.
Ava hissed. "We're going to blow up!"
Jax grinned. "Maybe."
He yanked the throttle. The tires screamed as the car surged forward again, jumping two positions in seconds.
The audience exploded in disbelief.
Even the commentators were speechless for a moment.
Ava was pale but alive. "You're crazy."
"I know," Jax said calmly. "But it's working."
By the time they hit Lap Three, the race had turned chaotic.
Kai's car was sideways in a dust cloud, laughing through comms.
Reeve shouted something about "showmanship points."
Zinnia cursed over the channel. "Idiots everywhere!"
Ava laughed breathlessly. "This feels like a war zone."
Jax smirked. "That's what racing is."
He could feel the car's rhythm changing. The oscillation was building — subtle at first, like a heartbeat.
Each boost made the suspension bounce slightly.
Ava frowned. "You feel that?"
"Yes."
"Is that… normal?"
"Not even close."
[Warning: Vertical Oscillation Detected.]
[Recalibration Required.]
Ava reached for the stabilizer control. "Should I fix it?"
"No," Jax said quickly. "Let it run."
"Let it—? Jax!"
The car bounced once, twice. The third time, it lifted for half a second before slamming down with a hiss.
Spectators screamed. The live feed zoomed in, showing their car literally hopping.
Commentators lost their minds. "Mechanical failure! They're going to crash!"
Ava gripped the console. "We're airborne! Jax, what the hell did you do?!"
He smiled slightly. "We're improvising."
The bounce stabilized just before a sharp corner. The momentum slingshotted them into a clean drift, sliding perfectly behind Zinnia's car.
The audience went wild.
The live chat filled with: 'Is that legal?' and 'Did they hack physics?'
Ava stared at him, hair sticking to her forehead. "Tell me that was planned."
He grinned. "Half of it."
She groaned. "I hate you."
"Good. Hate makes you faster."
The lap counters flashed.
[Lap Two Complete. Final Lap Incoming.]
[Current Standings:
Zinnia & Celestia
Ava & Jax
Kai & Reeve]
The crowd chanted names. Drones followed every car, broadcasting real-time stats.
Jax's car looked like it was falling apart — sparks, smoke, heat distortion around the engine.
But inside, he looked perfectly calm.
Ava's breathing was quick. "She's ahead by five seconds."
"Five's enough."
"For what?"
"For a bad idea."
She stared at him. "Oh no. What are you planning?"
"You'll see."
He tapped the console twice. The capacitor bar flashed yellow.
[Capacitor Charge: 99%. Critical Zone.]
[Recommendation: Emergency Vent Required.]
Ava's eyes widened. "That thing's going to explode if you don't vent!"
"That's the plan."
"Jax!"
"Relax. I only need three more seconds."
The audience saw his energy readings spike and went silent.
Zinnia noticed on her HUD and laughed. "He's going to fry his car! Idiot!"
Celestia frowned. "Wait— his oscillation data's too clean. That's not random."
Jax closed his eyes for a heartbeat.
He could feel the hum of the car, the vibration, the rhythm syncing with his breathing.
'Same as before,' he thought. 'One heartbeat, one motion.'
He whispered, "Now."
He slammed the manual override.
The car surged forward, the capacitor releasing in a violent burst of kinetic feedback.
The front lifted again — not from failure, but precision.
The oscillation turned into momentum.
They bounced once, perfectly clearing the small incline Zinnia's car had slowed down for.
Ava screamed, "We're flying!"
"Just a little."
They landed perfectly, the impact converting into a speed boost.
The crowd went insane.
Zinnia's camera caught the entire thing. Her face twisted in disbelief.
Celestia's eyes widened. "He's using rebound energy."
Zinnia snarled. "That's not possible!"
"Apparently it is."
For the next few seconds, the two cars ran side by side.
Metal nearly scraped metal. Sparks flew again.
Ava clenched her jaw. "We can take her now!"
"Not yet."
"Then when?"
"When she shoots."
Zinnia fired a railgun burst straight at them.
The beam should have hit.
But Jax's car bounced again — a small hop that made the projectile miss by inches.
Ava laughed in disbelief. "You're insane!"
"Insanity's just misunderstood preparation."
The finish line loomed in the distance.
The audience counted down in a frenzy.
Zinnia pushed full power, her boosters glowing white.
Ava's hands trembled on the controls. "We're almost there!"
"Almost," Jax said softly.
The oscillation grew wilder.
The car started to jump irregularly, shaking the cameras.
Spectators thought it was malfunctioning again.
Commentators shouted theories — mechanical breakdown, glitch, illegal hack.
Ava felt the heat under her seat. "It's getting worse!"
Jax's grin didn't fade. "Hold on."
The last jump threw them forward into a blinding rush of light and dust.
The roar of the crowd faded for a moment. Only the hum of the engine remained.