Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) - T.A. White Page 0,43

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"Remember that all the other racers need to be finished with their descent before you start yours," Jin advised.

"From the way you're nagging me, you'd think this was my first time," Kira said as she picked up speed.

She fixed her eyes on the red dot high above, the buoy that signaled the turnaround point.

That was her goal. Nothing was going to keep it from her. Not even gravity.

"Perhaps that's because you have a tendency to discard perfectly good plans at a whim."

"Hello, pot; meet kettle," Odin said dryly.

Kira grinned as gravity started to push on her chest.

"Who asked you? If not for your meddling, we wouldn't need to go to these lengths," Jin grumbled.

The sky spread in a wide expanse, its fluffy white clouds seeming to beckon her until it was all she could see. Kira kept her gaze trained forward. Racers, even experienced ones, occasionally experienced vertigo on this type of ascent. It was easy to get disorientated, the ground so far below and only a thin scrap of metal equipped with what amounted to little more than an antigrav engine between you and it.

Honestly, Kira considered people who did this a little crazy. That went for herself as well.

"How was I supposed to know you wouldn't check the board's maintenance log before you started tinkering?" Odin shot back.

"Of course, I didn't. I'm the only one with permission to touch that board. Even Kira knows better," Jin cried.

Kira ignored the two as she flew ever higher. She felt like Icarus as he flew too close to the sun—only her wings weren't the type to melt so easily.

"Heart rate and blood pressure still look good," Jin announced.

"I'm not reading any issues in the board's feedback either," Odin added.

The sensation of pressure on Kira grew, until it felt like external forces would try to rip her from the board.

Kira ignored the discomfort as the red of the buoy grew until it seemed to eclipse the sky. The buoy that had seemed so small when seen from the ground was suddenly as big as her ship.

"The last of the racers cleared the bottom. You're good to go whenever you're ready," Jin announced.

"You always know the way to my heart," Kira teased.

The sound of retching came. "Please. I've held ownership of that decayed muscle since the day we first met."

Kira grinned as her engines shut off to conserve power as she bypassed the blimp, climbing up and up until gradually her pace slowed, and she felt gravity calling her back to land.

"You ready for this?" Jin asked.

"When have I not been?"

Jin chortled. "All right, prepare for ignition."

Kira let gravity drag her down, twisting to point the nose of her board toward the ground far below. She crouched, reaching for the handle affectionately called the "oh shit bar" by waverunners.

"Three. Two. One. Systems are go and waiting on you. Fly fast; fly far, Firebird."

"Roger that. Prepare the home fires."

Wind whipped past Kira as she let go of the handle and straightened her legs. She fell, her stomach climbing into her throat. Right about now should do it.

Head pointed toward the planet and her feet at the sky above, Kira punched it, opening the engine and accessing eighty percent of the board's power.

"Here. We. Go." Jin chanted.

"Commencing burn."

For a split second nothing happened. The world froze. Time had no meaning.

A dull trembling started in the board, shaking her bones. Anticipation filled her. This was going to be so much fun.

Dangerous fun—but that was the best kind.

There was a dull thump that Kira felt in her chest. Her board jolted forward, catapulting her toward the ground in a move that would have been suicide for anyone without Kira's experience.

"Trajectory and speed look good. A little feedback from removing the limiter but nothing outside our projections," Jin said with calm detachment.

In her interface, a blue dotted line appeared outlining the optimal flight path. All she needed to do was follow it.

Below her, the ground grew at an alarming rate. The journey up that had seemed to last forever went by in a blink of an eye on the return trip.

"All right Kira, we’re good. You should pull up now," Jin advised.

Not yet.

The wind whipped past her as she crouched a little lower, reaching for more speed.

Just a little bit more.

Almost there.

"Kira, if you break the sound barrier, they're going to know it's us," Jin warned.

There.

Kira relaxed her stance, pulling out of the dive in the next second.

"Good, I'm glad we agree on how stupid that would be,"